Light at the End of the Tunnel?

I've completed eight rewrites of my manuscript, the fourth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series.

While it has grown to more than 90k words, adding more than 12k, this rewrite took less than two weeks. For some unexplained reason, I got a burst of energy and creativity. That's an encouraging sign for someone my age.  

I'll begin work on the ninth, and hopefully, the last rewrite in the morning. My goal is to finish by July 31. If everything falls into place, I should do that with days to spare. (I hope I haven't jinxed myself.)

I've taken copious notes to guide me through this process and address problems that need to be fixed before submitting the manuscript to my editor. For the most part, it has been to tighten the narrative and focus of the story.

For those who are unfamiliar with the series, it's about the trials and tribulations of a baby boomer after he retires from a long career as a newspaperman. While he dreams of an idyllic life with his wife, Sally, it's anything but that as he deals with various and sundry problems—at home, in the neighborhood, and abroad.

So it's back to the work in progress.

Until the next time . . .

Slow Progress on Manuscript

I've completed six rewrites to my original manuscript, the fourth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series.

As with the other rewrites, it took longer than expected because, well, there was so much to edit and rewrite. I made progress, but there's still a ways to go before I'm ready to submit it to my Wings ePress editor. 

I did a line edit on paper on the latest rewrite. There were quite a few red marks on the manuscript. I'm amazed at how I see things on paper that escape me on the computer screen. That's why I print the manuscript so I can put different "eyes" on the words.

My next course of action is to review my notes and make sure there is continuity from the previous books. The storyline and time elements have to flow. I've also reintroduced characters so I have to make sure names and descriptions are true to the series.

As with any rewrite, I deleted some scenes and dialogues. I'll be expanding some parts in the seventh rewrite.  At this point, there are nearly 74k words; that should grow past 80k.

So that's where I'm at on this manuscript. Lots accomplished but more to do before it's ready to be published. I hope to reveal more in the coming weeks, perhaps the title and publishing date.

Until the next time . . . 

  

On the Second "(Re)Write" Track

It's back to work on the work in progress, this time on the second rewrite. 

The first rewrite was quite a chore since I hadn't looked at the manuscript in six months or so. It took much longer than I expected to go through the 60k-plus words, about 10 arduous weeks. 

This time should go more quickly, perhaps even 10 days, if I don't encounter too many distractions along the way. That's another reason I spend most of my time in the early hours working on a manuscript. 

I generally go through 10 or 11 rewrites before I'm satisfied enough to submit it to my editor at Wings ePress. That's not to say she receives a perfect manuscript; far from it. But I do hope it creates less work for her in the long run in that she can focus more on story than on other elements.

As noted in previous posts, this novel will be the fourth in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. In the last novel, New Horizons, the story focused on John and Sally Ross's trip to Budapest. Now they're back home in Kentucky and dealing with domestic adventures of various and sundry sorts, to put it lightly. Retirement isn't what John expected when he left the newspaper business. 


What I try to do in a second rewrite (and probably every rewrite to clean and fine-tune) is to add/delete descriptions, tighten dialogue, make grammatical and spelling corrections, and delve more into characters to show their motivations and what makes them tick. 

And I'll add or expand scenes to enhance the story and delete others that bog down the flow or don't add to the overall development of the plot/subplots.  

Until the next time . . .   

New Horizons Published on May 1

I was glancing at my posts and realized that while I gave progress reports on "New Horizons" the past few months, I never announced that it had been published. 

Well (drum roll, please), family, friends, readers, and other interested folks, "New Horizons" was published May 1 by Wings ePress. 

I suppose it slipped my mind because I was traveling across Greece from April 21 to May 3. And then it took a few days to recover from the trip including getting my body adjusted from the seven-hour time difference.

But as I said, it's out there, in print and e-book format. It's available at the Wings website as well as reliable Amazon.

The novel, the third book in the "John Ross Boomer Lit Series," is about John and Sally Ross's 10-day guided tour to historic Budapest. It's a wild and wacky trip as they meet a variety of traveling companions to make for a memorable journey.

And they also have to deal with what is going on back in the States as best they can. Nothing is ever easy for John and Sally. 

You can read an excerpt here.

Until the next time . . . 

Pre-Release Book Promotions

The third book in my John Ross Boomer Lit series, New Horizons, will be released May 1 by Wings ePress.

One of the promotions is to provide readers an opportunity to purchase the first two books, Old Ways and New Days and Darkness Beyond the Light, at discounted ebook prices. 

Beginning Sunday, April 14, Old Ways and New Days can be downloaded for one week at the amazingly low price of 99 cents. Hard to believe, isn't it?

But wait! The following Sunday, April 21, Darkness Beyond the Light, will be available for the astonishingly low price of 99 cents for one week. Have you lifted yourself off the floor yet?


Silliness aside, my novels have never been priced this low. As part of the promotion, it's a great way to introduce discriminating readers to the series—especially baby boomers. And maybe their children and grandchildren who are curious as to what makes the old folks tick. 

For those who aren't familiar with the series, it's about the trials and tribulations and the joys and jubilations of John Ross after his retirement as a sports editor of a Kentucky newspaper. 

It's a coming-of-old-age series that deals with family, friendships, health, and redefining one's purpose while moving into that final phase of life.    

As mentioned, New Horizons is the third book in the series. It's about a wild and wacky trip to Budapest, Hungary. I'm currently working on the fourth installment and know what the fifth book is going to address.

New Horizons, like my other novels, will be available in electronic and print. More about that later.

Until the next time . . .

P.S. If you read the books, please leave a rating and/or review. It would be much appreciated.

WIP Update: Time to Rewrite

It's time to go back to the beginning of my work-in-progress and start the rewrite process.

I've written about 85k words since the first of the year, not a great total, but I'm at the point where I can start the rewrite on the third book in the "John Ross Boomer Lit" series.

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm actually working on the fourth book as well. I'll continue to do that while I rewrite the third book. The WIP has two  distinct parts -- the European vacation and what awaits John and Sally when the return home.


My goal is to finish the third book by the end of July. But it could be  sooner, or later. I'll know when it's ready to submit to my publisher and editor. 

It is still my intention to see it published in 2018, and the book four about six months later. I already know what I'll be writing about in book five. 

But for now, I'm going to take a short break from writing, perhaps a week, before embarking on this next step.

Until the next time . . .

Best Intentions for Third Boomer Lit Novel

I've been writing daily since Jan. 1 (missing only one day) on the third book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series. It was my intention to finish by March 31, and let it rest for a few weeks before returning to rewrite.

That didn't happen.

Even after working from an outline, there are still unresolved issues that I must address before reaching the first end of the novel. How long will that take? That's difficult to say but I would hope before the end of April.

But it could take longer. You don't reach the end until you're there. And I'm not there although parts are beginning to come together.

One approach I am taking with this novel is to continue writing even after I reach the end. So I'll be working on the rewrite as well as the fourth book in the series. 

I'm sure there are other novelists who do the same when working on a series, especially one that would be more than three books. As I've mentioned in a previous post, this series plans to be my primary output from now on. I also intend to write another short story collection (I really do!).

So that's where I stand on March 31, 2018. 

Until the next time . . .