The Sunday Circle: What Are You Working On This Week?

The Sunday Circle is the weekly check-in where I ask the creative-types who follow this blog to weigh in about their goals, inspirations, and challenges for the coming week. The logic behind it can be found here. Want to be involved? It’s easy – just answer three questions in the comments or on your own blog (with a link in the comments here, so that everyone can find them).

After that, throw some thoughts around about other people’s projects, ask questions if you’re so inclined. Be supportive above all.

Then show up again next Sunday when the circle updates next, letting us know how you did on your weekly project and what you’ve got coming down the pipe in the coming week (if you’d like to part of the circle, without subscribing to the rest of the blog, you can sign-up for reminders via email here).

MY CHECK-IN

What am I working on this week?

There was a little less creative work than normal last week as I got the latest collection ready for release, but this week will see me back onto the thesis novella and some other rewrites that have stacked up over the last few months. I’ve reworked the plan for the final act considerably over the last two weeks, figuring out how to play with various metaphors and call-backs, and I’ve got a much better handle on how to make the protagonist a series character rather than a one-off dramatic character. The trick now is making that work in the text…

What’s inspiring me this week?

I’m still working my way through Game of Thrones–I’m ending this week about 70% of the way through the combined edition of A Storm of Swords (aka the 1000+ page third book). Reading this and the various books in The Expanse over the last year have got me thinking about how they set up the feeling of epic scale and deep world building that’s present in both series, and there do seem to be a number of techniques in common: multiple POVs whose status/physical locals are very separate, but gradually intersect; POV characters who are close to sources of power and decision making, but have to influence rather than make big decisions themselves; deep lore that filters in through the story, tying into the character’s lives.

What action do I need to take?

I need to set up the formal announcements and social posts for the new collection, scheduling them for the next week or two. Also, do some Conan posts for Twitter – last weekend was such a muddle that my usual routine got disrupted and my buffer ran out around Wednesday.