This weekend I get the manuscript back from my editor, ready for me to attack it with gusto.

The break from writing has gone on to long for my creative brain, and I’m excited to be getting back to working on the fixes and adaptations based on the meeting we had this week.

Like any story there’s always things that don’t quite work, and the reason for investing in a quality editor who understands the genre has once again been demonstrated with his feedback.

Hopefully we’ll be able to cut some of the word count out while polishing the story. It’s a nerve wracking time waiting for the feedback and notes, but now that I can start back on the story, it is just a matter of going through the steps.

I have a spreadsheeting process I use to document all of the feedback, mark up possible ideas and then ruminate on the final solution. I do all the work there, before commiting it to paper.

I’ve set the publication date to be April Fool’s Day, 2022 (April 1). I’ve always wanted to release this Jester (Fool) series on that date and process willing it will be the day each year I will release each book moving forward.

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Key Work of Late:

• Had a break from writing.
• Planning the guide for the books for this website.
• Working on the new map for this book.
• Trying to get the interactive map finished for book 1.

I have been very negligent in writing these posts over the last few months. I could use the excuse head down arse up but that’s an excuse. I’ve not put it in my calendar and a busy year has meant I’ve simply forgotten.

So I make amends with this update.

The first draft is well and truly finished, the first edit has been completed, and I am over half way through the second edit.

The additional size in this manuscript has really caught me out timewise. E.g. there’s an additional 70 or so chapters. If it takes 30 mins per chapter to work on it (just an example) that’s 35 hours. I get around 7-10 hours per week to work on my writing so just these additional chapters is another 3-4 weeks work for each stage.

I have a deadline with my editor for the end of this month (September) and based on his timeline, the work I’ll do after that, my proof reader’s timeline and then final pre-publication work it’s going to be 2022 when we publish Fool Me Twice. I’ll be announcing the date shortly.

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Key Work of Late:

• Finished the first draft of Fool Me Twice
• Onto 2nd edit of the manuscript.
• Put the podcast on hold – I simply don’t have capacity for it based on some other projects in my business life
• Planning the word guide for the books.

I am very close to completing the first draft of Fool Me Twice, Book 2 in the In All Jest series. Currently I have done 94% of it, with plenty of ups and downs trying to get to the finish line.

I didn’t make it in time for my idealy deadline of Feb 28, but it is almost there and I’ll just keep plugging along.

The new map is comign along nicely for book 2, which will have more detail on it for Dharatan as well as showing all of Enderk. We also have an exciting new map development underway which I will share in my newsletter first.

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Key Work of Late:

• Working on the first draft of Fool Me Twice
• Narrating more chapters from A Fool’s Errand in the podcast
• Completing the expanded map for Fool Me Twice
• Planning the word guide for the books.