CURRENT STATE OF MY WRITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY Projects

The State of My Writing at the Current Moment.

I'm all over the place and absolutely nowhere at the same time. I have no project discipline. I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm unfocused.  

Writing

Work on the last Chronicles of Fu Xi novel is progressing slowly. I'm trapped at a crossroads. I've got a lot of story material, so much so I'm constantly tempted to break it into two novels. I don't want to do that. Well, I don't want to break it into two main storyline novels. The Chronicles of Fu Xi (COFX) main series will only be four books.  I might break one off into an independent smaller novel, like I did with The Golden Princess. However, what I really want to do is finish the entire series and move on. I'm at a conjuncture where I have to decide and decide soon.

There is considerable back story that has significant influence on the main story. The back story is a novel unto itself, and an exciting one.  If I break it off into another stand-alone spin-off, like The Golden Princess, it will be another smaller novel that doesn't sell.

So much effort, so little to show for it. If I press on with one enormous novel, it's going to easily reach 250,000 words. It will make for a richer experience, but that's too long.  If I leave this material out, it will lessen the experience, with too much "tell not show" in the book.  I'm incredibly proud of the work I did on The Golden Princess, including the audio book. It just doesn't sell the way I thought it would. Its gotten great reviews, and even award nominations. It just doesn't sell. The main novels sell considerable better, and I thought it would be the other way around. 

So what to do? I think I'm going to break off the back story and press forward with a small, stand alone novel. The main COFX will also press forward and the fourth novel will be smaller and more manageable. I am not going to self-publish the smaller novel. Once I complete the final COFX novel, my self-publishing days are over. I've got that t-shirt, I've lived that experience.  If there is an audience for my work, I'm not finding it through the self-publishing arena.  The plan is to market the smaller novel to the traditional publishers, and I have no illusions about that path.  I'll try to make it accessible, marketable, and all those things publishers and agents want to see, while at the same time holding true to myself and my expanded universe. 

We'll see. 

Photography

I've been unable to get out and hit the road for more images. Simply too many other demands right now.  I am taking photos, but they are not for the next photo book. 

Hopefully spring will see things improve. More to follow. 

Now it's off to work to earn a living.