June 2019 Project Update

Happy Thursday!

It's been five months since the last time I posted any updates on life/projects/etc (see January 2019 Project Update if you want to catch up before going further). I'm writing this post while in recovery mode - from being sick, from Vacation Bible School, etc. - so if I sound less than coherent, that's why. I'm also in the middle of a pretty crazy life change, which I'm not quite ready to talk about yet, but will share in the soonest update after everything has settled down.

In the meantime, here is where I'm at with all of my projects.

Where I'm at with The Switch Series

While I had plans to be finished with the second draft of Izzy and the Safari Switch by this point, the reality is that I'm only about halfway through. I knew the second draft was going to need a heavy hand with the rewrites, but I did not realize how much until I dove into it.

Yup, still rockin' the same cover concept as January, too!

On the plus side, I've made a lot of progress in figuring out what will be happening in other parts of the series and with what order the other parts will likely be published in. It's frustrating to still be this far behind, but I'm trying not to let it dampen my enthusiasm for the project as a whole.

Where I'm at with The Memory Bank Chronicles

At the time I sat down to write this update, I had not touched anything related to this series since the the last update. By the time you are reading this, though, I should be working on the next draft of the first novella in this series. My brain has had plenty of time to work through the knots that came up in the last draft, so I anticipate an easier time of it with this draft.

What else is on the horizon

I think I mentioned the potential for a short story or two in the last update? I'm not a hundred percent sure where I mentioned it - either here or somewhere on social media.

Anyway...

On the short story front, I posted a short story here on the blog on Valentine's Day. Currently, I'm working on the third draft of a short story I wrote towards the end of last year. Will I be publishing the new one? I would like to. I need to decide the best way to publish it once it's complete.

As far as this blog is concerned, I'm elbows deep in research for my SciFi Through the Centuries series and enjoying every minute of it. I may compile the series into an e-book at some point if enough people are interested.

Lastly, there are a couple of side projects I've been considering, but I'm not making any decisions about them until I get my feet back underneath me. If I do, I'll talk about it soon.

Want to keep up with me in between these updates?

The best way to do that is by following me on social media at the links below:

It's been awhile since I've said this, but thanks for stopping by. See you in a week for the next one!

My Writer's Toolbox: Thesauruses I Love

I don't know about the rest of you writers in the crowd, but there are times when I struggle to get the right words to come out onto the page. The debate over using thesauruses amongst authors can be fierce. My personal opinion is that there is definitely a place and time to use them (they've saved me from missing deadlines on a few occasions), so long as a writer is careful not to overuse them. Because I do consider them an essential in my writer's toolbox of resources, I thought I would share the ones I make the most use out of and where you can find them. 1. Webster's New World Thesaurus (credit: @catpollockwrites IG, posted 8/24/2017 ) When you were in grade school, did your teachers ever hand out those monthly or bimonthly Scholastic book catalogs with all the age-appropriate books coming out that they wanted you to buy? That, my friends, is how I got a hold of my thesaurus. It's almost like mid-thirties me traveled back in time and whispered int

Metaphors: Candles

I've recently fallen in love with candles. Since coming home from the World Race , I've bought at least one a month. My favorite candles are the ones that come in glass jars - because when they burn out, I can clean the remaining wax out and put the jars to other uses. Right now, that means they get cleaned out and packed away in anticipation of my move to Flagstaff. But as I was lighting one tonight (vanilla spice... Thanksgiving smells? Yes, please!), I saw a metaphor for writing flickering away in the flame licking at the wick and melting the wax. I suppose it could be a metaphor for life in general, but since the theme of this blog is writing... Well, you do the math.

How to Make Sure Your Book Review Request Does NOT Get Deleted

I've been hesitant to write this post. That is due, in large part, to how angry I get some days after reading book review requests. I curse, I rant, I snark. My cat will tell you it's not a pretty sight. But I also feel like this is a good opportunity to talk about what it is that makes me feel those feelings AND how to not stir them up. I'm not the only reviewer that gets frustrated when I see certain things in my emails from authors looking for a review. And I know I'm not the only one who gets triggered enough to ignore or delete those messages. I never feel good about doing it. It's just that I'm hitting the proverbial wall here and I want to hit it a little less often. So if you're an author looking for loving advice on how to approach reviewers (especially this one), read on. Review Requests I Always Delete Before I get into what to do, I wanted to take a minute to look at what not to do (and how I handle it). Want to know what immedi

Cat Pollock Writes

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