In February of 2021, I opened a new Word document. An idea had popped into my head, and I wanted to get it down on paper (the screen) before it was gone. This is what I wrote:
New idea:
Sci-fi story where the aliens are the familiar fantasy tropes. Elves, orcs, goblins, all of the monsters of D&D as aliens instead.
True sci-fantasy. All the tropes of characters from fantasy and D&D in sci-fi instead of a pseudo-medieval world.
From there, I laid out what the races in space would look like, including dwarves, gnomes, kitsune, and many more. I touched on their cultures, what their starships would look like, and other things as I moved them from pseudo-medieval environments to spacefaring ones. Then I worked out the “classes” from D&D, like monks, clerics, and wizards (reinventing them as cyberwizards).
I started to dive into the deeper elements of worldbuilding and worked out language(s), currency, governments, faster-than-light travel, and the like. Taking a known genre and putting it into a different setting was invigorating.
It wasn’t long before a general plot came to mind. From there, it took shape, I started to create characters, and it wasn’t long at all before Savagespace, my new sci-fi trilogy, was born.
I published Book 1, Alliances and Consequences, in September. Book 2, Revelations and Reconciliations, will be published in October. Book 3, Challengers and Survivors, will be published in November.
Just shy of 4 years from an idea to a finished trilogy. The end is in sight.
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
All the elements between the start and the end
My current process looks like this:
Plot/Plan/Worldbuild
Outline
Write
Edit
Send to the editor
Get it back from the editor
Accept and reject the editor’s edits
Record the audiobook
Acquire cover art
Write the blurb
Format for eBook and paperback
Edit the audiobook
Upload eBook and paperback for publishing
Upload audiobook for publishing
Promote/Market
Publish
Promote/Market/Sell
Start the next book
The order of steps 10-18 shifts around and intermingles. But this is my process. Eighteen steps from start to finish.
Looking at it laid out like that, it’s no wonder to me that so many find getting to “the end” such a challenge.
I am so close to the end of the work on this trilogy, I can practically taste it.
Today will see the completion of editing the Revelations and Reconciliations audiobook. I’m 2/3 of the way through Steps 7 and 8 (Accept and reject the editor’s edits and Record the audiobook) with Challengers and Survivors. In the next few weeks, it will all be completed.
During the almost 4 years I’ve worked on this project, I’ve also held 2 part-time jobs, wrote another humorous sci-fi standalone novel, started to plot/plan some other projects, and have begun writing 4 new books in my Forgotten Fodder series.
Getting to the end takes time, effort, focus, and a lot of work. To be blunt, this is not for the faint of heart. But for the love of creating, the joy of seeing the idea on the page, it’s worth it when all is said and done.
Why people get close and don’t finish is easy to understand. Some look at the 18 steps of my process and get so stressed out that they can’t bring themselves to “the end”. People are judgy, and knowing that, some authors, would-be authors, and other artists are terrified to finish and share their art. What if they see me as a freak, a hack, or otherwise unworthy? Some people don’t know how to end what they start, so they don’t (been there, done that. No judgment).
People get close but don’t reach the end because they’re afraid, uncertain, or frankly don’t know how. This is, however, a choice. You must decide whether to push through or not.
Is it worth it? For me, yes. For you, only you can say. I know, however, that you can reach “the end” if you so desire.
You don’t have to go it alone
Are you a writer or an artist who has had trouble reaching “the end”? Do you get close but don’t finish? You need not go it alone.
There are lots of books and blogs on this topic. Additionally, there are in-person and online writing groups across social media (Facebook and Discord, for example). No matter what genre, you can find others for support, assistance, to bounce ideas off of, and more.
You’re not the only one who has trouble getting to “the end” (of your artistic project. Get your mind out of the gutter!) When you see this, you will also see that you don’t have to go it alone, and others will commiserate, assist, and do more to help you get there.
In fact, you can contact me if you have any questions. I’m more than happy to offer assistance.
Thanks for reading. As I share my creative journey with you, I conclude with this: How are you inspired to be your own creator – whatever form that takes?
Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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