Updates from Dan Kenner
Aug 24, 2023 3:31 pm
Hey there!
Sometimes things just don't go as planned. And you know what? That's fine! We set out to potty train child number five (you'd think after five times we've have it down) but it did not go as well as we hoped. After a couple of longs days and a lot of tears, we realized now was not the right time.
Let's just says our cute little girl is relieved to be back in diapers for just a bit longer. One thing we've learned is that sometimes you aren't quite ready for something, but that doesn't mean it will always be a no, it's just a 'not right now'.
As authors, this is perhaps one of the more important things to learn. We have ideas and dreams, and often we have to set one aside for a time to let it stew. That doesn't mean it's a 'no' forever, it could just be a 'not right now'.
My Progress This Week
I've reached nearly 8,000 words on Demonblooded, which is encouraging because it's just far enough that I can crank through some good writing sessions. There's something so tricky about getting started with a new book, but that's no longer a problem here. I'm about a week out from getting Dragonblooded edits back from BETAs and the line editor. Once those are in my hands, and once the tears have been shed, it'll be back to work with editing.
Book three of the Kids of Cybercity is officially done. My co-author sent the glorious text just a few days ago that first drafts are completed. There was plenty of celebration, not only for the completion, but also a lot of firsts. It was both of our first time co-authoring. It was also our first time delving into middle-grade writing. My first time finishing a whole trilogy in the course of one year. I'll be honest, I loved the whole process and would definitely do it again.
Some Editing Tips
If you're like me and you want to pull your hair out when it comes to editing, I've got a great bit of news for you. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense to try to learn all the rules of the English language, so you let a system do that for you!
ProWritingAid has become an instrumental part of my process. It's so handy to be able to open up my document (Word, Scrivener, etc.) and run the automated reports on my writing. It catches grammar and spelling mistakes, overused words, clunky sentences and even has an AI re-writing suggestion tool. (Don't worry, if AI freaks you out, you can just skip that piece of it).
Now, this isn't a sponsored post or anything, but I can tell you, the lifetime purchase of this tool is 100% worth it. They're even having a sale right now on the annual plan. Perfect timing!
Cloudy Weather Makes This Author Happy
We've had tons of cloudy and rainy weather recently and I've been eating it up. If you're a pluviophile like me (authors love using random unnecessarily complicated words they randomly learn every day) then you'll get why I've been eating it up. Nothing spurs my imagination more then stepping outside to do animal chores and the sky is overcast and the breeze is blowing.
A few days ago it drizzled for an entire day. As much as I wanted to rush out and bask in it, there were plenty of other things to do. I don't think I've ever been more excited to get out and feed the goats than in that moment. Twice that day too boot!
Wherever you are, never miss a moment to enjoy nature and beauty it beholds. I grabbed this picture a few days ago. With the sun filtering through those rainy clouds, it's something straight out of a fantasy book.
And Now for the Free Books of the week!
Check Out This Other Great Book!
If you lived in a Post Apocalyptic world... What would you do if you were told the future of the world is in your hands?
—Born to Magic follows the story of Princess Areenna of Freemorn, who expects to follow the traditional path of marriage and eventually become a queen. But her destiny takes an unexpected turn when she's called to a place of magic from which few ever return.
warm regards,
Dan
