Famous last words, right?
Well, the easy part is over. Shadow Mountain and the Secret of the Gatekeepers is up, and though I think there are still a few tweeks to tackle, it is now… out there.
And now, the work really begins. Now I get to start having more meetings, and I get to partake in some really exciting planning sessions and talk about stuff that excites me to tears! Really, it’s super exciting. Like a sedative. But that’s what comes with the job. It’s something that I signed on for, despite my distaste for all things boring.
Apart from this new area of adventure, I am also slipping into a more familiar land. Something I like to call the Void.
What is the Void?
Oh, I wish you wouldn’t ask me that. It’s a cold place, with pale colours and haunting shadows around every corner. It’s a living nightmare where you keep on dreaming, never waking up, and where you’re always exhausted, but can never fall asleep. How would I describe it to someone who’s never been there? Simple, the same way I would describe it to people who have walked its horrible paths. One simple word will do.
Edits.
Yup. That’s the beast that I get to wrangle now. Oh, don’t mistake my dramatic description; I don’t think it’s all that bad… But the thing is, it’s not all that fun.
I’m a storyteller. That’s what I do. Editing your story is like taking a bath in ice water. Sure, you're gonna get clean, but you’re not going to stick around to soak... and you're not gonna enjoy yourself! The story, however, will almost always benefit from this icy bath of work. Or words. Or… something that makes sense.
Shadow Mountain went through the ringer, and I intent to take its sequel through something even tougher. Will I enjoy my time in the void of editing Shadow Mountain 2? I don’t think so. It is tedious work, but I know I will grow to appreciate the story as I round out a few edges and snap up some scenes. I have another book in the works, and the edits that it went through nearly killed me, but what came out of it is a story that I am so proud of. Now, Shadow Mountain 2 (for lack of its real name) will go through that process. It’s something I dread, and actually, at this very moment, I am avoiding… But it’s something that I also look forward to. Not just because, once finished, I can share another story with the people, and not just because I’m excited to see this next chapter grow stronger than it is… but I’m most excited... because I like pain…
Okay, that last part isn’t true.
The edits begin, and I enter the void.
But that’s okay… They have cookies there!
