Writing Update

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted a writing update! It’s been exciting and a lot of waiting over here, but here we go.

Spoiler: still waiting. BUT, just over a month ago I handed over my third complete novel to my agent after cutting a whopping 10,000-ish words from it. That brought the word count to 93,000. My shortest manuscript to date (I usually end up around 99k-102k words). It was a ton of work and I was so relieved to get it sent off. This novel placed in the cascade finals last year and I really love how it’s come together, even though I know I have more revisions ahead of me before it gets published. That’s a window into my journey as I pursue traditional publishing.

After finishing such a big project, I wanted to take time to catch up on things I’d owed to critique partners and reviews, do some reading, and tend to housework I’d been neglecting. Now that I’m caught up on most of the things, I’ve been pondering what project to work on next.

Should I begin writing a new novel set in France again in case my new book is picked up and ends up being the first in a series? (I have ideas. I already know who I’d select for the heroine and hero of the story.)

Or should I circle back to one of my unfinished projects? I have one just barely started and one half written. The one just barely started has been calling my name. But it would be book three in a series that hasn’t been picked up by publishers.

Or should I focus in on my blog, writing devotionals again? I’d love to be able to have a rotation of devotionals, then a book review, and so on. I know, I know, there’s so many book reviews (of fantastic Christian Fiction!!) flooding this blog and devotionals need a place. But you know, in some seasons, what the Lord shows us is personal. That’s been my season. There’s so much that I haven’t felt a green light to post. But I feel that light changing yet I’m unsure where to start. As soon as I do, devotionals will be up.

So that’s my update at the moment. I’d love prayer that my book currently with publishers, or this new one that will be on submission soon, will be my door opener. In the meantime, this aspiring novelist will continue to be diligent to have butt in chair, fingers flying on laptop, and seeking the Lord about what to work on. It’s exciting, and scary, and I already just want to be finished drafting my next novel so I can revise and make it shine. That’s my favorite part. The deciding what to get started on is probably one of my very least favorite parts.

There you have it. If you stayed with me this long, thanks, and you deserve some chocolate. Go get yourself some and think of me. 😉