first draft

The Times, They are A Changin’

| Casey Wyatt

Not a lot to say today other than I’ve cut back on the amount of blogging I’m doing over at the Seven Scribes. As a group, we decided to post less based on all our busy writer schedules.

My next Scribe post will be on February 20th. The site recently received a make-over. Take a gander, since yours truly did the actual change over (courtesy of WordPress and their new Twenty-fourteen theme).

I’m in the home stretch of Lachlan’s Curse, draft 1. Yes, someday I will finish this book. I hope to do that by month end. We’ll see.

I haven’t been idle. Just focused on other things. I took an RWA class this past week and I finished edits for Mystic Hero and submitted it to my publisher (fingers crossed that they like it!)

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Wishing for warmer days!

There’s No Time Like Autumn

| Casey Wyatt

I am so close to finishing the first draft of Mystic Hero, I can taste it!! And no, it’s not ready for anyone to read yet.

77630002

While I finish, I’m sharing some of my favorite fall photographs taken over the last few years.

77630001

Most of these are from Old Sturbridge Village. My happy place! Enjoy!

Yankee Candle, Deerfield, MA
Yankee Candle, Deerfield, MA

Finally!

| Casey Wyatt

I did it. Last Sunday I finished the draft of Mystic Storm. But the work isn’t over yet. Before I can share Zephyr’s story with my trusted first readers, I have to read through it and make sure there aren’t any gaping plot holes.

In the meantime, I’m at the 7 Scribes today  – We Are Family.

The Undead Space Initiative

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Don’t forget to visit me at the Scribes’ Site today for a discussion about good reads.

As promised last week, I finished the first draft of my book – The Undead Space Initiative. I’m in the process of reading it and will be cleaning it up over the next few weeks.

So what does the planet Mars and a stripper pole have to do with each other?

Read on to find out more:

Cherry Cordial, vampire stripper extraordinaire, spectacularly messes up her life with a single act of kindness. How could she have known when she rescued gorgeous rogue, Ian McDevitt, that she would be implicated in the Vampire Queen’s murder? Soon, she faces the wrath of the entire vampire community. To escape retribution, she joins a settlement program to colonize Mars. Her choices are grim: possibly die on the red planet or stay on Earth and face certain annihilation.

The Finish Line Approaches!

| Casey Wyatt

Hi everyone,

Please stop by the 7 Scribes Blog to read my post on – Breakin’ Da Rules.

Whew! I’m in the home stretch. Rough draft word count to date – 77,960. Vacation all week has done wonders for my writing. It’s amazing what I can accomplish when my sole focus is on the story. On Monday, I clocked in at 5,021 words (my neck still aches from that one!).

In preparation for the clean-up, I’ve created a list of gaps and other plot related concerns. I’ll address those first. And then, the Inner Critic will be allowed free reign to correct weak wording, typos and other mistakes.

A few hints to tide you over. Stripper pole and Mars. You’ll have to wait until next Friday to find out how.

Halfway There!

| Casey Wyatt

Happy Friday! Please remember to visit me at Writing Secrets of 7 Scribes for my post about Change.

This week, I’m pleased to report that I’ve surpassed the halfway point. Total word count to date is 59, 806.

Due to family obligations, I had a few days where I was only able to hit 1,000 plus words. With vacation coming soon, I hope to be back on the 2,000 words a day track and possibly even surpass it.

The story has reached the mid-point climax and is rolling towards the black moment/reversal (hopefully next week).  After that, the final wrap up. Next, I’ll re-read the draft, plug the plot holes, fix the word boo-boos and ferret out any other transgressions.

This kind of aggressive first draft approach is new for me. I usually stop after the first act and re-read what I’ve done and make corrections. Not this time. I’m blasting through to the end and then reviewing the plot as a whole. I’m not sure if I’ll do this for my next book. We’ll see. Depends on how the process goes.

I’ve resorted to this method because, often times, I start second guessing the plot and playing the “what if” game and then I believe the whole story is crap, resulting in the urge to toss it out.

When I finish the first draft, I will share the blurb for the book. I can tell you, it’s something new for me and not like my other books.

See you next week!