Writer's Life: Update on Ripples, Research, and Other Things

I've been so busy with school planning that my writing life has been set aside for a while. I've been reading fantasy books to keep my mind in gear so that when I pick it up again (This week! Yea!) I'll be ready. And I am SO ready to get back to writing. October is right around the corner and I'm looking forward to stamping a big red "DONE!" on Ripples.

The #augustbreak2018 challenge has suffered a little from my hyper-focus on school planning, too. I've missed one day already. But since it's a 'free and easy' type of challenge, it's not so terrible that I skipped a day. It helps, too, that the prompts may be interpreted in any way you wish.

Writing Update

I'll give you the writing plan for this week first, since I haven't been writing all that much lately. I will definitely knock out my maps this week. I'm also going to finalize my glossary and index pages for Ripples and load them to Wattpad. I think it will help people who want to read the book there. Thankfully, I can edit my files on the site so if I find something I need to add to them when I tackle the line edit later this week, I can do that there.
So the basic rundown of the plan:

1. Finish the maps.
   
2. Nail down the glossary and index for Ripples.
   
3. Load the items in number 2 to Wattpad.
   
4. Start the line edit on Ripples. (to be done any time I have a spare moment and at hourly intervals each day)
   

Next week, I'll be tackling something completely different. I need to get my author pages started on Goodreads and Amazon. That is one of the daunting tasks looming on my horizon.

Writing Buddies

Something I neglected to mention in my last blog post was how important is is for me to have a writing buddy. My oldest daughter is my human writing buddy. I can always count on her to tell me honestly if a scene works or doesn't. And she's always good for asking me if I wrote today. But I also have some writing buddies who are less animated who are simply there to make me smile while I write. And then there's Sir Olly Ox'nfri Toebeans (our cat) who believes his job is to make sure I don't write too long. 

Writing buddies in various writer groups are important, too. I have several fellow writers who inspire and encourage me. I get to encourage them, too. Whether I inspire them or not -- I don't know. I hope so!

As You Can See...

My life is multi-faceted. Sometimes, I have to set my writing aside for other things which must take precedence. The photos I'm posting in this challenge will give you more insight into who I am, I think -- not only as a writer but as a human being. I hope you are enjoying them so far.

Home School Teacher & Author

(8/2/2018) Yes. It is a lot for me to juggle. But I truly enjoy giving them the freedoms that come with teaching them at home. They have more options for electives when they reach high school. True, in our rural area, they are limited when it comes to sports. The schools won't allow home school students to join in their sporting activities like some others I've heard of. Mine would be limited to the kinds of things you'd have to pay for after school, like dance or martial arts, or those which are city sponsored during the summer. But on the whole, my kids have more options when it comes to academic and interest-based study.  Honestly, who wouldn't want their child to /know/ more? Sports are great, but they aren't everything!

This does have a bearing on my writing. I also benefit from teaching them at home. When they show an interest in something I haven't spent much time on before, I get to read up on those things, too. This expands the library of my mind. As a writer, is there such a thing as too much research? I doubt it.
Research is so important to any writer of any genre. You can't create a believable manuscript without it. This year's botany, economics, literature...they'll all be helping me as they help my eldest daughter reach for her dreams.

So don't knock the research portion of your work, fellow writers. For any book, research is life.

(8/7/2018) Usually, August is one of the driest, hottest months for our area. But the rains keep coming. It's been thundering off and on since I woke up and the sun is refusing to shine. But the day is beautiful just the same. Storm spotting takes me away from my computer but I value the experience and the opportunity to perhaps help someone avoid tragedy one day.
Yesterday was filled with many things. Read on to find out more.

I'm Writing Again!

Well, to be more precise, I'm editing again. I'm finished with school planning for now. So I was able to get back to the final edit on Ripples. I hope I can nail down the chapter I'm working on now quickly so I can work a bit on the maps. I really need those knocked out this week. And since I changed my plan for the border, I added to the work already ahead. <sigh> It is what it is. Even the best laid plans must sometimes be changed.