Time sure does fly. I thought I would update this blog one more time before a new year starts and I feel like I’ve completely let something slip. So here’s a progress update on my projects and where I plan to go from here. Spoiler: They’re going really good!
The One That De-Railed Me
I’ve been lovingly calling this project “Catch an Angel by the Wings” and then it was streamlined to “Clipped Wings.”
This project turned out to be slightly less than a break from my frustrations and more of a whole new idea. I ended up capping the first draft of this project off at around 102,000 words/361 pages (hefty I know). I was not expecting to have a finished project by the end of August but there I stood with something I was pretty proud of. Not to mention that it was a full, stand-alone plot line.
I’m now about 100 pages into a very intense plot edit, which is about to hit the bulk of the issues with the draft. To say I’m cautiously optimistic about it would be an overstatement. (It’s driving me crazy at the moment).
The One That Won’t Sit Still
My ever “in-progress” project, which I had been calling “Safe Haven” but that title just doesn’t seem accurate anymore, is still sitting unfinished. A breakthrough finally caught my attention the other day.
The morning after a writers’ group meeting, I was washing my hair and it seemed to seep over my mind like the water over my hair. And so, I have a new beginning. For the fourth time.
It also changes the entire POV to first person. So, I’ll be doing an entire rewrite of that book when I have my ideas sussed out. This books, series, idea of mine, only ever gets me past the first seven chapters and then changes its tune.
Someday I’ll figure out what it wants to be about. When I do, I know it’ll be worth the struggle. Some ideas just don’t sit still.
An Overactive Imagination
Of course, the year wouldn’t be complete without my overactive imagination butting its head into everything. I attempted a new genre for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and failed. While I still love the idea, the plot, and the characters, I think that “traditional” fantasy just doesn’t sit well with me. I’ll try again when I have my world set a bit better.
Along with that, my NaNoWriMo plot from last year came sneaking back into my head and begged for attention. I didn’t give it more than a quick jot of notes for the fixes it offered to the horrible plot mistakes I had made during my whirlwind month of writing.
Various short story ideas came to mind. Likewise, I had multiple nibbles at my consciousness for longer stories. All of them begged for full control of my creative energies. However, as I want to focus on one project, I am trying desperately to keep my flitting imagination from nabbing the upswing that comes with consistent creativity.
Plans
I am a serial planner with terrible follow through when it comes to personal projects with imaginary deadlines.
That’s why I enjoy participating in NaNoWriMo so much. Joining a critique group has also helped me keep a more consistent editing schedule with expectations that I will bring a certain amount of pages every other week. While my imagination loves to be spontaneous, my personality is all about the plan.
My goals for 2018 are simple (if I make any more specific promises I will probably break them):
- Finish the first draft edit of “Clipped Wings”
- Write a short story for submission somewhere
- Start the new draft of “Safe Haven”
- Read more
It looks like a lot, and it probably is, but if I finish even one thing on that list I’ll be happy with where my year went. Honestly, I’m pretty pleased with my year in writing this year. A year when a draft is finished is always a good year.
Let’s see where writing can take me next year.
Subtle Stories 