Delays

Good things take time. Glorious things take even longer.

Thus, I find myself having to delay the release of Coven of Shadows until the 15th December. I’m annoyed, both with myself and with circumstances. But it cannot be helped. I know won’t be happy with the book if I put it out now, and in truth it needs more work.

I am close and it is written – all 115k words so far – but it is not good enough. I have also had a fleet of other ideas enter my head, that I want to weave into it, and in the longer term it will make the Souls’ Abyss a stronger and more interesting series of books.  I am very pleased with the front cover, see below, it’ll be the look and feel of all my covers from here on in.

Added to this, my writing process has really tied me in knots and increased the time it’s taking to get everything done. I normally dictate and get the contents transcribed. Otter is a brilliant piece of software, but like all dictation packages, it doesn’t get everything right. It’s partly because I just talk and expect it to sort everything out, but it doesn’t.

So, I am having to go through everything line by line (350+ pages) and check it properly. Whilst doing so I’m adding more content and trying to link everything together. It is rather messy and, in the future, I think my system is going to have to change, it’ll save me both my time and my sanity.

I’ve also had a real bout of Imposter Syndrome – doubt in your own abilities, thinking everything you write is rubbish and any success is based on luck, not talent. It has been made worse, especially when I‘ve read and come across other work that is so fantastic. It is a proper psychological thing, and I’ve struggled to shift it this time around.

Normally I’d breeze through it, but not this time. My confidence has been hit, and it’s slowed everything down. I’ve been reading or listening to a lot of books on Audible, and there is some superb stuff out there.

I’ve also finished a book recently that I really didn’t enjoy. I won’t say who or what it is, but I found it vast and epic, and utterly bewildering. To the point that I could not remember people, places, or activities. It completely ruined, what was a decent story, with unnecessary depth. And not depth in a good way, world building depth, not character depth. I couldn’t care less about the history of elves, etc. I want to know about the character, not the entire bloody history of the world.

It has sold massive numbers and is part of an acclaimed series. I wondered if I needed to do such things to my books going forwards, but I really don’t want to. Partly because it’s not who I am and also because it’s such a killer of the story for me. Yes, have detail, but not so it overshadows character and is detrimental to the story.

I’m going to write about imposter syndrome properly after book 2 is released on the 15^th December. I’ll have more to write about then and I need no more delays at the moment…

Until next time stay safe.