BMTL Update

I know I haven't updated since March 21st, but I've been busy with edits and planning all things story related and it's just been madness! You never really know how much work you have to put into a novel until you actually finish one and the real fun begins! 

My critique partner has helped A LOT and she's introduced me to Susan Dennard's blog and her amazing Writing Advice Page. She has amazing advice on there from writing your book and all the way up to writing synopsis and query letters and agents and critique partners/beta readers! Everything is so detailed and it helps A LOT. Some of it may make me hyperventilate and stress, but it also takes a lot of stress on wondering, "What comes next?"

Her revising steps have really helped a lot. I've never been to this stage with a story before, so it's all new to me. I've followed her steps so far and have kind of created my own twists to some of it. I'm almost up to the point where it's time to get down to business and start working on the second draft. 

And not only that, but I have some other news too. I've always wondered how authors were able to have different books or series going at one time and though I'm still freaked out about that, I think I kind of understand it now.

Normally I'm a one book gal, but since I'm in the revising stages right now for Bring Me To Life, and it's my MAIN focus, I'm also working on outlining BTML book two to get that rolling and on top of that there has been a book idea in my head for months now. Since maybe around December/January and more has come up in that and now it's up to the point where I basically know what happens in all three books for that trilogy. I actually have more things worked out for the first book right now than I did when I first started BTML.

So on the side I've started planning it too. I'll be working on it, but if it starts getting in the way of my editing BMTL and on the planning stages of BMTL's sequel, then I'll have to put the other idea on hold, since, like I said, BMTL is my main focus. 

I may have a synopsis up soon for BMTL, I made myself a deadline--which I can't remember right now, I'll have to check my calendar--for it so I should be on that soon. :) 

I don't really want to say much about my new project yet, though. So maybe in a couple of months I'll be able to mention it. All I can say is so far I think it may become a trilogy, and it's paranormal with some romance, but romance isn't the MAIN focus. 

So stay tuned! And happy writing! :-)

Rough Draft = Done

Yep, you see the title right. The rough draft of BMTL is DONE! I finished it at 11:52 p.m. on March 19th. This is a BIG deal for me, I've never finished a book before. NEVER. I always start them and then get new ideas in the middle of writing them and then POOF, I change over to the other.

But I stuck with this idea. This idea was THE idea. I couldn't have stopped writing it even if I wanted to. I can't wait until I get all the revisions done and the re-write and get it all fixed up and pretty to send it to agents. I want to be able to share this story with everyone. I want everyone to know my characters as well as I do. Care for them as much as I do.

I'm still in shock I finished. I've been working on this non-stop basically for nearly four months. The 28th of March would have been four months. The deadline I gave myself was July 1st! And I beat that by a little over three months.

I've decided to give myself a break from it until Monday. My son's 2nd birthday party is on Sunday and we've been so busy with that and getting things ready for our new bedroom suite to come in! I've been dreaming of a small break, but now that I'm on it, I don't know what the heck to do! 

I had so many things running through my mind. Getting caught up on shows, catching up on some reading (Though that's impossible!), relaxing, going to bed early. But hardly any of that has happened! I can't seem to turn my mind off. I'm twitchy wanting to grab my printed out copy of my manuscript and attacking it with a red pen.

But I'm going to wait until Monday. 

My next step with this book is, like I said, going through it and attacking it with a red pen. I'm going to go through it, make notes. And then I'll go through my wonderful critique partner's notes and add all of them together, and then start working on the outline for the second draft.

Once that is done, it's beta reader time! :) And then I'll keep going through the process of it until it's somewhat ready to be sent off to Agents. Super nervous about that. My heart is starting to beat really fast just THINKING of that. But I just need to remember that I won't get anything done and start working toward my dream until I send it to them. And it only takes ONE yes. :D

Hopefully I'll start getting better at updating this blog! I've been so with it so far. Hopefully I'll update soon!

Almost There!

Okay, so I suck at updating a writing blog. The only blog I have ever been able to keep up with and update is my book reviewing blogs. That's a bit sad. But anyway, the last time I updated about being at my halfway point, it was January 6th (42 days after starting this rough draft) and now two months later (Almost four months after beginning) I've reached 70K, which was my goal.

I'm currently past 72K now, and I still have a bit more to write. I only have about six chapters left that I had planned and an epilogue, so after then the rough draft will be...done. That's so crazy! I'm so excited, but also amazed and shocked and my anxiety is kicking in.

I have a new critique partner, who is AMAZING, and I still have Michele Byrd looking over this rough draft. They are the only two people who have seen anything of this rough draft so far, and I can't wait to finish so I can get started on the second draft. I plan on going through and reading it and making thousands of notes and then creating one huge novel outline, and then re-writing it.

*cue anxiety* 

It's going to be a lot of work,but really worth it in the end. :) Once the second rough draft is done, I'll probably start picking up some beta readers to read it, so if anyone happens upon this blog and is interested, e-mail me!

Hello, Halfway Point!

I've been writing this book for exactly 42 days and I've hit 35K, the halfway point to my word count goal for this book. I am so...amazed at how much I've written in a little over a month. In my deadlines, I would have hit 35K in between the weeks of Feb. 11th through Feb. 17th and  Feb. 18th - Feb. 24th. But it's happened on January 6th at 3am.

I am not going to go into panic mode. Oh my God.