Cléa
It’s been two months to the day since I’ve announced my sabbatical to dedicate time to my novel. Where does the time go? Since a few of you have kindly asked about it, I’m going to share my progress to date.
In a nutshell, the novel has been progressing very well. Thanks to some invaluable advice and steady encouragement, I was able to put my head down and just write. I made sure I let the creativity flow and didn’t allow myself to become hindered by analysing every word to death. I tackled each remaining chapter, including the difficult ones I had previously filed in the too hard basket. As a result, I now have… drum roll… a complete story.
I printed the entire document and for the first time ever, I read the story in sequence. I expected a degree of cringing, as I’m my worst critic after all, instead, I couldn’t put it down. I read page after page. I looked for inconsistencies, flow, gaps and continuity. Any glaringly obvious edits were also noted and corrected.
I am now aware of the story’s strengths and weaknesses and where I need to devote more effort. I have a list of tasks that need special attention and I have already started to address those. Completing them with the quality output I have in mind is not something I can rush, and that has made me reassess my expectations of what constitutes “first draft”.
The sabbatical has been well spent so far. As for my return to blogging, in a subtle way, I have been easing into it of late. With the amount of work ahead me to get it to a standard worthy of publishing, the novel will always take priority. In the meantime, the blog can look forward to semi-regular postings.
Tags: cbmused, writing a novel
Hooray for the story! Talk about dedication. That’s one huge step done and I’m guessing, plenty more to go. I wonder if we’re ever going to see this story when it’s done? Any chance of that in the near future?
That is A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Congrats, girl!
I know you’re poured your heart, soul and time into it & now I think you need a biiiiiiiiiiiig ole appletini celebration! =)
So very proud of you!
*hugs*
That is A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Congrats, girl!
I know you’ve poured your heart, soul and time into it & now I think you need a biiiiiiiiiiiig ole appletini celebration! =)
So very proud of you!
*hugs*
WooHoo! Congratulations lady, and best of luck moving forward. Also – nice to have you (semi)back.
Congrats! Your dedication is inspirational…
Kami: Thank you
. As proud as I am about this milestone, I’m also keeping in mind the big picture and the work that lays ahead. But everything gets achieved one major step at a time.
Whether the story gets the light of day depends on publishers, but I’ll keep trying all avenues when the time comes. As for soon, who knows… I’m sure I’d be updating on the blog every now and then.
LB: Thank youuuu and big hugs back! You’re absolutely right about pouring everything I have in it, and will continue to do so. Let’s have something stronger than an Appletini… a Vesper Martini will knock our socks off!
GSR: Thank you kindly dear sir! It feels good to come back to this space, particularly a sandy beach…
Mahd: Thank you kindly
I hope one day we see the product of your inspirations. That is something I most look forward to.
And here you are, living the dream and being the writer you envision yourself as.
Never give up hope, keep the fire burning, and of course, let us know from time to time how you are progressing!
The whole editing process of writing a novel would make me hairless. I think I’d lose my mind. I’m not detailed enough to maintain a tense for even one sentence. Best wishes and nice to see you around. Two months goes very fast.
How exciting!!!
Congratulations
)
YaY! I’m so happy for you! You must be thrilled/relieved!! And holy moley you’ve got awesome work ethic!
Very good, the only first draft I have addressed of late is the cold winter, chill which spiced rum helps temper. Nose to the grindstone and keep on posting, at your leisure of course.
I hope for practical reasons it is a Romance novel–if it is a Romance novel and it is well-written you will probably get published very quickly.
“Middlebrow” stuff like John Updike is the hardest to get published nowadays.
I wish I could write Romance novels–I guess the first step would be to READ one.
I was just talking about this subject with someone else and my 100,000 word monster needs a liposuction.
YAY!
Eric1313: The dream will be when I get this manuscript published. In the meantime, it’s just work work work.
Thanks for the encouragement. Writing is a lonely experience, I appreciate the positive vibes.
Egan: So true about 2 months disappearing fast. At least I’ve got something to show for it this time.
They say the hard work begins now, after the story is written, and I agree. Though I’m good at detail, it’s no fun splitting hairs when it comes to writing.
Enny: Thank you!
I guess I should be more excited. I haven’t even celebrated the milestone yet!
EM: I’ve got quite the determination when I set my mind to it, and you got that right
.
Strange enough, I don’t feel relief, just a quiet sense of having met a deadline.
JW: Your comment made me chuckle because that’s exactly what I get, then have a hard time shaking it off.
Zen: Romance? As in purple prose, a heroine pining after his “manhood”? Maybe romance novels have evolved, I wouldn’t know.
100,000 words is impressive! I’m expecting my word count to go up when I start editing and fixing stuff but not as high as that. Maybe mine needs a protein diet…
Mrs Mahd: Thank you!
Wow… congrats…
Great to hear you will blog more often now!
Sidney: Thanks
I’m looking forward to the semi-return and catching up with everyone.
wow, congrats! I’m already looking forwards to it.
you have the gift to create a mood with your writing. love that
Die Muräne: Thank you for the encouraging words, you’ve put a smile on my face
And lovely to see you back here.
I know you are your own harshest critic and hardest task mistress, so reading this makes me smile. If you are pleased with how well it’s gone, then I’d say it’s gone well indeed.
Give yourself a well deserved pat on the back Cléa, and take some time out to bask in your own success.
Well done. =)
Gboy: As tough as I am on myself, and you got that right, the fact that I was reading a page turner, pardon the cliché, without cringing, tells me something is right. Of course, there’s a lot more work ahead before it’s ready to be submitted to publishers but I’ll do as you said, and give myself a little pat on the back. After all, little rewards are positive reinforcements. And thank you. I think we can both smile
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