Beta Readers and Roadblocks

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There's good news and bad news.  The good news is I'm about to have a break in my work schedule due to the holidays, so I will have serious time to work on my books.  Most days, I only get some editing done on my boy's books at the end of a day filled with hours of other work.  It would be so nice to do this full time.  Also, I finally have found some readers for my books, so I've at least had most of the first half of my series read by someone else and have had feedback given.  Two of them are willing to tackle more. 

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The bad news is my illustrator has had serious technical difficulties and may not be able to proceed much further with illustrating.  She was all but done with the second book.  This leaves 8 books to illustrate and 9/10 needing serious revision (the first one is mostly done with revision, though it still needs some).  But I have time for a while to knock out illustrations, figure out Scrivener in order to work over the whole set, and have been told by a handful of readers that they've really liked what they've read.  This all gives me hope that in the next month, I can really accomplish a lot, possibly get this first set ready to go.  Here's hoping. 

The Newest Plan

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My days have opened up a bit with some cancellations on my schedule.  I'm still not where I need to be with my books, but I have a plan.  My nephew has been helping me see the importance of the 12-point structure story, basically a codification of the hero's journey used by writers and movie makers everywhere.  There are 12 story beats most stories need to hit. 

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Also, I went to Authorcon recently, where I heard a writer describe the dramatic structure it takes to make a satisfying structure (described in my Writer's Reflections).  It occurred to me that if I hit most of those beats in the 12-point structure, one per chapter, and make sure to reshape the stories according to dramatic structure, my stories will be more readable and engaging.  In order to be able to see them all at once and make the structural change, I need to figure out Scrivener.  It also makes the most sense to illustrate them myself to save money. 

So, now, I have a plan.  I just have to make it happen.  I hope to make a lot of progress now I have more time.