During June, I collected some critiques of A Star Apart second draft. That’s when I understood I had a big problem, or multiple big problems. After years of short story critiques on critters.org, I knew the process and how valuable it could be. I was prepared to receive constructive criticism on issues. I wasn’t prepared to see how many fatal flaws the novel had.
Denial, anger, etc. A few days of processing made the reality quite clear. In its current form, the story couldn’t be repaired. It needed a complete overhaul.
I stood at a crossroads. Would I set the work aside and plan a new story in the same world? Or would I put the novel on hold and pick up another project?
Like my engineering days, I’ve always had multiple projects in various stages. The inactive ones were usually in the early phases. Skeletal outlines, incomplete character sketches, rough scene descriptions.
A Star Apart was so far along, and I had been so close to it for over a year, I couldn’t see a way to revise my way out of the large holes. The other projects were much more shapeless, more malleable. I felt a strong attraction to one in particular.
Recent lessons felt strong and relevant. I could see ways to change my process. New ideas for the inactive projects popped up and drew me away from ASA. Rather than lurking in the shadows like a reminder of failure, the flawed novel shone light on ways to make the other projects stronger. I could see a path to avoid the same kind of faults and develop a better story. I even had a few ideas about what I could salvage from ASA and incorporate into what I had thought of as the second novel in the series.
My decision is to step away from The Alloyed for a while and focus on a different series. I’m not ready to reveal anything about that series, yet. I need to spend time on plans and character arcs, to think harder about the core of the series. Once I give it form, see the story path, then I’ll be able to share aspects of it in this newsletter.
Hot Dry Summer
Northern Colorado along the front range, has been hot and dry for a few weeks. Rain clouds form over the mountains, then evaporate as they descend. Adiabatic compression heats the air, increasing its moisture carrying capacity. Clouds evaporate, absorbed into the warmer and drier air. By the time looming storms reach the foothills, they have nothing left to produce rain. Until they move farther across the plains.
Most of my time in the garden and xeriscaping has been dedicated to water management. Apply water in the morning when the air is cool and the plants can use it effectively. Intense mid-afternoon heat wilts almost everything, and watering then is pointless and potentially damaging.
Some plants are doing well in the high heat. Others are dying. I’m taking notes and making plans to replace species unfit for the summer conditions. The hardiest perennials seem to be the hardest to grow from seed. But I keep trying. Such are the joys of climate change.