Welcome back to unprocessed thoughts, this is the first installment of 2019. 2018 offered many exciting growth opportunities, and 2019 is shaping up to be of a similar caliber. Last year I was sitting on a manuscript that I wrote in the spring, because it had some flaws that I did not know how to address. I took some time away from it to write the Rutherford Manor novel, that I am sure you have heard lots about through social media. Now, with the Rutherford Manor novel nearing completion, I revisited the old manuscript with a fresh pair of eyes. Man, does that make a difference.

Welcome to another edition of unprocessed thoughts

I’d like to elaborate more on what I mean by sitting on a manuscript. Last year I had mentioned a slasher novel that was in the works, and by August it was finished. The manuscript went to some beta readers and they gave me their initial feedback. During the time that they were reading the manuscript, I kept trying to figure out what was wrong with it in the back of my mind.

Benefits of Sitting on a Manuscript

It took about four months away from the manuscript for that aha moment to happen. Before I took the break, I knew something was wrong with the book, but I did not know how to identify it. I spent many hours reviewing the chapter outlines, the character sheets, the subplot notes, and the manuscript itself. Yet I could not find what was wrong with it. It turns out that I underestimated the power of putting a manuscript away and revisiting it after working on another project. The time away allowed me to study more about the power of storytelling, and let the manuscript itself sizzle in the back of my mind without stress of trying to figure it out right away.

In addition, working on the Rutherford Manor novel gave me a chance to sink my teeth into a new concept. Writing a historical thriller is a very different process from a horror novel. Especially a horror novel that takes place in a particular time. I had to interview a number of people to clarify facts, which was a lot of fun, very similar to what I did with the YEGman. Through this sitting process, a working title has surfaced for the slasher novel as well. More on the slasher novel will come in the future, for now I will be shifting gears back to the Rutherford Manor novel.

The White Hand Cover Reveal and Synopsis

last week the cover and synopsis for my upcoming historical thriller novel was released. Woo hoo! You can click on this link to read the full synopsis and see the cover in larger detail. The exact release date is to be announced, but it will be this spring. More tidbits and goodies are sure to come in the following months, I am very excited to get this novel out and share with you all. This year, the white hand novel, will be the primary focus. This will give me time to reflect on the slasher novel, mental damnation, and other writing projects I have on the go.

New Tools

I am also learning to use new technologies to enhance my writing. Upon completing NaNoWriMo 2018, I got a coupon for purchasing scrivener. I have yet to use the software, as I have always use Microsoft Word and kept various documents for all the research and pieces that go into the novel. For future work, I will be trying to use scrivener to see the different features it has. In addition to scrivener, I will be practicing speech to text software to see if I can increase my word count. This blog post you are reading is my first demo of exploring speech to text. So far it is quite enjoyable and I am seeing an increase in word count. It is a bit of a learning curve to get formatting and syntax down. Customer names for characters and places is also going to be tricky, but it’s all part of the learning curve.

As the study into new software and tools continues, I will be sure to share the progress. Always learn always grow.

Beer Note: Abdij Averbode

Brewed in the Norbertine abbey of Averbode, this Belgian strong ale. I have reviewed Belgian beers before and I’m always giving them a positive rating. This one is no different. It’s a lighter beer with a strong taste, and supposedly it is from Japan, so of course I had to try it. It is pretty acidic though and having more than one would be too much. With my hoppy taste buds in mind; I’d give this a 4/5.