Chap 3 of East Bound with the copy editor (Patreon)

So it should be up for you to read in the next day or so, depending on her schedule and mine. We got hit by a nasty stomach bug which took the whole family down. It was short, but intense, and made for rough week. Then a couple of migraines, and a rough week at the day job--it doesn't take much to lose what little writing time I have.

I thought while you were waiting, I'd share a link to Ilona Andrews site. If you don't know their work (Ilona Andrews is actually Ilona and Gordon Andrews, a wife and husband writing team), they write urban fantasy. They are prolific, often working on two series at a time and also writing a novella on their website for any and all to read. I can only hope that some day I'll be able to lose the day job and write as much as they do...and also offer up my stuff free on my website instead of having to do the Patreon thing. I'm glad to have your support, but I'd rather give short stories and snippets as a gift to you. Sadly, the electric bill beckons.

Anyway, Ilona recently posted a quick google doc showing her writing in real time. Someone asked why it took her so long to write a chapter. The reason generally being that you're not just writing, but thinking and making decisions. You have to think about and decide what your character is going to say, do, feel, smell, etc. You have to decide what the backdrop looks like, what the conflict is, and name everything and every one. It seems like such a small thing, but a heck of a lot of time can be spent just naming a character that you'll only hear about once in the story for three sentences.

Anyway, I thought it was a cool inside look at what writers do. Enjoy!

-Lish

PS for those wondering, Kitty Pest is still recovering. She is still on antibiotics, and we're hoping that once she's done she'll maintain and not regress back into infection.