My editor sees the future (+ giveaway)
So, last year, my editor said something a bit prophetic. And now that I know how right she was, I’m thinking that may not have been a fluke. Maybe she’s really a Seer. Which would mean that we’re actually living in the Unbound world. Which would be (A) the most terrifying thing I’ve contemplated in a long time and (B) kind of cool. I could write her in as a character and know that I’m finally getting it exactly right.
Or maybe that’s just me cracking under the pressure. ;)
What did she predict? Way back when I was doing rewrites on Blood Bound and just realizing for the first time how flawed a book it really was (I think I did much better with structure in Shadow Bound) I mentioned to my editor (okay, maybe I whined) that this book was ha-ard.
She said, with an air of sagy wisdom, that she suspected that all of the Unbound books would be hard for me to write. I had no reason to disagree with that statement, but I didn’t understand at the time how incredibly right she truly was.
To date, Shadow Bound is the most difficult-to-write book I’ve ever written-but only because I haven’t yet finished OATH BOUND.
OATH BOUND came with several special challenges, known in my head as the “Rachel Musts.” As in, “In this book, Rachel must [insert goal here]”
Wanna hear some Rachel Musts? Here they go:
Wait, I have nothing to follow that. My thoughts aren’t operating quite logically enough for that at the moment. So how about a giveaway?
To enter this week’s International Edition giveaway, leave me a comment in the corresponding Wordpress entry telling me whether you typically prefer to read books in a series or standalones. Has this changed for you, over the years? The list of available prize books is here, but please don’t leave your entry in that post. That is a static page, which will be updated as books are chosen or donated to libraries.
The rules (which I forgot last week):
Okay…go!
Or maybe that’s just me cracking under the pressure. ;)
What did she predict? Way back when I was doing rewrites on Blood Bound and just realizing for the first time how flawed a book it really was (I think I did much better with structure in Shadow Bound) I mentioned to my editor (okay, maybe I whined) that this book was ha-ard.
She said, with an air of sagy wisdom, that she suspected that all of the Unbound books would be hard for me to write. I had no reason to disagree with that statement, but I didn’t understand at the time how incredibly right she truly was.
To date, Shadow Bound is the most difficult-to-write book I’ve ever written-but only because I haven’t yet finished OATH BOUND.
OATH BOUND came with several special challenges, known in my head as the “Rachel Musts.” As in, “In this book, Rachel must [insert goal here]”
Wanna hear some Rachel Musts? Here they go:
- Rachel Must reintroduce the same world building from Blood Bound and Shadow Bound, without confusing new readers or boring existing readers, all while establishing the unique points of view of two new characters (the fifth and sixth narrators of the series). Because what parts of the world they choose to show us depends entirely on who they are. On what’s important enough for them to notice or emphasize. Which depends on how they were raised, what hardships they’ve overcome, and what secrets they’re withholding. THIS IS NOT SIMPLE.
- Rachel Must wrap up all loose threads, this time with the third book, rather than the sixth (as in Shifters) or the seventh (as in Soul Screamers).
- Rachel Must show what all the previous viewpoint characters are up to and how they tie into this, the series conclusion.
- And finally, Rachel Must make this novel capable of standing on its own, in case it’s read out of order. Which means that, aside from everything this book must do for the trilogy, it must have its very own story. Two stories, actually. One for each view point character. And those stories must interlace perfectly (Blood Bound is structurally flawed in that area-Shadow Bound is not) in order to come to a mutual and satisfying conclusion, not just for this one book, but for the whole trilogy.
Wait, I have nothing to follow that. My thoughts aren’t operating quite logically enough for that at the moment. So how about a giveaway?
To enter this week’s International Edition giveaway, leave me a comment in the corresponding Wordpress entry telling me whether you typically prefer to read books in a series or standalones. Has this changed for you, over the years? The list of available prize books is here, but please don’t leave your entry in that post. That is a static page, which will be updated as books are chosen or donated to libraries.
The rules (which I forgot last week):
- One entry per person
- This contest is open to international entries
- This contest is void where prohibited
- If you’re under 18 yrs of age, you must have a parent’s permission to enter and to provide your shipping information if you win
- Please allow 2-4 weeks for shipping
- You must come back to this blog on Friday to see if you’ve won and claim your prize
- Prizes not claimed within two weeks will be awarded to a redrawn winner’s name
Okay…go!