Finishing Developmental Edits During Camp Nano

I had a single goal for the month of April. After years of restructuring my story, and months of suffering writer’s block, I was determined to finally finish developmental edits for my book. Between figuring out certain health issues (and removing stress factors) and random, but numerous life emergencies, I had fallen far behind on my goals. Whenever I was able to invest time in my book, I made little progress from being too distracted.

A Long Overdue Update

Well, it’s been a LONG time since my last post and I’ve got a lot to catch you up on. First of all, I’m sorry for not sharing anything yet this year. October snuck up on me and I still feel like it should be February. I’ve had a lot going on at home and this website ended up taking a backseat. The good news is that the chronic pain issue I’ve dealt with for 8 years is finally manageable and I’m in the process of building new habits in our household so that things start running smoothly again. I hope, from now on, I won’t have to choose between my personal and professional lives and I can update things more regularly.

Write Words vs Right Words

If you are a writer, there’s a good chance that you’ve experienced writer’s block or you get hung up looking for the exact right words. This is actually half of the reason that I’ve struggled with writing blog posts lately. Writer’s block is an unfortunate part of the job, but there are things that you can do to combat it and see your project through to completion. (Reminder to self!)

Camp Nano and Updates

I won Camp Nano! Kinda… April did NOT go as planned (When does it ever?) due to quarantine homeschooling. Teachers, parents, and students were kept busy working out an entirely new system of education and, naturally, there was a learning curve. I barely wrote anything for a couple of weeks because I was focused on helping my son with his work. My Camp goal was only 20,000 words, which would normally be a breeze, but it seemed like an insurmountable feat given how little time I actually had to write. 

2020 Vision

Who else is excited that we’re not only starting a new year, but also a new decade? The 2010s definitely taught me a lot, but I feel like they were more about laying the foundation for my future and 2020 is where it all starts coming together. I made significant progress toward my goals over the last year, so I’ve decided that my focus word for this one is going to be VISION. My 2020 vision is all about publishing my debut novel and finally achieving a life goal that I started 19 years ago.

Karma’s Children: Discovery by Maverick Moses

It’s been a while, but I’m finally back with another book review! I had the privilege of reading an advanced copy of Maverick Moses’ dark fantasy debut, Karma’s Children: Discovery, in exchange for an honest review. I’ve followed Maverick on social media for some time now and love his YouTube videos. I’ve also very much enjoyed watching the evolution of his creativity on Instagram. That said, the following review is my personal opinion of his book, and I’ve tried to be as unbiased as possible.

Starting the Editing Process

I’m two weeks into editing my first draft and I can definitively say that I prefer editing to drafting. It feels a hundred times easier to work with something already written than to try to make something appear on a blank page. That being said, there have still been some places where I’ve had to write something entirely new and my brain does NOT like to switch back to draft mode.

Aletheia by Megan Tennant

I’ve said it before… I love dystopian novels. I absolutely loved THIS dystopian novel. In fact, it just may have barreled its way past all of the other dystopians I’ve read to become #1 on my all time favorites list! First of all, the cover is gorgeous and, even if I hadn’t loved what was written inside, I think I would have kept it solely to make my shelves prettier. Aletheia, however, is the entire package and I applaud Megan Tennant for crafting such an amazing (and terrifying) story!

Pearl’s Number by Bethany Atazadeh

It’s here! My review of the sequel and conclusion to Bethany Atazadeh’s debut novel, Evalene’s Number! I have to say that Pearl’s Number was the one book that I was dying to see released last year. If it wasn’t for the chaos of the last few months, I would have  had it finished the day after it came out. Once my very full plate cleared, I had it done within a day!

I Finished My First Draft!

After nearly 17 years of lost manuscripts, and another full year of dedicated writing, I can finally say that I have a finished first draft of my novel! I ended at 97,363 words, and typing “The End” left my body literally shaking! I had no idea the weight that would lift off my shoulders when I got to the end of the draft! (For now, I’m pretending I don’t see the weight of editing from the corner of my eye!)