Stick a flag in March. Two days ago, I already hit my 50,000 word mark for the month. I’m about 8,000 words ahead, which is a pretty nice padding. Hope I won’t need it. I’m spending the last days of March trying to widen that lead, but also finishing up another edit of the 2^nd Canticle Kingdom book so that it can go off to the editor I hired.

It is the last chance to submit to the Christmas Short Story Anthology. The deadline is March 31^st. Check out “current projects” for more info. I have a bunch of great submissions, including an epic historical piece about Good King Wenceslas, who was apparently much more interesting that I had ever considered.

Please be sure to check out my audio series, especially if you liked or would like to read “The Canticle Kingdom”. I think it will make it a much deeper experience. The second one that I’m narrating is called “Phineas Frakture and the Dolonites” and it shaping up to be an interesting adventure with great characters.

http://bigworldnetwork.com/CanticleofDawn.html

http://bigworldnetwork.com/PhineasFrakture.html

If you’d like to play a game of “Where’s Waldo” with real people, I’m singing in LDS General Conference this weekend with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. You can stream it live, or watch the videos after the fact at http://www.lds.org. Leave a comment if you were able to spot me!

Stats:

Running Total: 158090

Month to Date: 51,758

Yearly Percentage to Go: 73.7%

Writing Tip of the Week:

When bringing a project to a close, make sure it is going to make the reader’s happy. Not all ending have to be rainbows and roses, but make sure that there is something that made the journey worthwhile. Someone, typically your main characters, should have made progress, and at least something about the world should be better or more hopeful than before. You want your reader to feel at rest at the end of your story at least to some degree.

Writing Update:

The big finale of Wandful is in the bag, and I’m trying to decide which project to work on next. I’ve been hearing that dystopian novels and paranormal romances are less in demand these days. (Good thing I’d only ever write one of the two.) I have a whole stack of ideas I’d like to try, which I feel is a good problem to have.

I’m also considering what new web series I might try to write. I’m doing this current one and one more for my Canticle series, after which the reader is taken up to the time of the first novel. I’m thinking about giving the same treatment to “The Last Archangel”, especially because Xandir obviously has a long and interesting backstory at which he only hints at in the novels. More on that as it develops.

‘Til I see you again, write bravely and live well!