Editing STAND is a blast

I'm about halfway through the final draft and I'm having so much fun! As I said in the last blog post, editing affords me an opportunity to read the book with a fresh set of eyes and see if all the parts are working correctly, and so far it seems to have really come together!

Of course, there are always changes needed, and I've found myself combining certain characters (if two characters can be combined into one, it's always better than littering the pages with throw-away characters that exist only for exposition's sake or to bring about some plot device). I've also come to realize that certain events or character arcs weren't properly set up in the first draft, so that's been another thing requiring some adjustment.

I've also surprised myself with certain parts of the story which have come across more humorous than I intended. In most cases, I've found, that's ok, as it provides needed levity to an intense (and occasionally dark) story. It also humanizes and grounds the characters, something which has always been one of my primary goals for the series.

So overall, I'm happy with this manuscript. I feel like it's tied up all the loose ends of the other books and brought about a satisfying conclusion to the series. I can only hope you all will have the same reaction to it!

In other news, I was shocked to find the other day that the EKJ Podcast channel on YouTube just reached 100 subscribers! The subscriber count has never been too important to me and I've never asked for subs, but I was happy to reach this milestone because it means that YouTube's custom URL feature is now enabled. This feature allows me to use a more memorable and succinct web address for the channel, and I've chosen youtube.com/c/EKJonathan as mine. (Glad there aren't any other "EK Jonathans" already on the platform!)

For the last month or so I've been tinkering with a new podcast episode, but with the completion of STAND looming on the horizon I haven't had time to put on the final touches. If all goes well, it should drop sometime within the week, so stay tuned!

Can't wait to share this new book with you all!

Surprise podcast

So I realize that less than a week ago I said I had no plans for a new podcast episode and that was true, but today I had a bit of time and I wanted to tell a story. I think that wrapping up the latest book in the FLEE series has me feeling sentimental. (I'm not too proud to say that while writing a recent section this week, I had to take a bit of a break for some fresh air because I was getting too emotional to continue–it's hard to write a novel when you can't see the screen clearly!)

In any case, I hope you like this podcast. It's a bit shorter and there aren't many drawings, but I hope that helps to slow the pace down a bit and let things sink in for you, just as they're sinking in for me. Please enjoy.

New podcast: Reviewing homes for use in paradise

The new episode is out! Hope you enjoy it, and thanks to those of you who tuned in to watch it live!

New Podcast Episode is Here

And this time we’re talking about creating compelling characters. What makes certain characters feel like living, breathing people while others feel flat and uninteresting? In this episode, I attempt to answer that question. Enjoy!

New podcast epsiode

If you've ever tried working on a creative project but weren't feeling at all inspired, you'll know the struggle I describe in this episode. Fortunately, over the years I've found some helpful tips for navigating those times, and describe them here. Enjoy!

On a roll!

So I'm going to be cautiously optimistic and make it official: I'm on a roll with the writing of the final installment of the FLEE series, STAND. It can be a tricky thing to determine if momentum on such a large project is temporary or stable, but I'm feeling pretty good about this book after taking a few months off after The Bloom of Youth. I'm back on track and hitting daily writing goals and it feels great. There's still plenty of work left on it but we're still looking good for a late Summer release, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, check out the newest podcast episode. I've been asked in the past about the tools I use to write novels, and while I've talked here before about MacJournal, I thought a video of me actually navigating the program would be helpful. Enjoy!

On a roll...?

It's been a productive last couple of weeks. I've set clear writing targets for the last book in the FLEE series, STAND, and have really been motivated to progress with the story. As I mentioned in the last podcast, it's proving a real challenge to connect and conclude the story lines and character arcs introduced in previous books while moving the general plot of the series forward. But we're getting there, and it feels really good!

I've also been chipping away the the newest podcast episode when I have some spare time ("chipping away" meaning working on the illustrations for the video). My drawing skills aren't great and my digital drawing skills are even worse, but perhaps with time and practice the quality will improve some. In the meantime, I hope you can enjoy the illustrations, messy though they are.

This latest podcast episode, number 14, answers some of the questions I've gotten regarding the latest book, The Bloom of Youth, and in particular, whether or not Will's experiences parallel my own as a teen. Enjoy!

Podcast Episode #13 is here along with a sneak peak...

Yep, a new podcast. This one answers some of my most commonly asked questions regarding the FLEE series and also offers a sneak peak of the last book’s cover and title. Enjoy!

New podcast

Hi all! As promised, the new podcast episode is here!

In this episode I offer some suggestions for improving creative writing, and specifically descriptive writing for fiction. So if writing's your thing, definitely give it a look!

I tried something a little different with this episode and did some drawings for the different sections. I realize that this makes it a bit less of a ‘podcast’ and more of a standard YouTube video, but I think it makes the visual aspect of it a lot more interesting. If you like/don’t like the change, feel free to let me know!

Evolution Podcast

Running into staunch evolutionists and/or atheists in the ministry used to scare me, but not anymore. In this two-part podcast series, I detail some of the points I like to use when the topic of evolution comes up. In the second half, I attempt to explain why so many scientists stick to the theory of evolution, even with so much evidence stacking up against it. Enjoy!

Two more podcast episodes + I'm finally over writer's block!

Writer's block, as I've mentioned in a previous post, is one of the most frustrating and scary things that can happen to a writer. It can feel like a vacuum of ideas and inspiration, where sitting down in front of the computer results in random sentences fit only for delete key fodder. It can be maddening.

As has become a pattern with my writing, the completion of the last book left me a little exhausted and not at all in the mood to work on other books. And so, for the last three months, I took a break to work on other things and recharge my batteries.

These last two weeks, though, I've been feeling excited to write again, starting of course with the completion of The Bloom of Youth and then with the final book of the FLEE series, which is good news for both of us!

In other news, I've got a few podcasts up. In episode #007 I explain how creative writing can help us develop empathy, and how I personally experienced this while writing Critical Times. In episode #008, I share some of the research that went into writing Martin Landretti's doomsday bunker from the last book, STAY. It's a fascinating topic!

Feel free to check out the podcasts below:

A couple more podcasts

Both of these podcasts deal with elements of the new world. In the first, I explore some possibilities for repurposing old world technology for a newer, more beneficial use in paradise.

In the second podcast, I describe what appears to be a shift in the general attitude towards the idea of eternal human life and offer some suggestions on how to help someone overcome a fear of forever.

New Podcast Episodes

All Things New + New Podcast

In November of last year, I made a post here explaining that I'd be taking All Things New down from Amazon (both the digital and paperback versions). My purpose in doing this was to take some time to update the book, making some corrections to certain parts and removing others altogether. The goal was to release a second, more relevant version of the book to replace the original. However, as some of you may have noticed, although the Kindle (digital) version is no longer available, the paperback is still there. You may be wondering why!

Shortly after making that announcement last year, I realized that removing that book from my catalog would pose a problem for translators, many of whom are still working on their various language versions of All Things New to this day. By removing this book, it would essentially render whatever work they had done of the book so far obsolete. If, in turn, these non-English versions of All Things New were released, it would mean that foreign-language readers of the book would be actually experiencing a novel quite different from the newer English-language version, complicating things.

Another reason for leaving the paperback version of All Things New up is that by and large, the feedback I've gotten from that book has been positive. Most who read it (and again, I'm so grateful for your comments and continuing support) come away with exactly the reaction I was hoping for; namely, one of having their minds opened to new possibilities, and being excited for specific things in the New World.

Additionally, I'm trying out something new: a podcast! I've no idea if there will be any interest in something like this, but I've found that certain topics (like the one I've written about here), work better in the format of a podcast, where things are less formal and I can literally just talk directly to all of you. And so, for this first episode, I've taken the topic here and expanded a bit on it, adding some extra info that some of you might find interesting. So give it a look, and if it's something you enjoy, consider leaving a comment, a like, or possibly even subscribing to the channel. It's a fairly simple affair to produce these so I don't expect it to take up too much additional time and frankly it's kind of nice to have a new format to create in. Here's the first episode:

As always, thank you all so much for your kind support and readership!