As per the title, I've officially crossed the Rubicon with The White Rose of Ganymede Station (which is quite the wordy title, so I may just change it to White Rose).
It's been nice to return to those characters and world. To see what I've remembered from a story I wrote so long ago and see all the work it's going to need. I finished the first draft of White Rose in January of 2021, and now after letting it sit for two years, I've returned to spruce the story up and work it into the shape I want it to be.
Editing is hard. The edits on Gloradel took me two years to get it in a shape in which I'm proud of, and while I'm hoping White Rose won't take me as long, if it does, it is what it is. Either way, it'll work because then it'll give Howl and Harsh Soil more time to breathe and relax in the time between drafts and edits.
I'm also taking what I've learned from the Gloradel editing process and refining what I did into several different drafts. I have seven drafts planned out for this book. The second of which I'm in the midst of doing and it's something I've never really done before. Writing Exercises.
And they're not as bad as I feared. As I enter White Rose's edits, I'm starting these edits with something new. I'm breaking the story into a Hero's Journey Template by Campbell and Vogler, I'm doing a beat sheet and story genre form per Brody's Save the Cat Writes a Novel, and then reviewing the story per Truby's Character Web, Scene Weave, and 22-steps of the journey exercises. So far, I'm only finished with my first pass of Campbell, but in these edits I really want to play with character voice and imbuing my book's theme into the prose.
Ultimately, we'll see how it goes. I'll keep chipping away, for better and for worse, because end of the day that's all I can do. If I do nothing, it'll never get done. And I know, in my heart of hearts, that the more time I spend on this journey, the closer I'll get to my destination.
So that's all I've got writing wise. Work on White Rose has begun, Gloradel is in active query mode, and I've also been battling maintaining discipline with the temptation that's been Baldur's Gate 3 and Pierce Brown's Dark Age and Lightbringer.
The books have been read, and my capacity to feel anything other than sadness after that Lightbringer ending is quite limited, but Baldur's Gate 3 and the books have been a lot of fun. As always, trying to find the balance is tricky. It's something I feel like I fail at more than I succeed at, but only by trying, by acting with intent can I get better. And no matter what, I am moving forward.
Anyways, that's all I got for today, thank you for your time, and I hope you all have a great day!
Sincerely,
Josh Acocella
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