Summer 2023: Thoughts on the journey of writing a book.
It's August, everyone, and I can't even believe that fall is tip-toeing around the corner! Where did the time go?
July was a very busy month, but amazingly productive while also being super frustrating. I took a nice trip to Big Bear, California where we stayed in a cabin for the weekend. It was a great break from everything, and an opportunity to unplug.
Let me share just how productive this month was, and then I'll share the frustrating piece.
Book 1 (Dissent) was reviewed by my editor (Tayler from Bailey and Bloom Ink). She gave me back her feedback, which my newsletter subscribers will get to see firsthand! I reviewed her edits, made all the necessary changes, and sent them back to her for one last run-through. She hopes to be done with this last round of revisions by the end of August.
Book 2 is in the hands of my beta readers. After connecting with them, they both agreed to be completed with the book and return their feedback to me by August 31st. I've already connected with my editor, and she has penciled me in for November to begin her edits of book 2! (Soooo exciting!!!)
Book 3 is cooking! I'm abut 52% of the way done, with roughly 61k words in this WIP. I'm making steady progress, writing approximately 1k-2k words per day.
Okay, so I kicked major butt this month, no doubt about it! So why was it so frustrating???
Well, Book 3 is giving me trouble. I feel a lot of pressure to get this book right since it will be the finale to my first trilogy. I absolutely LOVE book 2, and so I'm concerned that book 3 won't be able to top it. And that has me worried.
As a result, I have written over 80k words in this WIP, but have thrown out and rewritten huge sections of the story because I just didn't like the direction the story took. That was the frustrating part...to put in so much effort, time, and energy, only to have to toss out those words in the end. Total bummer....
However, I might use the discarded scenes as bonus extras for subscribers! If you're a subscriber and you think you'd like to see the discarded scenes, let me know.
The Plan: So, let's talk goals for this month. For August, I'll be focusing on writing book 3 since book 2 is with my betas and book 1 is with my editor. My ultimate goal is to have a rough draft for book 3 completely nailed down.
However...
I've been writing so much, I've been neglecting my body. I need to go back to my regular sleep routine, regular reflection, and I really need to start incorporating more exercise into my life.
So, with that said, my goal is to get to 80k words while incorporating daily exercise and good sleep habits.
See you in a month!
P.S. I've been sharing snippets of Dissent on my social media accounts, and revealing different themes that pop up throughout the story. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads to catch little tastes of this upcoming dystopian romance.
P.P.S. I'm now on Tiktok! I'd love to be friends with you there and connect on all things YA Romance and New Adult Romance. Come find me and let's have some Booktok fun!