Author Journey: December 1, 2023 - A Win & Winter Wackiness
Welcome to the scenic route! I'm happy to share the news with you today, so I'll just jump right into the post.
Author Journey: Another Nano Win!
I won Nano this year. It feels kinda weak, though, since I was only editing. Some would say editing is the hard part. I just say it's tedious. The words are already down. You just have to make sure they are the right words. Sure, the word count does change some as one edits. But essentially, the thing you need to account for a win is the number of words.
There was no question I'd win as far as the number of words. Right now, in its current incarnation, Over Land & Under Stone sits at 83k so there was no question the words were there. However, my personal goal was to do a complete read-through, making editing marks where necessary. I started with an old manuscript because I couldn't find the most current one. Thank goodness for Google Drive and for my forethought in saving a copy there. (To be honest, I think that year, my computer when kaput. I ended up doing a lot of work through Google because I could access it across devices.)
So once I found the most current manuscript, I had to start over from the beginning. Honestly, I've got good material to work with. It's certainly far from perfect, but I look forward to refining the story and making sure all the elements I want included are there. I also noticed a few possible timeline issues that need checking.
A plus -- my mom loves the story. A minus -- this one ends on a cliffhanger. The story itself has closure. But there's a villain stirring up trouble in all the books and this villain is finally revealed in book three. We only get a glimpse, though. My issue is figuring out how to bring it all together. But I know when the time comes, everything will fall into place.
For those who've stayed with me since the beginning back in 2016, you guys get the medal for patience. And you'll need it in spades, because this year's going to be a no-go for publishing. I have a wedding to plan.
Wait, what?!
Writer's Life: Winter Wackiness
OK, so this isn't so wacky. I mean, if you have children and they honor God and traditional values, then you're going to have a wedding. So in just under six months, our oldest daughter will be getting married to a young man who I believe will do very well as her life-mate. They both have a lot to learn, but I believe they're as well matched as they could be.
With the date set this close, it has been a pain trying to find a venue like they specified. While my daughter doesn't care as much what building the nuptials take place in, her groom wants a building that at least looks like a church. While I applaud his input, that's made the task harder. Not impossible, mind you! We're a determined bunch of folk. It's not set in stone, yet, but we believe we've found a place and I'm praising God for the strong possibility.
It's raining today and probably most of the weekend. My Christmas decorations are up, but I think I might start working on a few of the projects I've been procrastinating on. I need to get those things done and to the people they are for. I'm such a slow worker when it comes to those things!
Our Christmas decorations are out and most everyone we usually purchase a gift for has one under our tree. I figured getting those out ASAP would free me up for wedding prep things. The only thing I missed doing this year was putting our nativity set out in October, or at least during the Feast of Booths. I have an idea for next year, though, and I'm really looking forward to carrying it out. I'll probably have to write it on the calendar, though, so I don't forget.
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| I made the bead garland & painted snowflakes on the rustic wood circle ornaments. |
Spartacus is doing well. He's still quite a chonk and quite feisty when he's awake. He still loves to play and I'm so thankful he's a polite and patient cat. God knew exactly what we needed. I'm dreading leaving him during Christmas, but our son's family will come in and care for him and spend some time with him while we're gone. I wish we could take him with us, but my mother-in-law is allergic. She loves cats and dogs, but cats are just super bad for her.
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Just Keep Writing: Friday Fascicles
If this is your first time participating in this kind of writing exercise, you're in for a treat. If you've done this with me before, just keep scrolling for the prompt.
Rules:
- You can use any/all of the words and/or the photo in the prompt below to create a unique written work. Fiction or nonfiction, poetry or prose, even lyrics are acceptable.
- Please keep the material you write clean (i.e. nothing R-rated or worse) if you wish to share the link to your work here, as well as if you link back to my site. I strive to keep my site free of such things. My readers know and expect this. I respect your right to write whatever you feel you need to write. And you're free to use my prompts. But if your material is graphic, I'd rather not view it, and most of my readers will not wish to.
- Have fun! This type of exercise is perfect for growing in the writing craft, or for helping through a rough patch in your current WIP. If you're looking to push your author limits and you normally write in nonfiction prose, try a whimsical collection of lyrics. If you normally write poems about real life events, try your hand at a fanfic. Give yourself some room to explore.
Don't forget to leave a link to your creation (unless you're writing graphic material) so my readers and I can check out your work. I'd appreciate a link back to this post to help me reach more readers, but it's not required.
I had a bit of a hard time figuring out this month's background. I finally settled on an overlay that looked like frost, ice, and snow. What do you think? And do you think you can work with these words? I hope so!
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