Steady as She Goes

It’s been a little while since my last update concerning the progress of Epic 6: The Devil You Don’t, so I wanted to give you guys the latest news about the series’ next installment! The short answer is, it’s coming along. Nicely. But there’s still some work left to do.

Now for the long answer.

E6 has been a challenge for more reasons than one, not the least of which is the life stage that it’s popped up in. In my last blog entry, I discussed my growing role as a father of three sons, which is basically a job that no one can prepare you for. It’s wonderful, but it’s also exhausting, and when your time suddenly becomes as limited as it can be when raising children, then some things just have to give. Writing doesn’t pay my bills, so it had to give. Understand, though, that “gave” doesn’t mean “stopped.” It just needed to descend a bit on my list of life’s priorities, at least temporarily.

You see, I needed some time to learn how to find that fine, fine balance between being a responsible husband and father and being an author. Writing is hard. Okay, let me rephrase that. Good writing is hard. You’re tapping into your every inner emotion: excitement, anger, love, hatred, passion, desire, disgust, sorrow, mourning, amusement…the list goes on and on for as many characters and emotions as you’re trying to write. If I’m writing an angry Scott Remington, it’s not enough that I write about an angry Scott Remington. I need to write as if I am an angry Scott Remington. If I’m writing a brooding Esther Brooking, I need to write as if I am a brooding Esther Brooking. I’m not going to write about Esther while listening to this. No, I’m going straight for Ciara’s cover of Paint it, Black. You can apply that to every character who gets their own moment in a given book. Becan, Svetlana, Antipov, Archer, Tauthinilaas, Tiffany, Natalie, Jayden, Yuri. Add that all together, and that’s a lot of tapping into. The point is this: writing, at least for me, is extremely emotionally taxing. I have to prepare for it emotionally, execute it emotionally, then find a way down from wherever it’s left me. Let’s face it, Epic will never be confused for a feel-good story. There’s a lot of high stress and bottoming out in this beast.

What this all means for me is that I can’t “just write.” I’ve never been able to “just write.” Much like one takes a bite of raw ginger to cleanse the palette before eating sushi, I need my internal moment of zen before stepping onto this emotional battlefield I’ve created. I can’t write when I’m not at peace with that clean slate to build upon. And with three boys aged six-and-under running amok around the house, peace has become quite the rare commodity! I can’t tell you how many times my wife and I look at each other during the course of the day as if we’re both thinking, “My God, we live in a three-ring circus.” My boys bring me more joy than I ever thought possible. They also occasionally make my eyelids twitch!

Much of my focus lately has been learning to 1) take advantage of what little time I do have, and 2) physically remove myself from the chaos when possible or necessary. I want to give my wife major props for #2, because there have been many times when she’s said, “Lee, I’ve got this, go to the coffee house and write.” She’s amazing, I love her to death, and one day I’m going to surprise her with a trip to Hawaii—maybe even by herself, if she wants! Slowly but surely, I’m learning to find that balance to make writing an active part of my life without it being a detriment in any way, shape, or form to my role as hubs/daddy.

Fast forward to right now, and I have a routine that’s finally working. I write 10,000 words per week. It doesn’t matter how they come. In an “ideal” week, that might mean 1,500 each day with one “cheat day” of 1,000 words. But it also means that if I crush it for a couple of days and write past my quota, I can earn myself a day or two off. There are a lot of writers out there who would scoff at a 10,000-words-per-week schedule. Well, good for them. This is me, and this is what’s working at the stage of life I’m in right now. To each their own, as God made them.

So let’s take all of the above and apply it to the reason you probably decided to read the “long answer” in the first place! As it stands now, E6 is 121,500 words in length (somewhere between DOD and Hero). My guess—and it purely is just a guess—is that E6 is going to fall somewhere around the 200k-215k range (for reference purposes, between TGB and Enemy One). I am currently cranking out 10,000 words per week. The math can be done.

If you’re doing said math, though, resist the temptation to say, “this means Lee will be done in ‘X’ weeks!” It does not. First and foremost, E6 may end up being longer than I think. I don’t have a hard word count minimum or maximum. It’ll be finished when it’s the right time to be finished. I am also going to do, at minimum, two complete read-throughs before it goes into the hands of my editor, which may mean adding a scene/chapter or two if the need is there. I will then do, at minimum, two complete read-throughs when it returns from my editor. I am also going to re-read some of the prior books to ensure that there’s nothing I’m overlooking or leaving out/unaddressed. These won’t be fun read-throughs. These will be deep dives meant to maintain the harmony of the octology in the stage it’s currently in. I would implore you during this remaining stretch not to think, “man, this is taking forever,” but rather, “man, Lee really cares about getting this right.” I have never written a book that I’m not proud of. E6 will not be the first. May there never be a first!

The Devil You Don’t is an amazing book that has been very challenging to write for a variety of reasons. My aim is for you to never see those challenges while you’re reading it. The book you’re going to read will be a polished, red sports car. This blog entry is a peek into the garage with the car halfway built.

I’m going to be very transparent about this process as things continue to move along. I want you guys to know where I’m at, where things stand, and what’s happening. My hope is that, maybe, you as the reader might find that insight a little fun. But really, it’s being done to show you that your author is working hard. He is.

Your patience will be rewarded.

I look forward to sharing the stories of Svetlana, Natalie, Esther, and Tiffany with you. These are four outstanding women who are worthy of a book to call their own. They’re going to bring it.

Until the next update,

-LS