Progress

Well, after a week of research and outlining I actually sat down and put words on paper.  I now have a working title and two chapters in the book(s).

I had originally planned to write the first draft during National Novel Writing Month in November but I'm chomping at the bits to get working on this project.  I decided I'm going to give Kickstarter a go this fall to see if I can raise some funds to cover self-publishing and advertising costs.  To make that work I want to have the first 2 or 3 chapters written and polished to post for the Kickstarter campaign.  So I decided I'm just going to start writing.  I'll get those first few chapters up and running and then go from there.  If the first draft isn't finished in by November one then I'll use NaNoWriMo to buckle down and finish up.

The goal is to have the first draft written by the end of November.  I'll start the editing and revision process in December and hope to have a final draft ready to go by next June.  That will give me time to advertise, print and publish by my 37th birthday in September 2014.

In related book news, I'll be working with artist Susan VanSant on the cover art.  I've known Susan for a few years through my regular job and she does some amazing work.  I'm really excited about working with her on this project.  She has a style that I think fits really well with the tone of this story.

I'll also be working with New Media Design Studios for help with marketing and some other services.  I went to college with Rivka, one of the owners and they do a great job working with writers via coaching and classes as well as marketing and other services.

It's a pretty exciting time for me here.  I finally feel like I'm in the middle of the project instead of just planning it like I've done for so many years.  I'm looking forward to seeing the end result.

Oh, and one more thing:  I found this silly little progress meter that I'll be using in my sidebar to track progress.  This book is the first of three that I'm calling The Exiled Trilogy. I've set a goal of 80,000 words but I'm really going to let the story dictate when I'm finished.  Either way, this will give everyone a good idea of where I am both with regards to word count and sanity.

Thanks again to everyone for your support.  I'll be in touch soon!

Ike