writing book 3, shaping

One of the final chapters of book 3, shaping, was one of the first chapters I ever wrote for the easy town books, back in 2016.

All in all book 3 was mapped out and written in 2016, in winter 2021/22, in winter 2022/23, and in 2024.

From 2016 onwards, book 3 got the most notes of all easy town books with over six hundred pages by 2021.

In January 2022, I began to write book 3 for real, and I started with the last part of the book. My reasons: the last part starts in January, and I knew that this part had the most defiance and encouragement potential. I needed both. And it worked. It still does and I can only recommend to read those chapters whenever a boost is needed.

When got my cancer diagnosis, I pushed myself to start writing again even though I was still recovering from years of overwork, but I wanted and sort of needed to take a first draft of the book with me to the hospital. I did. I edited way into the night before the operation. And I remember it as a relaxing, reassuring evening.
I didn’t read much in hospital, but just having the book there, the first relatively complete draft, was my rock.

Book 3 was supposed to be published in a single book. When I realised that I was running out of time and might not be able to publish the whole book before Christmas, I decided to split the book into three parts. Today, I can’t believe, I hadn’t thought of that before. The splits make perfect sense and each part of book 3 has its very own flavour.
The Christmas date was important because I wanted to share the Christmas chapter in book 3/2 this year and not postpone its availability for another year.

But, to be honest, I also didn’t want to read it again in spring or over Easter. There comes a point in editing where you need to close a chapter.

Incidentally, I wrote the first draft of the Christmas chapter over Easter in 2023. And, yes, that was strange. In winter 2023, I spent three days in Prague for a little additional Christmas chapter research, and as a treat.

Book 3/1, shaping, starts approximately ninety minutes before the end of book 2/2, travelling.