Janny, I will take on the task of putting together a brief FAQ summary with reference links to your longer public posts. Once you bless the text, I can put it on the Song of the Mysteries page in the Paravia Wiki – this avoids any manual website coding, makes it easy to update as you progress, and provides an easy-to-link page for people to paste in other convos. It also has the side effect of being the first thing new visitors will see when they reach the Song of the Mysteries page from Google (traffic on that front has modestly increased over the past year, with some visitors eventually discovering this forum).
Wow, Brian, thank you - you deserve a medal! And hearing that thereis an uptick on the Song of the Mysteries page is encouraging! Great to hear.
Today's update - draft was cooking along; I am still melting together the old and the new bits, and did a lot of work on the subsequent subchapter to mesh it together. More to go on that front, but the map is solid, just integrating and cleaning up the raw transitions. There is actually a solid stride forward in the page count I am happy with, too.
Today's update:
I am working on the finishing scene of the revised Chapter 5 set, which got longish. So either it will get trimmed/or - perked up with a spike or two of new insight, and then, torn off this main chapter and attached to the following subchapter, which has also been revised to take this bit and bridge it to the final subchapter…so I'm at work simultaneously on the finish of Main V, the Opening of Subchapter 5a, and its finish, and directly connecting that to the opening of 5b which is a game changer.
Chinese number puzzle in progress.
I will have a page count update when all this stuff settles out and the draft is 100 percent satisfactory for test read. (for draft; polish comes later/when the manuscript is complete).
Update today - another day finished. I had to pause to feed animals; run; dinner's in the oven, and my eyes (since 5 PM) are so strained from the screen I can barely see.
But: I have Chapter V main and the first subchapter nailed down - that's fifty pages of contiguous writing, revised and connected together. There are rough patches, yet, that need tinkering, but everything (old and new and inspired) at last lines up. It's in the barrel.
I will work on a little finessing tomorrow, and then it's straight up into the next subchapter.
Don was a white knight - he did the shopping today to refill the fridge.
I have been writing (except for animal feeding and a quick jog) nonstop since this morning.
Where am I?
Finishing the very last section of Set V.
The intensive overhaul of 75 pages is behind, now, (I was burning midnight oil for more than two weeks to get it all ironed out) and the way is clear to move forward. This section has a MAJOR surprise, brace for it…!
Page count is 332/of the material that is airtight. The major explosions (you may think there were some in the wind up, but oh man) are about to POP. Which means the opening bits are finally slotted to gether and ready to roll.
Did I ever mention I HATE the first third of a manuscript like this - ? Getting it right is a monumental, nitpicking crazy grind, but here we are.
originally posted by Danielle Tilley
Thanks for the update Janny!
I love following along and hearing your insights into how the book is being written. It makes me appreciate the end result so much more.
originally posted by DarthJazy
I love and hate your updates. always a pleasure to see your writing process but it makes the wait so much longer.
I nailed the first scene/opening of the next subchapter. Yay.
originally posted by Laneth Sffarlenn
That's the best news! Take that opening scene, you had no chance!
Where am I now?
Rounding up the last scenes of V set. I am currently thrashing out detail - choosing which of two POVs to break an enormous reveal…and not sure this moment which (or both) will deliver the most punch. So it's another game of 'on page' experimentation. Also, fitting out the timeline - is this reveal going to be Quick or run out over a time span…and how much of the repercussions will ride over the one line snapshots I've already figured in, one of which is probably dated/that info was already delivered more emphatically in the revised 75 pages, which leaves room for…yup, get the picture?
In the timeline of how much time I was away from my desk since Feb 1:
Don just left for a MAJOR, week long art and antiques show down in Palm Beach, which required loud music in here to drown out the swearing while packing huge paintings - and a few trips away from the desk to lend muscle. Artists in action gets real…the crates to go into the truck were HUGE and very heavy and nobody wants a crushed finger. If I had a crater for every F bomb in the process, we'd have a moonscape. The good news: mission accomplished. Anybody who thinks a painting career is for wimps…guess again.
I had two search call outs, both of which took out a day, however, I made that time up working late and straight across weekends.
One day required me outside, dealing with a load of fill to fix the erosion around the barn, which we desperately needed done, and the arrangements (ongoing since last summer's wet season forced a cancellation) fell into our laps/no choice of timing.
I also had a phone call (scheduled) from my London Editor.
Every other day saw me at the desk, WRITING well into the late evenings, but for one night I had a lecture presentation for the Sarasota Fiction Writers' group.
Books are hard work…I am now pushing to complete this last scene - most of the subchapter's laid down and written solid, but getting the finale and one liners wrapped tight requires the meshing of the ideas…and that is the stupid bit I cannot predict. Let's see where I wind up at the end of the day.
End of day status update - ideas flowed nicely, there's a good spark to the scene, and I expect I'll have it completed very soon. The gist is down, it's now in the final stage of smoothing it out and cleaning up the rough spots.
Last subchapter in 5 set is all laid down. Just have to flesh out the one line snapshots. Puts the page count to 348.
originally posted by Annette
Thanks for all the background detail Janny. 
originally posted by Laneth Sffarlenn
Hopefully Don made it to the show safely and had a fun and successful time!
Your updates are so thorough, and are definitely appreciated; thank you Janny.
You're welcome, Annette - any chance you could update the Chrons feed? It does not list the new shorts being available at Paravia, and The Gallant is no longer available in Secrets and Spells (box set was limited time) - it is only (right now) available in the Paravia store.
Don is still at the show for 2 more days. Hope he sells something big.
I don't work Sundays (well, at the desk, anyway). Sunday morning I pick up the camera photos. Sunday afternoon, I often ride, but, not this one, there was more fill dirt to clear up the areas that puddle in the stable yard (horses gradually excavate it out).
Saturday was a SAR training day with the horses. I RT'd a photo posted by Peace River k9 SAR, showing how we train the dogs to get up on the horse/so we can extract them fast if they get injured on a search. The horse is Lily, who belongs to one of our group members, and the dog is Nelson, one of our star searchers. It's me in the saddle…I was riding Stephanie's spare horse for that day, we are also starting to scent train the horses.
Today, and all week: back to Athera and the writing. Chapter Six set begins, and I give the last bits of 5 a final touch up before test read gets it.
Note: no football. In fact, no TV, we don't have a TV service.
originally posted by Annette
I might eventually be able to update something Janny, but it might take me a fair while to dig up a password, have not been over there for years and not at all on this PC. Sorry about that, I lost all my old stuff from my old PC.
originally posted by Annette
Bagpuss beat me to updating the info on sffchronicles.
Thanks to Bagpuss - a link to the story page would've been helpful, but I am so grateful at least that it is shown as in print!
At work on 6 set at this time. A Significant Action occurs and I am working on finding the best, most original, most suspenseful and illuminating angle by which to portray it. So it's write this opening fragment, that opening fragment, note down this angle, another little fragment, poke and hope, poke and PROD until it all falls together and I have a continuity that works. Cannot read flat/this is a pivotal moment, and after this, everything hits high gear and opens up (multiple arenas ramp up).
originally posted by Annette
There is actually a link to the story page there, not sure if it was there before, but it goes to the short story page.
To all of you, everywhere, in these stressful and crazy times, we are all in this together. Kindness matters.
Update for Song of the Mysteries, I am at work on Chapter set Six; it's been one step forward, axe some stuff, revise, to perk up the flow. It is getting there - the pivotal scene approaches.
I saw this fun cartoonist today, and this clip on the Eraser and creativity PERFECTLY sums up what my time at the writing desk looks like:
https://theoatmeal.com/comics/creativity_erasers
Read it and laugh. Read it and weep. It's perfectly on target, at least concerning this segment on the boards now.
To relieve stress, I have been doing little stuff to help as I can: donating the medical grade gloves I had left from my deployment for search and recovery in the Bahamas after Dorian: the box was OPEN, so, I could not donate to hospitals or health care, however, supply is being diverted from Vets and Dentists - so rather than sit on a hundred odd gloves I don't need, my local vet took them with gratitude - to help their resupply or donate on to a more critical place.
I ordered books by mail from my local retail store.
Gift certificates of what we'd have spent from my favorite mom and pop restaurant.
Now organizing a 'pick up' run of takeout food from a family business, for multiple neighbors - they order, we get the food curbside and drop off outside their door/no contact.
Our one outing to pick up animal food and groceries - we offer our more elder neighbors the chance to give us a list.
Everyone: stay well, keep safe. You are ALL free to post links to my excerpts (audio and print) from the Excerpts page of my website anywhere you wish.
And and enormous THANK YOU to those who've posted reviews or threads or information. I am extremely grateful!!!