Cady 2 is ready to write
I outline my novels on index cards. I go over the process a little in one of my site workshops, and a LOT in How to Think Sideways, but my process is about as seat-of-the-pants as it’s possible to get while still having an idea where you want to end up.
And as of this morning, I have the working outline for Cady 2: The Book In Need Of A Title, ready to go.
I’m releasing Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood as Cadence Drake 1: Hunting the Corrigan’s Blood, and book two was going to be Cadence Drake 2: Invisible Warrior, but as I outlined the book, that title died the ugly death of irrelevance.
The title at the top of the index card in the picture, by the way, is the card title. I let my muse scribble on the cards first, writing out titles for scenes I have not yet imagined. Then I write a scene Sentence. And that’s it. Once I have all my scene titles and most of my scene Sentences, I’m ready to write.
Now I’m there. So next week, I start writing CD2.
I am glad to see you so invigorated and focused. Plus the new site looks pretty good. I really appreciate you sharing your path and thought process. I am learning a lot. I look forward to future posts on how your writing sells in the new world. I know I have gone looking for your books and could not find them, so I am a great example of what happened. Will WABWM pick up with Cady 2? Where is Talysmana in your new plan?
Oh hell yeah.
I know you’ve been looking forward to revisiting Cady for a long time now. Which means I’m going to have to get that kindle sooner than I thought so I can read the first one without burning my eyeballs out 😀 the last I read of your books were Talyn and Hawkspar, which I hunted down and ordered from my local bookstore.
Great stuff, Holly, can’t wait to see the results!
Great news!
But what happened to Moon & Sun III (The Emerald Sun)? Will there be the third book?
Yay! I’m happy for you! Must feel great to finally be writing Cady’s story. I look forward to reading Cady 2 in the future!! I also look forward to Cady’s website 😀
Good for you!! I hope you have an awesome time writing it.
I love seeing the writing process in progress. 🙂 Seeing an actual card with a scene idea on it got me thinking: I wonder what would happen if you gave a handful of writers the same basic outline and told them to write a book? It could be interesting to see the different results, takes on scenes, characterization, etc…
I’m happy for ya, Holly! Hopefully once you start writing a new story, you can leave the headaches (figuratively and literally) of the recent past behind you and start enjoying yourself again in the writing world. I really appreciate you posting your blog entry regarding you going to self-publishing. I especially enjoy you outlining the steps involved to self-publish and I am on hold at my library to get the book you referenced in that same blog entry (guess there’s another Holly Lisle follower in my town quicker than me! – got to it first!). I have considered self-publishing in the past. But your past articles, and articles I have read on FM and various other sites treated it as a taboo. That scared me away. Your article, adding on to the success of some recent self-pub authors, has given me new hope. Thanks!