Pre-Holiday Writing Update
The holidays are on their way! As someone who works best with a regular schedule, I actually find it harder to write when I have unstructured free time on my hands then when I don't. That, combined with the fact that I'll be visiting family and friends means that one of two things could happen:
- I'll write SO MUCH that my head will explode, or
- I'll write absolutely nothing at all.
Towards the end of December or in early January I'll update you all on what actually happened. In the meantime, here are some updates of where things stand with my projects as well as where I would like to take them in the upcoming weeks.
🏠Earthquake House
Earthquake House is my main project at the moment (read more here). I am so close to finishing v5, and I think I might just get it done in this coming week. I'll write a longer update soon, but it is going REALLY well.
Over the holiday break, I hope to finish v5 and at least begin v6, which should be the final version before I begin looking for an agent. v6 is mainly final tweaks and edits, not the enormous rewrite that v5 turned out to be, so it should be possible. I want to prioritize getting this book out to agents so that I can focus on my next big project, The Others.
👧🏿🐉The Others
The first draft of The Others has been complete for some time. This is the sequel to my published book, The Reality Warper.
I have a long document full of notes specifying the specific changes I need to focus on in v2--all I need to do is organize the notes and start editing. There will be a few more rounds of edits and beta reads needed before I am ready to self-publish, but I think that December 2024 might not be a ridiculous date to push for. If I get through v6 of Earthquake House during the holidays, will dive right into v2 of The Others.
📖Picture Books
I'll post a longer update soon, but I am trying my hand at writing some picture books. I already have two written (one much far more polished than the other) and a huge number of new ideas spinning in my head.
My goal is to have 4-5 picture book manuscripts ready to go soon so that I can begin querying agents for potential (and eventual) publication. Time allowing, I may spend a few hours working towards this goal over the holidays.
🧜♀️Awake!
Awake! is a middle-grade fantasy story in desperate need of a rewrite (read more here). This story has been on hold for a few months while I prioritize other projects. Planning for the rewrite has begun.
Time allowing, I would like to complete my rewrite plan over the holiday break with the goal of picking the actual rewrite up again sometime in 2024.
📕Short Stories
I am working on compiling my short stories into anthologies fit for publication (read more here). You'll see several short story spotlight posts over the coming months while I grapple with what needs to change in each tale.
I don't think I will have time to work much on this over the holidays, beyond the insightful advice I get from my weekly writing group. I might set some specific 2024 goals for my short stories to keep me on track.
🦉Owl Academy
Owl Academy is a middle grade novel I am planning based on a short story I wrote for Reedsy.com (read more here). While planning has begun and I feel VERY good about this idea, I do not anticipate having time to work on it over the holidays or, indeed, in the first part of 2024. My problem is I have more ideas than time to write them. But this isn't an idea I want to abandon, so on my goals list it will stay.
So, that's that! I will let you know where things stand when I refocus after the chaos of the holiday season. Wish me luck!
