Once again, I am starting this blogging process. It seems like every time I begin to blog, and do well for a month or so, I let it slide and stop posting. I do have a “goal” of writing daily. Yet because I want it meaningful, I often don’t write because I feel I have nothing of importance to say. But as I’m thinking of the blog this time, it will be more about my process, thoughts, and life in general – and doesn’t have to have meaning for why I blogged. I will strive to write to write daily, which is always my goal. So whether or not it is a long, impassioned blog, or just a short snippet of my crazy day, my goal is to this time, write daily through blogs, prompts, or as always, working on another story.
And this comes just in time for Nanowrimo.
A Refreshing Step Away
I’m still working on editing last year’s story. I’ve finally finished Elinor’s story (Trials) and edited both The Lost Daughter and Trials (at least once). I’ve scoured the NaNoWriMo blog for the best tips and tricks on editing and reworking your novels. I definitely agree that stepping away and refreshing your mind is one of the best advice to have when editing. Once you come back, it’s so nice to simply read and go, “Oh, huh. That doesn’t work,” and then begin editing. If something is out of place, I do try not to delete it, but save it in another area and see if it fits elsewhere.
Though, there have been times I must admit, in which that dialogue or story line didn’t quite fit the one I was working on, but slid right in another story. Once I edit once through the computer, I find that I do a better job editing by printing and using a colored pen (not red!). I know that printing isn’t great for the environment, but I will admit, it has it’s uses. Finally, I plug in all the changes and read it aloud to make sure that everything still flows.
Editing – and Publishing – Goal
Now that I’ve shared my revising process, where am I in the process? Unfortunately, still on the computer editing part. I’ve taken my refreshing break, and am back with the first edits. I plan to edit all November and December before hopefully getting them to some beta-readers. While they are reading the stories, I’ll be working on creating the pitches and attending some webinars for publishing. If all goes well, as I am praying, I’ll start working with publishing advisers and eventually, querying agents and, crossing fingers, publishing one of the three that I have written. Note, these three (Ryan’s, Elinor’s, and Blaine’s stories) are not only the most recent, but also the most well written of my works. I have way more stories that I definitely do not want to see the light of day other than to show how far I have come with my writing.
On another note, I have more short stories that I am working on. I’ll write a post soon about my upcoming stories. Until then, keep on writing!
Comments