• Demons of Oblivion
    • Bloodlines
    • Hunter
    • Lineage
    • Exhumed
    • Oblivion
    • Novellas, Shorts, & Collections
  • River Wolfe
    • River
    • Rebellion
    • How the Werewolf Stole Christmas
    • Wolfe
  • Livi Talbot
    • Solomon’s Seal
    • Odin’s Spear
    • Ashford’s Ghost
    • Emperor’s Tomb
    • Shiva’s Bow
    • Yampellec’s Idol
    • Charon’s Gold
  • Elis O’Connor
    • Blood Ties
    • Witch Hunt
    • Soul Spell
    • Hell Fire
    • Demon Fall
    • Season of the Bitch
  • Waverly Jones Mysteries
    • The Killing Beach
    • A Wild Kind of Darkness
    • Alone at Night
    • Silent All These Years
    • A Dark and Distant Home
  • Standalone
    • The Silent Places
    • Dweller on the Threshold
    • Watcher of the Woods
    • The Taiga Ridge Murders
  • Boxsets
    • Hauntings: Two Tales of the Paranormal
  • Audio
  • Sales

Skyla Dawn Cameron

My characters kill people so I don't have to.

  • Books
    • Demons of Oblivion
    • River Wolfe
    • Livi Talbot
    • Elis O’Connor
    • Waverly Jones
    • Standalone Books
    • Boxsets & Bundles
    • Content Warnings
  • Skyla
    • Newsletter
    • FAQs
    • Skyla’s Home for Wayward Strays
      • Sponsor a Cat
  • Blog
    • Soundtrack Sunday Overview
    • Comment Policy
    • Evil Writer Blog Posts
    • Evil Writer Blog Posts – Old Site
  • Patronage
  • Shop Books
    • eBooks Direct
    • Deals/Sales
  • Upcoming
  • Hire Skyla
You are here: Home / blog / Still Flying

April 15, 2014 By Skyla Dawn Cameron

Still Flying

So, as to not sound like I’m having some kind of stress breakdown like the past few weeks’ posts might’ve implied: I’m fine. Exhausted and overwhelmed and (to mix my metaphors in  a moment) feeling like I’m sinking in deep water, but still going.  My pets are fine (aside from having a seizure, Blind Cat is apparently the most healthy seventeen-year-old cat ever). And I pick my ass up and keep going because what the fuck ever–shit keeps piling up and stuff breaks, and it’s all expensive, but it is much preferable to keep flying and do your best than feel bad about it.

Firefly - "We're still flying." Firefly - "That's not much." Firefly - "It's enough."

Fridays are internet-free days for me. About a month ago, my internet was down for an entire Friday and I was so productive. No email interruptions, no distractions. Sure, I couldn’t look things up, but I just made a note to look later. So that’s what I do now: Friday rolls around, I check in to ensure no one I know is on fire or anything, then turn the WiFi off my laptop for several hours. I clean, I work, I write, all uninterrupted. It’s helped me keep on top of housework  and my word count during busy work weeks.

And this is why, I can officially say, I am done the zero draft of Shiva’s Bow.

This is the first big project I have started AND finished since burnout last year, and probably the first novel I have written and finished quickly in a short time period since Exhumed in late 2011.  (Solomon’s Seal—Livi #1–took about six or seven months for the zero draft; Odin’s Spear–Livi #2–took ten or eleven; by contrast, Shiva’s Bow has taken about nine weeks.)

The zero draft has clocked in at 97 405 words.

8000 of those were written Friday. It took a hell of a lot to get in the final several thousand–I managed about 3-4K a day (always at night) from Saturday through Monday, because it was the only thing standing between me and being alone with my thoughts, which was not a good place to be. I also know, roughly, where the overall shape is off with the thing, and possibly how to fix it. I expect it to hit 105K in rewrites to get a solid first draft, and the Beta of Awesome normally notices things to help me flesh it out a little from there.

I am still heartbroken over Molly–as are those who knew her for her short life (and frustrated over the lack of remorse/playing the victim her previous owner is doing right now)–and that whole situation, so I can’t really celebrate, but I am pleased it’s done and I’m happy with the book. Because it’s messy but I love it, and I’ve had more fun writing it than anything in recent memory. I swear, one day it will see the light of day, and will be dedicated to Lilith Saintcrow, for when she assured me I was going through a normal thing and that I’d recover.

The book also contains a scene where my heroine kicks a yeti in the balls. So there’s that.

Of course I promptly went and did this.

writer walking around in a bathrobe falling into bed exhuasted sleeping kitten

 So, yeah. Not really in a celebratory mood, but happy to have it off my plate. Of course I have to be responsible and focus on for-pay writing projects for a few months because my finances are seriously hurting. By summer, I’ll hopefully have decided on either Oblivion or Nairobi Spy Book to write next–we’ll see what’s next in line.

I can, at least, say I feel more like myself again, and I take tremendous comfort in that when everything else is pulling me under.

Filed Under: blog Tagged With: life, livi talbot, personal, still flying

In Memory of Gus

Become a Patron!

Buy My Books

Kobo | Kindle | Smashwords (or try here | iBooks | Payhip | Find Paperbacks & Hardcovers at Amazon
Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Books in Progress

40000 / 65000 words. 61% done!
Demon Fall

113233 / 113233 words. 100% done!
Beneath the Pines

20000 / 100000 words. 20% done!
These Haunted Woods

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Recent Comments

  • Buy Your Paperbacks Directly From Me – Michael W Lucas on It’s Done
  • CRussel on Torching Kindle (and Probably My Career, YOLO)
  • Anna Blake on Torching Kindle (and Probably My Career, YOLO)
  • Martha Hubbard on Torching Kindle (and Probably My Career, YOLO)
  • Paula on Audiobook (Initial) Release: DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD
  • Skyla Dawn Cameron on Audiobook (Initial) Release: DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD
  • Melissa Hayden on Audiobook (Initial) Release: DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD
  • Anna Blake on Nothing to Say (That Isn’t Incoherent Screaming)
  • Skyla Dawn Cameron on Soundtrack Sunday – THE TAIGA RIDGE MURDERS
  • Kerry on Soundtrack Sunday – THE TAIGA RIDGE MURDERS

MEET SKYLA DAWN

Writer of urban fantasy, thrillers/mysteries, and horror.
Fifth-generation crazy cat lady. Bitchy feminist.
So tired all the goddamn time.

My characters kill people so I don’t have to.

read more

Become a Patron!

Socials

  • Amazon
  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Etsy
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Twitter

What I’m Working On:

Writing Elis 5. Also kind of sort of writing Waverly 8.

I'm not inclined to resign to maturity.