Update: At last pivoting to Silver Circle!

It’s not that I’m totally, one hundred percent finished with INVICTUS, because of course I’m not. I’ve completed one more proofing read-through of CAPTIVE, and so has my mother, which leaves time for maybe one more because there’s no such thing as too much proofing, as we have all seen amply demonstrated. Also, I’ll soon be doing final-final revisions for CRISIS and then that one will enter the endless rounds of tweaking and proofing.

BUT! Nevertheless! I’ve finally actually started SILVER CIRCLE, which is a great thing.

I’m allotting all of September, all of October, and if necessary all of November to this book. I can hardly imagine it will be super-fast, though I would sure be happy if it turns out to be. I am basically certain it will go long, though it can’t possibly [she says with determination] go as long as TASMAKAT. If it goes to half that length, that’s fine. That would be 160,000 words or so and that would be excellent. Oh, I notice I’m feeling like I should be able to write 50,000 words per month. Well, that does seem likely; that’s a pretty ordinary pace for me, barring interference from real life. I haven’t started keeping track of words per day, but soon I will probably start because that’s motivating for me (until the book goes way too long and then it’s kind of weird to watch the wordcount click upward, though not actually demotivating).

I would like to have December clear to write something else (MARAG!) and ideally January for something else (RIHASI!) and that would put me in a really good spot early next year. Lots of things I could work on once I get that far.

Possibly I shouldn’t look quite that far ahead.

So: SILVER CIRCLE.

I’ve started this book in a way I’ve never used before: I put -1- for chapter one and wrote one sentence, spaced down and put a page break; then -2- and one sentence plus a page break; then -3- and one sentence; then -4- and one sentence; then -5- and quick notes. The first three chapters will be short and fast. Then in chapter four we’ll introduce two other complications — no, three. Then in chapter five, we’ll start moving forward.

This structure is (a) amusing for me; I’m chortling about how everything clicks together in chapter four. Also, (b), this lets me write a good handful of scenes I want to write, getting into the story and building momentum. Also, (c) it allows me to rapidly reprise certain issues and problems and remind the reader about the state of the world. This should all feel natural, smooth, fast, and not at all like a series of infodumps. That’s the plan for sure: do not feel like a series of infodumps.

Then in chapter five, I can start moving characters into place for the endgame. This will take a long time, as the endgame includes the leadup to the climax, the climax, and the denouement. Setting that up will comprise the main body of the novel. We should see all our favorite characters take important roles, no matter who counts as “our favorite characters.”

Justin will take a pov role, by the way. I’m guessing his first pov chapter will be chapter five or six. I feel this is necessary, as he was an important pov character in the second novel and hasn’t taken the pov again except in one novella. I’m pretty sure we’ll be seeing pov chapters from Natividad, Alejandro, Miguel, and Justin — and maybe Ethan. Lots of balls I’m juggling in this book ,that’s for sure!

Could I, at this point, write a chapter-by-chapter or event-by-event outline? No; at least nothing rigorous. I have eight pages of notes, mostly about things I need to happen OR things I just don’t want to forget. I’m sure about the climax, or nearly sure. As sure as I can be without actually putting the words on the screen. A series of early scenes, a handful of notes about coming events, and the climax means this story is in fine shape.

How far have I gotten so far? I wrote chapter three first, then chapter two, then chapter one. Next, I’m going to enjoy writing chapter four. Then chapter five may be from Justin’s pov OR I might start cannibalizing the unfinished novella I started from Grayson’s pov. It won’t be in his pov as I work it into this novel. Four-maybe-five points of view are plenty.

So, coming up: Final tweaking and proofing for INVICTUS, and real progress, I hope, for SILVER CIRCLE.

Oh! And! If you haven’t yet tried anything in this series, the BLACK DOG series will remain on sale through tomorrow, so this would be a good time to pick up at least the first few. Sale prices should apply everywhere since I reduced the prices by hand. I’ll probably put the prices back up on Wednesday.

This ad didn’t perform well either. This time that wasn’t a surprise, and I just put a little money into the BookBub ads, so it was fine. We’ll see what I can figure out later this year or next year, when SILVER CIRCLE will be finished and I’ll be picking a release date.