I think I'm going to take some time off, just a couple days or a week or something, and let myself write fun things. Short (ha!) stories that have no torture or blood or war or death in them. Character developing stories, stories that I could put on my website maybe. Just little snippets of action you missed between Forbidden and Awakening or Prophecy and Forbidden. Maybe even a short story from before Prophecy, in between Legacy and Prophecy. It's an interesting thought.

I already have one in my head that my fingers are itching to write. It's very funny and with that, I don't want to mess it up with bad delivery of the jokes or poor imagery or something like that. But that's the nice part about it being a short story. It's not long enough to be a big deal to edit if I make mistakes.

Today I'm off. There are no office hours today. I just woke up earlier than anticipated and had some time on my hands or I wouldn't even be writing anything today at all. But tomorrow...we'll see about that.

I submitted it to createspace this evening and we'll get word on whether or not it's approved in the next day or so. Keep your fingers crossed! Then I'll be able to add a cover to the photo album.

Muse-Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)

Adam Lambert-If I Had You

Linkin Park-Leave Out All The Rest

Daughtry-Life After You

Christina Aguilera-Not Myself Tonight

David Cook-Light On

Lady Gaga-Alejandro

Timbaland Feat Katy Perry-If We Ever Meet Again

Blue October-Into The Ocean

Daughtry-It's Not Over

Beyonce-Halo

Muse-Map Of The Problematique

Muse-New Born

Muse-Resistance

Muse-Uprising (Love Muse)

Nickelback-Savin' Me

Jason Derulo-In My Head

Blue October-Calling You

Adam Lambert-Whatya Want From Me

Daughtry-What I Meant To Say

Lady Gaga-Bad Romance

Adam Lambert-Mad World

Orgy-Blue Monday

Zeromancer-Send Me An Angel

P.O.D-Alive

Pillar-Fireproof

Nickelback-I'd Come For You

Muse-Falling Away With You

Nickelback-Someday

KJ52 Feat. Kutless-Are You Real

Not a lot of new stuff, but when you're inspired to actually do editing, anything helps. Have a good weekend!

Have you ever read a series where the writer didn't seem to know the characters from one book to the next? Or how about a series where the writer seemed to forget important details from one book to the next? Or, even worse, a series where characters seemed to pop in and out with no apparent plan or reason from one book to the next? Yeah, I've read them too. Don't they just drive you nuts?

My characters deserve more than that and I don't want to disappoint them. I also don't want to disappoint you as the reader. So I'm undertaking the Chronicles of Seven and Order Of The White Rose Series Bible. In longhand.

I realized as I've been editing Awakening that I don't do my characters justice by not remembering little parts of their personalities from one book to the next. Ulrich wouldn't act like he does at times in Awakening as it stands now. Those need to be fixed. Seven wouldn't do some of the things he does either. It's just not good enough.

So in the middle of the crazy edits, I'm taking the time to make it better. If that means I write page after page of character bios, then that's what I do. If that means I have to create mythology that I'll never actually use, then that's what I'm going to do. If that means hammering out a timeline from Legacy (the 1700's roughly) to Order (2012 or thereabouts) then that's what I'm going to endeavor to accomplish. It's a lot of work, but maybe it'll be the actual companion book someday.

We'll see what happens, but as of now, my hands hurt from writing so much in longhand.

Into The Ocean-Blue October

Map of The Problematic-Muse

Calling You-Blue October

Incomplete-The Backstreet Boys

Meet Me On The Equinox-Death Cab For Cutie

Animal I've Become-Three Days Grace

Freak On A Leash-Korn

Bitch-Meredith Brooks

Blue Monday-Orgy

If We Ever Meet Again-Timbaland Feat. Katy Perry

Down-Jay Sean Feat. Lil' Wayne

In My Head-Jason Derulo

Can't Get You Out Of My Head-Kylie Minogue

For Your Entertainment-Adam Lambert

Assassin-Muse

Dead Star-Muse

Just Like You-Three Days Grace

The Mummer's Dance-Loreena McKennit

New Born-Muse

Stranded-Plumb

Decode-Paramore

Leave Out All The Rest-Linkin Park

Need You Now-Lady Antebellum

Headstrong-Trapt

Bent-Matchbox 20

Whatya Want From Me-Adam Lambert

Battlefield-Jordin Sparks

Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)-Muse

Alive-P.O.D.

Further-Pillar

Shine-Pillar and Collective Soul

Send Me An Angel-Zeromancer and Petshop Boys

Sorry it's such a long list this time. I've been digging through a lot of music lately. Now back to the hectic edits...

Now here's why I'm disappointed: Awakening is only 344 pages right now. That's it. Prophecy and Forbidden were both over 400 pages. What the heck?!

Awakening is a springboard for the much bigger novel in Resurrection. Ultimately Resurrection is the hotter story, the more exciting and dramatic story. But without Awakening, you don't understand what's happening with Resurrection. Awakening is the stage and Resurrection is the play. Without the stage, we have no play.

I just thought the stage would be bigger.

When I look at most novels by authors I love, I see them getting larger or staying the same size throughout the duration of the author's career. Granted, the Sookie Stackhouse novels are averaging around 300 pages give or take. The Twilight Saga gets bigger and bigger as each novel progresses. Breaking Dawn was over 700 pages! Even the House Of Night novels are around 340 pages on average, with the last one hitting almost 400 pages.

To drop from over 400 pages to 344 pages for Awakening, it's depressing to me. I'm slightly depressed by this whole thing.

Granted, I have another round of edits to do in the next two weeks and it might get bigger. I'm hoping it gets bigger. There were two scenes I really wanted to add to the first round of edits that I just couldn't find room for in the story line in it's bare bones state. I think I can find a place for them though. I really want these two scenes in the novel since they are pivotal to the storyline.

We'll see what happens. I hope it gets bigger. I liked seeing over 400 pages when I got my proof copies. 344 pages just seems thin to me.

The good thing is that it's almost done. I have about eleven pages to finish editing (which I'm not doing right this second because I've already edited about fifty pages this morning alone). To my surprise, it's not a half bad book all in all.

The ending needs to be completely rewritten, but that's beside the point.

The reason I'm posting this in the middle of chaotic race to the finish line with this novel is that I want you to know it can be done. Even working full time and having a LOT of obligations outside of that, I'm getting it done. Is it going to be perfect? Hell no. But it's going to be better than it was three months ago.

Now I'm going back to the editing board. Or table. Or desk. Or whatever you want to think of it as. Hopefully once this is done, I'll have more time to post on here since I've been neglecting you all in my quest for perfection.

See you again soon! I hope.