Another week gone and another chapter (18) completed. Many of my colleagues are much more productive but everyone works differently. While many writers work from an outline, I do not. As a result, before I write a chapter I need to scope out what that chapter will look like and conduct whatever research is necessary. Let’s say I am going to write about creating a greenhouse on Mars. I would have to research how to go about growing plants in a Martian greenhouse.

I was also notified that I’ve been accepted to read from my manuscript in front of judges, American Idol-style. This will take at the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD) in Brampton on May 6. It sounds a little intimidating but I’m sure it will also be a valuable experience.

One thing I would like to talk about is the network of writers that I’ve been able to develop. Looking back, when I wrote The Road Ahead I largely worked alone. In hindsight that was a mistake. When I completed the draft manuscript, I didn’t have peers to critique. I did share the manuscript but the feedback wouldn’t have been the same had I reached out to other writers. I believe that my novel would have looked different had I taken a more collaborative approach.

This time around I’ve taken a different approach. I’m out there networking. I’ve joined the Writers’ Community of York Region. I’ve even submitted a proposal to teach a course on humour. I’m active on social media, both Facebook and Twitter. I have over 1600 Twitter followers who are scattered around the world. A good number of them I hear from on a regular basis. I tweet lines from my manuscript and some of my brand of humour to see how followers respond. We share experiences and information. We may feature one another on our blogs through an interview or article. I found a couple Critique Partners and a Beta Reader (thank you Heather) online. That means I have other writers to critique my work.

This coming week will be devoted to some additional editing and adding more backstory to previously completed chapters.