My Writing Life ~ Progressing

I haven’t written a Writing Life post for quite a few weeks. I hate to say I’ve been busy because it sounds like a negative thing when in fact I love working, and being busy writing and editing is a joy for me, but it is because I’ve been working hard that I haven’t been blogging.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been editing the standalone novel for my agent and finishing a first draft of a new series. I am pleased to say that both are complete. The edits and the first draft. The standalone is now in my agent’s hands and the first draft is now in edit mode.

The first draft of the new series is probably the roughest first draft I have ever written – other than the one for my first ever novel, which I pantsed. Now I outline before I write. I kind of know where I’m going as I type, though there are sections that are vague and I have to find my way through them. It’s going to take some work to get it into some semblance of order, a position where I’m happy for someone else to read it. But I’m happy to put that work in. I love to see a manuscript coming to life. Turning into something that you kind of imagined in your head when you first thought about it.

Now the standalone is off my desk and I’m editing the new series book, I have started a new first draft. It’s the next book in the Hannah Robbins series. So, that’s three books I’m technically juggling. One with my agent and two on my desk. One first drafting and one editing. I couldn’t do two first drafts at once but I can edit as well as first draft. They don’t seem to hit the same parts of my brain. I can separate the day up and work on both of them.

I’m just over 5,000 words into the new project. I’ll let you know how far in I am next time we talk. I’m hoping to add at least 10,000 words in the next week, though I’m still feeling my way into this book. It’s a whiff of an idea. A vague outline has been written. The outline needs firming up. The idea needs solidifying. I’m hoping with a little time it will settle in and I’ll know more about what I want out of it. At the moment I’m writing my way into it with the vague outline to guide me. It helps that I already know the main characters.

Do let me know how your week has been. I love catching up with you.