The title of this month's IWSG post is not to say that my first book was some sort of smashing success. I'm not off to retire at a villa in the South of France or anything. It'd be nice, but it ain't happening.
Last month I posted about how I'd not checked off any of the goals I'd set for myself this year. The biggest goal being publish my second book, Not Broken. At the time of that post my story was still a WIP. Three days after I wrote that post I completed the first draft!! It was a very exciting time for me. I've been working on this story since 2014 (off and on) so it's been a super long time coming to get to this point. I had virtual celebrations with various people and real celebrations with my kids (who didn't know what was going on) and The Hubs who was very happy for me. It was a great feeling, until reality set in.
Photo source: https://boldomatic.com/view/post/lLxDag |
There's still more work to be done.
The first draft is just that, the first draft. Now I've discussed before that I'm not the type of writer that can just get words on the page and worry about the rest later. I nitpick and worry (some close to me say obsess) over a scene trying to get it right. I try to think and fill any possible plot holes as I go. Doing all that means I'm slow with the writing process (#turtlewriter) but I hope that it means less major rewrites needed at the editing stage. Key word there is HOPE.
I have to tackle the editing phase. I'm not good at cutting words. Also, once I leave a scene behind I'm not the best at seeing what else it might need. Yes I plan to hire an editor (looking at you Chrys) but before that I'm back to the same place with finding betas. Thanks to one of the hashtag games I play on Twitter I was invited to join a private chat group of other romance writers. The ladies there have been fun and welcoming and they do manuscript swaps. Yay! So far I've gotten some feedback from one of them. I need to stop procrastinating (my apparent hidden talent) and work on the few things she suggested. She got it back to me over a week ago but I've not wanted to dive back in and start the work yet. Still want to hang on to that feeling of accomplishment of getting the first part done.
Since I do have some idea now of when I'd like to release, I need to get my butt in gear sooner rather than later. I know one of the other reasons I'm waiting is I'm hoping from some additional feedback from a second lady in the group that has my first copy right now.
Ending on a fun and cute note. To help me on my journey I have a new writing buddy. We're a dog family. We had three, all large breed, but I've wanted a Yorkie for years. As a surprise and belated birthday present (birthday was in June) my daughter and hubby got me a new puppy.
We went to pick him up on the 22nd. He's now 11 weeks old. I named him Titan and at a whooping two pounds he has been taking charge of the bigger three. His favorite seems to be our German Shepherd, Thor.
Thank you to our co-hosts for this month:
Christine Rains, Dolarah @ Book Lover, Ellen @ The Cynical Sailor, Yvonne Ventresca, and LG Keltner!
The Insecure Writer's Support Group's purpose is to share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Thanks for stopping by
~Meka
Aw that last pic with the little puppy beside Thor! I love it! It's great to hear you connected with other romance writers. I was just at Romance Writers of America's national conference where I met a bunch of new writers. I love the community. The writers are very giving of their time within the romance world. You don't find that in every writing community.
ReplyDeleteI highly recommend finding a local RWA chapter if that's an option for you. Maybe you already have! I only mentioned it in case you hadn't considered.
Here is my IWSG post for August: Top First Pages Pet Peeves AND How to Fix Them!
Yes Titan thinks he's a big dog and likes to hang out with Thor. I am glad to have connected with some other romance writers. I need to join RWA. I keep thinking about it, but have yet to pull the trigger. I've heard good things about it. I think there is a GA branch. I came across something during my research.
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Trust me, MOST authors are not getting rich off their first book, but it's published, and that's an accomplishment! And it sounds like you're working diligently on the second one. Good luck and congrats!
ReplyDeleteLOL that makes me feel better. You see stories of some of those 'lucky' ones and wonder. I didn't start writing thinking it was a get rich endeavor so I'm realistic in that goal. A small fan base would make me happy, but I need more books for that. So working, working, working.
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There's a reason I never type "The End" after completing a story. Maybe it's a psychological game, but I know those words aren't true and that I could come back ten years after publication and wish to rewrite half of it. Congrats on the first draft though. That's always something to be celebrated. With cheese. =)
ReplyDeleteI typed 'The End' when I finished the first draft this time just because I was so damned excited to be done. It probably was a psychological game for me as well to give me an added sense of accomplishment. On on the rewrites. Believe me, I've learned so much in the last 3 years that I have thought about rewriting my first book because of it. Thank you. Cheese and wine for me.
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I will be ready when you're ready, Meka. :) I know what you mean about not wanting to get back in to fix things. We want to hold onto the celebration a while, but you'll have a lot more times to celebrate during the process.
ReplyDeleteSuch a cute puppy. And so tiny!
I have one more person reading and once I get it back from her it'll be all yours. :) I do want to hold on to that celebration, but I also know it needs to be done. Have a possible end date in mind so I need to get my butt in gear to get it finished.
DeleteThank you. He is very tiny and I love it!
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What an adorable birthday present!! I love that he's taking charge of the other dogs.
ReplyDeleteThank you. It's rather funny how he's able to push them around.
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Join the club of writers who don't make much money at writing. Stephen King, Dave Barry, & friends are (or were) in a band whose "#1 song" is Don't Quit Your Day Job. Would I trade this career for one that makes a ton more money but didn't like? No way.
ReplyDeleteI didn't go into this thinking I'd be the next big *insert name here*. I've been happy to get a steady check for the last three years from Amazon at least. So what if it's only like $3. LOL Since my day job is the kiddos, they won't let me quit anyway. They complain when I go to my part-time night job. LOL
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I *love* the editing phrase. I think I really am becoming the kind of writer who hates drafting (I used to love it) and likes a more polished level of work.
ReplyDeleteI'm an odd ball and can't simply 'draft'. I'm not the best with catching all things grammar, but I try to get the scenes as close to perfect the first time out. I can't help it. Since I don't plan, I need to know where I've been so I can know where I'm going. Could be why I hate editing. I'm already sick of my words because I spent so much time on them to begin with. LOL
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I obsess over every scene as well. I'm really hoping that going into my next novel, I eliminate some of the editing time, because I'm more and more aware of what needs to go into a draft.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm not alone! It's so hard sometimes for me. You and me both. I spend so much time trying to get the words right that going into the editing phase is painful at the idea of cutting.
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Congrats on completing that first draft! Awesome!
ReplyDeleteI'm also a slow writer... *sigh*
thank you! It took forever, but it's done. Slow isn't bad. There's a whole bunch of us now on Twitter.
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