Tag Archives: amwriting

Reflections on The Genesis Code and more…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

This month marks 12 years(!) since The Genesis Code’s original release–and something like 17 years or so since I began writing it. I’d written short stories–had some of them published–before I started on The Genesis Code. I wanted to get a feel for the process with a smaller number of words to wrangle. Even so, I remember plotting/outlining/drafting it. I often felt like I was out on the ocean in a rowboat without any navigation tools! But I finally got it done, wrapped it up right before starting law school. I (correctly) presumed I’d better wrap it up because I’d have time for little else during law school.

Darkfuse originally published The Genesis Code, and I kicked my writing back into gear (I’d done nothing but legal writing during/since law school at that point). Wrote/published a number of novels/novellas with Darkfuse in that time. Darkfuse closed down, then Crossroad Press re-released all my Darkfuse titles and released a couple of new titles as well (Down the Brink and Scorched Earth). Somewhere along the way, I self-published a novella (Moon Over Ruin) that had originally been solicited by another publisher.

I took a little break from writing after my latest novel, Scorched Earth, came out. Started my current work-in-progress in late 2019. Decided to try “pantsing” it for a change (I’m a devout outliner). That was a huge mistake. Between the pandemic and the lack of a roadmap for the plot, the manuscript grew at a snail’s pace. It was hard for me to pick up and work on it when I didn’t have a clue what was happening next. Some writers can do that, and they do it well (I’m looking at you, Allan Leverone). I’m admitting here and now, that ain’t me.

I think it was sometime last summer, I picked the manuscript up yet again and came to that conclusion. I needed to stop and outline or it would never get done. It’s made all the difference. Yeah, it’s not done yet. I retired earlier this year, and am adjusting to a very different rhythm, catching up on neglected tasks around the house and all. Now I am within spitting distance of the end of the first draft, which is the hardest part, so that’s good!

Anniversaries always make me reflect on things, and so Genesis’s 12-year anniversary prompted me to take a look back at its origin, what I’ve done since, and where things are now in my writing life. I’ve been quiet for a while, but I’m not gone!

Thanks for reading…

Lisa

So, it’s been a while…for a lot of things…

Posted by lisavb2012 on

Hello out there…

I realize it’s been quite a while since I posted anything here.  There just hasn’t been much to post about, and I’m no good at posting for the sake of posting.  I posted about the release of my newest novel, Scorched Earth, when it came out last fall.  Then Australia pretty much caught on fire, and I posted about that–how I thought Scorched Earth was perhaps a little far-fetched as I wrote it, and how the fires in Australia were proving me wrong.  I figured no way could an area the size of the Nebraska panhandle *really* burn down.  And I’m being proven wrong again by the fires right now in California, Washington, Oregon, and elsewhere.  

I started a new novel back in December.  This would be my 11th title overall.  I decided to try a new approach.  As some of you may know, I’m a dedicated outliner.  I plan out my plots, the timing, and so forth before I begin drafting.  Why?  A lot of reasons.  For one, the nature of my plots often demands that I have the timing of events right.  I’d rather do that in an outline than while wrangling a novel-length manuscript.  Another important reason is to give myself an easy-to-pick-up roadmap so if I get tied up with work or other things I can easily jump back in where I left off in the draft and get moving.  For this one, I decided to try pantsing it.  Why not, right?

So I started a novel where the protagonist is on the road, fleeing something, trying to get somewhere.  The country around her is deserted, a wasteland (she’s in the Midwest right now, where there should be plenty of farming activity).  I like what I’ve written so far, but I didn’t decide at the outset what the underlying problem was.  And so I got stuck, despite a good start.  It’s at a point where I need to know what she’s running from/to.

And the the pandemic hit.  I am fortunate to be able to work from home and stay safe.  But, to be honest, it’s making it even harder to pick up on writing this novel.  Those of you familiar with my work know I tend toward the dystopian on a regular basis.  And right now, I just can’t seem to muster the urge to write dystopian when it seems like dystopia is all around us.  I’ve not given up on the novel, but I am feeling stalled out.  

Do people even want to read dystopian novels in this environment?  I don’t know.  I do know I just can’t find it in me to switch to writing romance novels!

Meanwhile, I’ve been spending time with this little beauty…started playing dulcimer almost two years ago, then picked up a Fender acoustic guitar last December.  And then this…love my shell pink Strat!  (In the interest of full disclosure, I have a long way to go…still very much learning, so no gigs for me!)

Strat shoot from NEF to JPEG