Hello, dreamers. I have a busy week ahead of me. There’s lots to do over the coming month, as the Pitch Wars deadline looms. Already I’ve made new connections with wonderful aspiring authors, all hoping as I do to tackle Pitch Wars and beat the odds.

There’s no time to lose, so let’s get started. Here’s what I’ll be working on this week:

The Pioneer

As it turned out, I added both replacement scenes to the novel. I had to do some re-working to accommodate them, but with that done, that’s it. I think I’m finally done.

Tomorrow, I will begin my final pass through the novel. Hopefully there won’t be much to do, but I don’t want to move forward without giving everything a parting glance, partly because of the rewriting necessary to incorporate the new passages. Once that’s done, I’ll be converting the master file to manuscript format, likely on Wednesday. Then, all I have left to do is draft a synopsis and query letter, and that will be it. Pitch Wars awaits.

The Pioneers

With my time in The Pioneer drawing to a close, I’ll be turning my attention at last to my next work-in-progress: the sequel to The Pioneer.

This is a new experience for me: writing a sequel. Mere years ago, I couldn’t even imagine writing a novel, and now I’m gearing up to write a sequel. Luckily, I feel my experience writing The Pioneer has prepared me to a point; after all, I had to reference events in Pathfinder to write it. Still, I must admit to being a bit nervous.

Over the next few days, I will continue to build my notes and work on plotting this new novel. On Wednesday I plan to use my WIP Wednesday post to formally introduce the sequel, and give my readers some idea of what to expect.

I have a lot to do between now and then, however.

Wide Horizon

Unfortunately, I must report that I’ve decided to shelve my debut novel for the time being. This was not an easy decision. But the more I’ve thought about where I currently stand in my writing, and what the future holds, I think it’s for the best.

While I love the story, and everyone who’s read it seems to as well, first and foremost Wide Horizon was a proof-of-concept: a way to prove to myself that I could, in fact, write a novel. But in the end, I wrote Wide Horizon due to years of frustration with the When We Left Earth series. I needed a story I wasn’t so attached to, I needed distance, and I found that in Wide Horizon. For that alone, the novel will always be special to me. But regardless of my concerns for its marketability, the biggest issue is actually When We Left Earth.

Wide Horizon, safe to say, is unlike anything else I’ve ever written, but what’s worse, it’s unlike anything I plan to write in the future. The more I’ve thought about it, I don’t know how much sense it makes trying to woo an agent with a novel, then telling them I plan to spend the rest of my career writing something entirely different. The Pioneer is a starting point: it represents the first step towards who I want to be as a writer. It’s my vision, my hope. I can’t go seeking representation for something I don’t want to do.

Now, I’m not planning to abandon Wide Horizon. However, I feel the timing isn’t right. I have considered simply sitting on it until The Pioneer is published, and though I’m not proud to say it, I’ve also considered looking into self-publication.

I have a lot to do this week, but my direction has never been clearer. I know what I have to do, and I am unafraid. So read on, and dare to dream. – MK