I am just back from two weeks in beautiful and sunny Andalusia. I had a long list of things I wanted to do in my spare time, and ended up doing *nothing* as I had no spare time. I do plan my writing time and reserve spots each week to work on the different projects I have. But sometimes priorities shift and I think it is important to be able to adapt without guilt, and embrace life as it comes. If a temporary change of circumstances develops into a long-term change, then you need to create a new writing routine, maybe having smaller chunks of time for writing but more often.

I have not written for two weeks but here I am again, the day after my return in front of my computer, looking forward to dive deep into the next project: writing a second novel. I have been exploring the set of characters for a while and have a possible plot in mind. But I am still unsure where the story will go, so it looks like it’s going to be a pantser work again! I will probably fix a few key points, like character arches, before starting, but then I’ll go wild. I plan to write 6.000 words per week from June to September, this would give me a total of approx. 100K words, enough to build a first draft and later being able to cut what is not needed. Writing the first draft will keep me busy on week-ends too, but this is what I mean by adjust and be flexible. I can embrace having part of my week-ends busy with writing for 4 months; then, when this is done, I can go back to a normal writing routine and enjoy my week-ends.

I want to do things a little bit different from the first book and this time I would like to find some beta readers, that is people who read the book before it goes into the final editing phase. A beta reader gives feedback on different points, from the viewpoint of a reader. A 100K novel requires approx. 10 hours work (reading and feedback). The beta readers come quite late in the process, so I do not expect to need them before next year. If you are interested in being a beta reader, please contact me and I will put you in my beta reader list.