The Next Phase: Editing
It’s been a few months since I last updated, and that means I’m on to the next part of this publishing journey! During December and January, I plan to do major revisions and editing before I start looking for an editor. Right now, all the scenes in Collision are mixed up and out of order, and not suited for even a developmental editor yet. I also need to add a few scenes to fill in some gaps of the story line.
I completed the latest revision of Collision at the end of October. I planned to start editing in November, but a side project that turned into about 23,000 words took all my attention. That side project helped me develop some future characters in other stories. Between them, there’s material for Combustion and a urban fantasy coffee shop story.
New and Old Characters
Meet Kallai (character subject to change), Nalani, and Korana! All three were part of my side project.
Kallai is the least developed so far (and has yet another K name…), but Korana and Nalani have their own story concepts already in my files! Korana is a half-elf going to a human boarding school. She expresses herself best through writing, (hmm, wonder where she got that from…) but she finds that writing alone doesn’t cut it when it comes to human interaction. Nalani is a feisty girl that goes to the same school, known for being generally loud and outgoing. There will be more on them when I get around to their books!
Per My Last Post
In my last blog post I mentioned that names were subject to change. Well, Eterna is now Raelynn. (I already edited my previous post to reflect that change.) I ended up combining the two characters into one so that I had less characters to keep track of. Another change I am likely to implement soon: Collision will be a duology instead of a trilogy. The two books will focus on Elise and Raelynn’s perspectives of events. The first will be mainly Elise’s point of view, with snippets of Raelynn’s, while the second will be switched. Both books will retain the name Collision but have different added titles. I am still brainstorming what those will be, so nothing on that yet!
The other thing I have been doing: scenes set with music on Tiktok! Most if not all of the scenes are things that will actually happen in Collision. There may be some changes, and some of them are references to things that happened prior to the start of the story. I’ve had fun finding the right songs and effects to illustrate what I have in mind!
Future Plans
Going forward, I hope to do one blog post per month as things ramp up towards publishing. However, if you want to see what I’m doing on a more weekly basis, I would keep an eye on my Instagram. I’m looking forward to getting this first book done. The editing is daunting, but I know it will be a better experience for the readers. Nobody wants a jumble of scenes that don’t have enough description and contradict each other!
Another thing I am contemplating is doing some light novels, which are popular in South Korea and Japan. They’re basically novellas, and they’re quick and easy reads. I feel that those will be nice breaks in between larger projects. We will see what the future holds!
Until the Stars Fall,
Vivian Hale
Current Song: Meet Me on the Battlefield by SVRCINA