Now that Shards of Faith is done and published (yay!) I can get down to some series spring cleaning while I gather ideas together for the next book. What does that mean exactly?
Well, for starters I am re-editing Journey to Aviad, because it has needed that for a long time. In working on that project, I can really see how much Elowyn has grown, and how I’ve grown with her. You can read more about that in my most recent newsletter, which incidentally is a great place to find lots of free books. So if you’re not subscribed yet, check it out.
Series spring cleaning doesn’t stop there.
Did you know I’ve already created a large timeline that details all the major events in my world’s history, starting right from the Creation story? Now I need a new one that contains all the more current events in my books, from the new novella (which takes place in the past), all the way through Visions of Light and Shadow. Instead of showing events by the year, it will zoom much closer in to view things down to the hour, or even minute if I want it to.
I’m using a program called AEON Timeline, and it’s the best way for me to keep the details straight, because at this point there’s an awful lot of information for me to just remember in my head! Once this monumental task is done, I’ll be able to see how old each character is and where they are located at any given point. I will be able to identify and group story arcs, and visually see where subplots overlap and connect with each other.
As you can see from the image above, I’ve started this new timeline already, but completing it is going to take a while. It will be so worth it though! It’s already fun to see how things intertwine, particularly with Journey to Aviad and Into the Shadow Wood, which take place in the same time period.
While I’m doing this, I’ll also be taking LOTS of notes–looking for plot threads I’ve started but not tied off yet, and getting ideas together for new short stories, novellas, and of course series books. All of this is gearing me up for another Camp NaNoWriMo session in April. As you can see, a writer’s work is never done. I’ve got even more on my plate now than I did while I was working on Shards of Faith.
I do have to take breaks every now and then so my head doesn’t explode. When I can’t stare at my computer screen anymore, I’m getting a bit of quilting done. But I’ll save that for another post.
Allison D. Reid 
Spring’s almost here: time to sit outside and write a book. I just have to wait for the Lord to give me the germ of the story.
I used to do a lot of planning before I wrote a book. Only four of those ever got published–and don’t ask “Out of how many?”
Just saying a prayer and plunging into it works better for me.
LikeLike
I’ve been doing a lot of that up until now, but my plot lines are now crossing each other too much for me to not at least have an accurate timeline in place. Otherwise I’m going to really mess something up, it’s just a matter of time.
I was a little worried when I added Into the Shadow Wood’s events, because even the weather had to line up between the two books (like Braeden’s storms), not to mention major events like the troll battle, seen from Morganne and Elowyn’s perspective in Journey, and from Einar’s in Into the Shadow Wood.
One of the book’s reviewers mentioned that something didn’t line up, but I was relieved when I got that part of the timeline done and all was well. I don’t want any more scares like that. 🙂
This “after the fact” planning will be a nice tool for me to use as I move forward. I’ll be able to double check myself before I write something that is completely impossible given the time, place, or people involved.
LikeLike
Well, yes, when you’re writing a series, it is discomfiting when you suddenly discover a major incongruity–like the 17 Temple servants I lost between “The Thunder King” and “The Last Banquet.” My copy editor had to point it out to me so I could fix it. But that was the last such scare I had. I do re-read the previous books before starting a new one.
LikeLiked by 1 person