April Update

I tend to write Battlecorps stories in batches, and now is no different. I've five first draft stories I need to go back over and rewrite before turning them over to the workgroup for some C&C. And that brings up something that is common with all writers: Perfection is the enemy of good.

What do I mean? I mean that the first step in writing is sitting down and writing! Words have to be on the page before any story can flow.

The second step in writing is Rewriting is almost as important as writing! It doesn't matter that the story isn't perfect --- very few authors can write a perfect first draft. I'm not one of those authors.

What do I mean. Let's glance at the stories I finished first drafts for;

Story #1 - Length: 10,200 words. First thing I have to do with this story is cut at least 1,500 words from it. I also have to work out minor continuity problems, and maybe cut an entire scene for length and pace.

Story #2 -- 10,700 words. Similar to Story #1 -- cut a minimum of 2,000 words, look at scenes that need to be removed or rewritten.

Story #3 -- 11,300 words. This is going to be the tough one, and the one I will do last. 2,500 -- 3,000 words need to be cut and I need to rewrite several scenes to support a twist I added late in the story.

Story #4 -- 10,000 words. 1,500 words to be cut and strengthen some scenes.

Story #5 --- 9,200 words. Need to trim 500-1000 words.

You will note that all the stories are on the long side -- four out of the five are over 10,000 words, too long for Battlecorps. I prefer doing that, because it makes me go back and read over each sentence, looking to see what I can cut, rewrite, or modify to lose words. If I need to, I'll cut characters, scenes, simplify the story, or the actions sequences to got those words. At the same time, it allows me to read these stories with fresh eyes (It'll be weeks or months between the time I finish them and I reread them again)

Of the five, two (and a half) stories are sequels to stories I had already published, two are in eras and places I've never written in. One story is Star League era, thee are Jihad era, and the last one is set post-Jihad. I'm not going into details about the stories, or even their titles, right now, but if any of them do get publish, I'll let you know!

Now, I have no idea how many, if any, Jason Schmitzer will accept for Battlecorps publication. There is no promise from him, despite my track record. I have said this before: I have to prove that I can write for Battletech every single story, and if he doesn't like the story, he will not buy it.

In addition, there is something in the works I hope you will be seeing soon. I can't tell you any more than that right now.

So, that's what I'm doing this week, hope you're also pursuing your writing dreams.

Craig