Last week I really struggled with the timeline of the story. Trying to overlay the chapters to an actual calendar spread of the months that the story was going to span proved to be really difficult. I started this piece of the process for two reasons. First was because I wanted to see what the... Continue Reading →
Diving into the Manuscript
Should it surprise me when my character do things I don't expect them to? No. DOES it still surprise me every time they do? Yes, yes it does. Characters going rogue is a really intriguing occurrence in writing, especially because I am such a planner. I take the time to outline what the story is... Continue Reading →
Finishing a Story and February Goals
The story I started over a decade ago is finally complete! I printed the first complete draft of MS:T and it is a beautiful thing. It's a first complete draft that I can say I am really proud of. The things that came out in the writing, those surprises that I didn't plan for even... Continue Reading →
Weaving the Writing and Deadlines
This week I struggled with my manuscript in weaving the new edits necessary to take this story to the next level with the writing that's already been done. Also, deadlines. 🙂 As I was working on MS:T last week, I was struggling with a piece of the story I wanted to introduce in chapter eight.... Continue Reading →
Working on Writing from the Past
It is a very interesting experience to revisit a past writing project. As I began work on MS:T this week, I was confronted with how much life experience had changed me from who I was when I began the manuscript to who I am now. This isn’t a bad thing, though it might sound that... Continue Reading →
Completing a Goal
I finished the complete revision of MS:SB and it felt so good to complete the goal before 2020 ended. This was a project I started way back in the beginning of the year and I almost let it go. I knew if I did, I would only be slowing down the work I want to... Continue Reading →
December: Pushing through Post-NaNoWriMo Fatigue
All I wanted to do December 1st was walk away from my writing projects and binge Dawson’s Creek on the nights I would have been chasing my word count. Did I do that? No. Because there was a goal I had set myself way back in January that I wasn’t going to let the general... Continue Reading →
NaNoWriMo Prep 2020 Week 3: Believe
The most important thing a writer takes with them into the NaNoWriMo challenge, is the belief in themselves as a writer. Owning that belief in ourselves as writers is so incredibly empowering and important. It’s important because many of us for a very (sometimes very, VERY) long time will be writing without knowing when or... Continue Reading →
Making Time to Free Write
There is a power and strength to the free write that never ceases to amaze me. It’s funny because I haven’t let myself truly and honestly engage in a free write in a very long while. A free write is a writing exercise where a person writes whatever comes to mind for a certain amount... Continue Reading →
Managing Expectations, Goals, and Writing
August 2020 is done and we are into September. Still 2020, but a new month, so I’ll take it. Ending August was rough. We left summer vacation mode and jumped into full remote learning for our daughters. That meant we had to fully deal with the reality that the fall was going to be a... Continue Reading →