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Milestones and Priorities

green hillside with cloudsI just finished a milestone revision of my latest novel, and it feels amazing. To stretch my limbs and mark the moment, I took a walk up a sunny hill and honestly, I feel so good. Revising line-by-line is my absolute favorite part of the writing process, and when I get the words right, the ideas sing in my mind.

I’m also fried. Ha! And my to-do list is long.

I’m so thankful for this work and the people who support me. Yes, the world is wild and terrifying right… Continue reading

Draft 2: Another Milestone

Cornflowers and grassesEarlier this month, I reached another milestone when I finished the second draft of my current novel. Though it is hard to have a clear perspective on it and I had a brief, miserable spell when I was convinced my novel was horrible, these days I’m really happy about how it’s coming together. I’m deep into the third draft now, and I’m completely immersed.

What I find most satisfying is the way a given scene keeps evolving. When I revise a scene, I’m making it the best that I possibly… Continue reading

Open Paths

A shoveled path through the snow.When I turned in my manuscript of The Keep of Ages last Friday for it to go to copy edits, I was so elated with the book and so pleased to reach the milestone that I went out for hot chocolate with my husband to celebrate, and later in my chorus rehearsal, I sang exuberantly. It is amazing to reach a point with a story, after months and months of labor, when I’m deeply satisfied with the work and excited to see it moving onto the next stage. The energy… Continue reading

A Quiet Milestone

Wagon, milestoneWhen I work on a manuscript for months, and half the time it seems to be going backward, it can be tricky to tell if the work is adding up to anything, but yesterday I reached the end of another draft. It feels important, like real progress, even though I immediately turned around and went back in to keep working and changing things.

The draft has problems. It’s still too short, for instance, and I haven’t accounted for characters I’ve cut or figured out how to fill certain plot holes,… Continue reading