Weekly Writing

This month, I set aside weeks to focus on three books and edit my completed novel, Our Father. I challenged the writer in me to work on a scene each day and write 500-1,000 words every day! In my mind, I thought it would be difficult to come up with that many words, but I surprised myself. Some days I wrote 700 words, 900, even 1,000! The words were coming to me and I didn’t stop them. Because of the outlining I did over summer, my books had a little meat on it to begin with. The process was exciting as I saw my books grow closer to completion. By this time next year, I am planning on having two more books done. 

It wasn’t all peaches and cream though. There were nights I didn’t want to write because I was exhausted. Staying in bed or watching YouTube videos sounded like better alternatives at that point. Researching subway routes, uber rides, what ports in Dar es Salaam looks like, and boat rides to Madagascar were some of the setbacks I didn’t have beforehand. These things took time because I need to envision the scene properly. When someone reads it, they should see the image clear in their mind. It’s a crucial part of writing, to create the scene. Everything needs to feel real. They need to be able to smell the coffee and hear traffic in the background while their eyes experience Bethany demonstrate her special abilities. Fortunately, the author in me pushed through with motivation.  My creative mind cranked out those words in less than three hours -something new for me- and now I have 6,713 words added to Being a Model, 6,382 words to The Other Side of the Mirror, and 5,228 words to Her War. 

I also finished editing Our Father which means it’s *almost* ready to get sent out to publishing agents. Editing was only step 2 of… I don’t even know how many. Next up are beta readers (people who read your books and give feedback) and sending in queries to agents. Maybe it will be ready by the end of this year? Cross your fingers for me!

Next Saturday’s topic is on losing motivation and hope.