Sometimes, I struggle with writing these newsletters. I’ll write multiple versions before I land on the one I put out. I know that’s just part of the writing process, but damn, I wish I could just nail ‘em all in one!
This month, I’d written out a whole draft musing about writer’s block, which had hit me pretty hard after I finished writing my free-to-read prequel, FLOODWATERS. You see, the gist was this: I’d set aside my sequel to work on Floodwaters, and I struggled to get back on track afterward. Floodwaters had disrupted my creative momentum.
Before I move on: What is Floodwaters, exactly???
It’s all marketing, baby!
Floodwaters follows the story of the Great Flood: the event of divine rage at humanity that serves as the catalyst for my entire series. The SparkNotes edition: Humanity good. God of the Sea visits humanity. Humanity actually super bad. God of the Sea angry. Big Flood.
So, imagine that, but written with better English, following a charming duo of teenagers as they stumble their way through an event of divine retribution.
Floodwaters is to be posted serially in the ten weeks leading up to Blood of the Gods’ publication. Ten chapters, one chapter per week. Ideally, I’m hoping a free story will help drum up hype—and intrigue—that will lead people toward my book!
Right now, I’m eyeing Royal Road and Wattpad as publishing platforms. I may post a couple chapters on Archive of our Own, too, but Ao3 is sticky when it comes to soliciting sales on their site, and given that this entire story is meant to get people interested in buying my book, it won’t really work out. But I’m thinking I’d post a couple chapters, just enough for people to then say “hey, i wanna read more,” and click the link to another hosting site. I’d be losing big-time if I did not try to leverage my already-established audience there, lol!
I’m very excited about Floodwaters. A few lucky folks have seen the cover I drew for it (which rocks, by the way). This story is super cool. It will also break your heart.
Anyways. Writing block.
Everything I’d written for TDA #2 in those following weeks felt bad. Wrong. The mental switch between projects was tough.
But these periods tend not to last long for me. I may just be lucky like that. Or maybe I’m just too stubborn. I finished writing Floodwaters at the end of May, and now, here I am, two weeks into June, proclaiming I’ve jumped that hurdle.
I’m actually writing this while on vacation across the country. My grandmother’s cat is on my lap. She’s a fluffy calico named Freya. Sweetest little thing ever. “She’s too friendly,” my grandmother says. “She’ll rub up against the handyman and distract him from his job.” It’s been a while since I’ve been around a cat. It’s nice.
Now, I could go into a big spiel about how having time to relax helps with rejuvenating the brain—which is true—but that’s not how I’m wired. The longer I take away from a project, the more likely my brain is to nag me, “hey, you COULD be writing right now, but you aren’t, so you’re wasting time.” Luckily, a big creative project has been driving me through this vacation. My grandmother and I are making a quilt together. But when things lull, I hear that little worm in my brain. Write, write, write!
It also helps that I have a wide arsenal of writer's block-breaking techniques at my disposal. Writing-themed tarot cards. Exercises drilled into my head from creative writing professors. Just a general refusal to let myself be blocked.
I had taken the time during my five-hour flight to my destination—playing Flow in the background, of course, because I’m endlessly charmed by that film—to sketch out a diagram, which follows the positions of all three major protagonists, where they are as the story moves on, and how they find themselves at MAJOR PLOT POINT #1.
Here’s what it looks like, more or less. With all information removed.
I’m a very visual person. I think having this diagram helped me exponentially. I could see them twist and turn and stumble their way through the plot at a quick glance, and I think that enough was all I needed to get that spark back.
I’m not going to write super intensely this month. I told myself one of my goals would be to chill the fuck out. I don’t always follow through with my monthly goals, but I’m intent on at least trying. Maybe, instead of writing, I’ll try to get more work done on my sapphic superhero graphic novel, Tournament Ace, which I keep sidelining, despite how much I adore the story and characters.
Next month, my line editor should be getting started on Blood of the Gods. After that, the bumpy road toward publication will begin, and hopefully by this time next year, I’ll be a published author!!
Catch you later!
Wren Rivers
@corvidarcana [Bluesky, Tumblr]
@corvid.arcana [Instagram]