End of January Update...

January is finally over! Phew. What a terribly long month it had been. 

I somehow managed to completely avoid my December Update (whoops), but this month I have plenty to talk about so I shan't shirk my duties this time. 

The BIG NEWS is that (dun dun duuuun), I have a new job! 

In a strange twist of fate, after months of applications and interviews and heart-beating frustration, I was approached by an agency looking for a graduate to enter an Insurance Broking firm. Somehow, in spite of never having even thought of such an avenue before, after two interviews, a half-hour written test (word meanings and spot-the-mistake a cake walk, spelling and maths more a treacle skid) and a grilling by the Managing Director, I somehow walked away with a job offer. So from the middle of February I'll be an Accounts Handler in the firm's charities and non-profits department. Mad, mad, mad. I shall be a Monday to Friday office girl! With pencil skirts and deadlines and meetings! How terribly, awfully grown-up.

And rather terrifying. Oh dear. 

I keep reminding myself that there was a reason they hired me and that they know what they're going and that I. Will. Be. Fine. But little waves of worry keep washing over me and I have tiny, half hour panics about such a huge career change. It's a very big, very sudden step that a month ago I didn't even imagine making. I want to do well, though and I really hope it will be fine (IT WILL). I'll try my best. 

Right, deep breath and Big Girl Pants back on. 

Writing wise, I've been pretty productive. My third New Years Resolution, to write every day, has been going well. There is one, little gap in the chain, but in my defence it was the day I got The Job, so I'm letting myself off the hook. 

(In case you're interested, I've been using the 'Don't Break the Chain' 2015 calender designed by Karen Kavett.)

Mostly I've been cracking on with The Sequel, writing little chunks to keep the plot moving. I've also done a few little writing exercises on the days I couldn't get to my previous writing or couldn't think of where to go with the story: describing characters in detail, creating scenery or, today, writing a blog post instead. Lots of little things to keep those writing muscles exercised. 

I've also, for what I think is now the eighth time, been reorganising the opening to Grey Sister. I mean really: what is wrong with me?! I just can't leave it alone! Ha ha. I'm wanting to get the new edits finished this week ready for new submissions before I start The New Job. 

New Job is going to take up a lot of time in the coming weeks (months, even). My greatest worry is that my writing and my ambitions for Grey Sister will fall by the wayside with all these new pressures. Progress may become very slow, but I desperately hope it won't grind to a complete halt. 

I've worked too hard to give up just because the real world gets in my way. 

End of November Update...

Don't look at the date of the post! I'm on time, honest! (Lies.)

November was pretty poor, writing wise. I didn't send off any submissions and I probably did less than 1000 words of The Sequel. It's been a mixture of laziness and busyness in the past few weeks. Plenty of nights I had time but just sat down in front of the telly or with a book and just didn't move. But I was applying for jobs and I also had an interview which consumed most of a Saturday, so it wasn't all bad. With Christmas up next, I've been doing lots of shop hunting for presents too.

Naughtily, I've been doing a lot of sewing this past month, which has consumed a lot of time. Though these Advent Calenders I made for the Small People in our lives were gifts, so I feel that's allowed.

The patchwork quilt I started making for myself was a little bit more of a time-waster though... but look how pretty! Here it's just loose, but it's all patched together now and I've started on (the incredibly tricky and time consuming) quilting stage. 

So, yeah. Bad month for writing. I knew Christmas was going to be a bother this year! I really don't know how much I'll manage to do in December either. Blurgh.

End of October Update...

Dang it. Dang it. DANG IT! I miss this post every month. Gyah.

October was another submission heavy month, with lots of responses (OK, rejections) coming back from agents. It was good to hear back from some of the submissions I sent a few months ago and get those cleared off the list. Any progress is good progress!

Writing wise, I'm finally starting to get into Grey Sister's sequel. So far I've got 15k+ words, which is slower progress than I'm used to, but I have a better idea of where I'm going next which it good.

I decided not to go in for NaNoWriMo again this year. I have so many other things I need to be concentrating on (cough, real world job, cough) that I just can't dedicate that much time to writing at the moment. And anyway: who put NaNo so close to Christmas?! When would I have time to start my seasonal crafting?

I'm hoping to send out plenty more submissions in November and try and get some more headway on The Sequel.

End of September Update...

Dang it! I missed the end of the month again! Flump nuggets. Sorry.

September was busy with re-re-re-editing (what draft am I even on now? It feels like a three digit figure...) the opening chapters of 'Grey Sister'. I'm really happy with how it all turned out and I really think it's made some big improvements to the opening of the book.

In the past week I've been back to Agent Hunting and I've sent out four submissions. Now I cower behind the sofa cushions while I wait for replies. Yay.

I'm thinking (very, VERY tentatively) about doing NANOWRIMO this year. If I do I think I'd like to try out a new idea, rather than continue with Thea's story. It seems like a good opportunity to start a different project and get a big chunk done all at once. I don't know.... Has anyone else done NANO before? How did you find it?

As for now, I'm off to be rubbed and pampered at a spa break with my Mama Dearest. How decadent!

End of August Update...

Ooops! How is it already the 2nd of September? Completely missed the end of last month: sorry!

August has been a not-very-nice month. As I mentioned last month, I'm trying to find a new day job. If you follow me on tumblr, you'll have seen how well that's been going. Oh dear.

I've also decided, following the feedback I received from an agent recently, to completely restructure my opening chapters. Huzzah and hurray! More editing! The actual feedback I received didn't say anything about being so dramatic, though she did suggest I look at the pacing in the opening. But it's something I've been thinking about for a while. I'll try and write a bigger post about it all soon, but the short answer is I've been unsure about the opening for a while. To be honest, I ignored a lot of the big writing no-nos (no flashbacks, no long and meandering growing-up scenes, etc, etc...) and I've been trying to justify why I've kept them for a long time.

Now I've actually started, the restructuring isn't so scary as I thought. I'm trying to keep all the information the same, but change the way its told. So it's more a matter of rearranging than rewriting, which makes things a little less daunting.

I'm STILL not writing much (Ok, any) new stuff. It's frustrating, but I feel like I've been working towards too many other things this month to feel too guilty about it. Hopefully I can get this work done on the opening of 'Grey Sister' soon and then I can get back to submitting to agents and maybe even working on The Sequel...

(P.S Did anyone see my recent Youtube debut? Eeek!)

End of July Update...

It's been a really slow month all things considered.

Until today, I'd received no word from any agents and I still have 3 submissions out that I'm waiting to hear back from. As well as the radio silence from agencies, I've barely done any actual writing. After all the all-out run to get 'Grey Sister' finished, writing a second book feels like crawling and I'm finding it hard to get into a rhythm again. I feel like I've lost all momentum. I'm submitting what I have and waiting for replies, while at the same time trying hard to find a better day job. Writing itself has become a second (third, fourth...) place concern.

As time goes on, even 'Grey Sister' starts to feel a little distant. As if all the work I put into it and all the submissions I've sent have made it fuzzy and far away. I worry that the more time that passes, the more distant it feels and the more chance there is that I might not keep pressing forward.

I still love 'Grey Sister' and the plot of the 'Ellorah' series. I'm still proud of what I've written. And I still want (want want want!) to get it published. I'm not going to give up any time soon. I believe 'Grey Sister' has the potential to reach publication. I'm just not sure what else I should be doing to make that happen.

So much of where I am now is waiting and hoping and willing my work to find its way into the hands of the right person. Combined with my real-world responsibilities and my hunt for a new job, it makes progress feel incredibly slow.

I want to try and write more in the next month, to try and get back into the habit of getting those words out of my head. I just need to keep going...

End of June Update...

Another month and not much more to tell.

Rejections arrive, new submissions are sent and rejections arrive. The cycle repeats itself, on and on we go. Its just the road you have to travel if you're looking to get published. It can't much be helped.

I was watching a documentary recently about the upcoming Monty Python Live Show, when John Cleese (who I love and think is fabulous, by-the-by) made a comment about the modern era not being "a terribly intelligent or terrible creative one" (57 mins in). Which, for anyone in a position like mine, is both pretty insulting and quite misinformed.

From where I sit, our world and our generation is an incredibly inventive one. Even beyond technical advances, everywhere I look I see people making things, thinking new things, trying to bring something new to the world. The internet is full of authors trying to get published and artists trying to find an audience. There is SO much creativity in our era. And that is precisely why it is so hard to make it today; because competition is at a premium.

It feels sometimes like everyone in the world has written a book (or is making music, or acting, or drawing comics, or making jewellery, or designing clothes, or, or or...). But, as my boyfriend keeps reminding me, just because others are, doesn't mean your work means nothing. Creativity has value in itself. Trying to succeed in making a dream come true is never a mistake. Failure happens. But it doesn't define our attempts. We just have to keep trying.

End of May Update...

So, one month after my first submission, the rejections are rolling in thick and fast.

Oh, the glory of failure!

Last night (7pm on a Friday, I mean come on! Give me a break!), I heard back from the very first agent I sent to. Another no, of course. I know I said I was realistic about my prospects, but I couldn't help feeling pretty down about being rejected. It was my very first go-to after all. Cue self-pitying sulk and a large glass of wine.

The trouble with submissions - and the inevitable rejections that come with them - is that you go in totally blind. Most of the responses you get are form letters, typed up years ago to send to every 'No thank you' submission. Without feedback, it's hard to understand why your writing is being rejected.

Are my characters flawed? 
Did I write the cover letter wrong?
Was my synopsis lacking?

Is my writing just terrible?
WHY DON'T YOU LIKE MEEEEEEEE?!?

Of course, agencies are overwhelmed. They don't have time to give critique on every submission. But it's still pretty rough to be on the receiving end, with no hints to help you improve.

All I can do right now is keep trying. But I can't help but wonder if I ought to change something. (Re-write? Edit? Start again? Something!) Ultimately, I am SO proud of 'Grey Sister' and I love the story and the characters as they first appeared. But I realise it isn't perfect and that knowledge gives the rejections room to itch.

 As well as submissions, I've also started writing Book Two in the 'Ellorah' series. It's lovely to be back at the beginning again, planning new plots and creating new characters. I can't wait to explore Thea's story more. 

I hope I have some better news next month...

End of April Update...

My big goal for April was to have 'Grey Sister' ready for submission. And I'm pleased to say I made it!

On Monday, the day before my big deadline (my 23rd birthday, I'm so old now), I took my big brown envelope to the post office and sent it on its merry way to the big city. A veritable Dick Whittington indeed!

I'm very conservative about the kind of reception my first submission is likely to receive. For one thing, I went for a very small, one-woman agency. This means that, while there might be more chance of my manuscript being seen, there's also a far slimmer chance that the agent is going to have the time/space on her books to take me on. However, I made sure the agency was tailored towards my genre (fantasy and young adult, even though I'm unsure about the age restrictions as of yet) and I've seen plenty of favourable recommendations, the most subtle of which describes her as "a lovely lady", which I hope will improve my chances of at least not being completely shot down. Even if I do get nothing but a rejection slip though, I'm so glad I've done it.

Last week I went to a novelist support group, run by the same group as the manuscript critique group. While I'm beginning to sound like a addict going through rehab, going to these meetings has been very helpful. Apart from anything else, writing is a lonely occupation, so meeting other people going through the same experience is always reassuring. I was also able to take away the kind of success stories that encourage me not to give up before I've tried.

There was another scary moment to confront this week, when I finally told my parents about my writing. As I've mentioned before, I've not told many people about my ambitions, so telling Mum and Dad was daunting for me. They were both so supportive though and interested to find out more about what I've been doing. I'm glad I waited until there was 'something to tell' though: I don't think I could have coped with having to answer endless questions while I was in the midst of first draft fever!

I've got another submission ready to send off in the morning (when, hopefully, I'll have figured out how to fluff that cover letter into shape) and I'm hoping to have at least one or two more sent by the end of the week. It's a really scary time, but I'm ready for the rejections to do their worst. Maybe I'll even find my Fairy God-Agent some day!

End of March Update...

It's strange having an update without a word count. But it's been a busy month and there's been a lot happening, so I wanted to maintain the end of the month progress reports. After finishing the first draft of 'Grey Sister' at the start of the month, I've been busy with proof reading and editing.

I've completely re-written the first two chapters (kill the darlings!), which was the biggest revision I wanted to get done. An author once told me that the first 50,000 words is just about the author finding their voice and that was definitely true about my first attempts at writing! I was a little worried, when I started to read through, to see how rough that first section was. Thankfully it didn't take the whole 50k for my voice to come out and about half way through Chapter 3 I was able to convince myself that, 'it's all right, I'm not so bad at this after all'. Surprisingly the Prologue, which was the very first thing I wrote, didn't seem so bad. I was actually surprised by how much I still liked it. Maybe it's just the emotional tie I have to that first piece of the book. Perhaps an impartial eye would see it differently. I'll just have to wait and see.

I've been working through the rest of the book as well to make the big and small amendments that came up in the read through. Reading through the book as a whole first definitely helped and I can see now how easy it is to get tunnel vision during proof reading. Because I viewed it at a wider scale, I could pick out missing pieces of information, flaws in characters' relationships and inconsistencies in tone and pace. But when it came time to focus in again, I was getting so lost in sentence-to-sentence level details that it would have been impossible to see those problems I could see during the read through. Thankfully I made plenty of notes.

My next deadline is the 29th April, my birthday, by which point I want to submit the manuscript of 'Grey Sister' to at least one agency (wheeeeeze). It's terrifying, but I'm so excited to be finally reaching the point of submission. I have an endless list of jobs to do before then, most important of which is going back over the Prologue and first two chapters to get them to the point of perfection, since those are the ones that go out to agencies before the full MS (though some agencies may ask for the complete work straight away). Then it'll be a matter of writing up a decent cover letter.

Lots of work to do! Busy month ahead.

What comes next...

So, with the first draft of 'Grey Sister' all done, it's time to look towards the next step.

First, I need to get the manuscript all polished and shiney and lovely and not full of terrible clichés and bad grammar and oh-goodness-so-much-else. I've done a quick once-over check of the whole book, clearing away a little of the more obvious little problems (spelling, grammar, repetition etc). I'm about half way into a read through of the whole book, which should give me some perspective on any bigger issues in the book. So far, it's fairly apparent that I need to consider cutting the chapters up into smaller chunks. It's also clear that the first two chapters need a SERIOUS re-write (oh, goodness, I can't believe I started writing like that. Uuurgh.). But let's face it, eight months after writing something, there's bound to be things to change. 

Once I finished the read through, I'll start the BIG EDITING STAGE. I'm expecting this to take quite a few weeks, if not months, while I try and get 'Grey Sister' as good as I want it to be. This will include the re-writing previously mentioned as well as smaller things like grammar-checking and general polishing.

Then... (deep breath)... it'll be time to approach agents. I'm still so clueless about the whole process, but I've started to collect some idea of how to go about it and my copy of 'The Writers and Artists Yearbook 2014' is at the ready. 

So, to recap:

1. Read through
2. Edit
3. Send to agents
4. Get published
5. Take over the world

Seems easy enough. 

Finished!

I... Oh gods, give me a moment. *Deep breath*

Ok, I'm alright. I'm good.

Right, OK, so.... I'm finished. Done. Complete.

I just wrote the final chapter of 'Grey Sister'.

For the past eight months, this has been my whole goal. Everything I've been working towards. A whole book, written from start to finish. And I've done it. I actually made it. I didn't give up half way or forget about it or move on to something else. I actually finished. And you know what?

It was easy. 

Don't get me wrong. It was hard. REALLY hard. Its been hours and hours, day after day, of work. I've not stopped thinking about writing for more than twenty minutes at a time. It's constantly on my mind, constantly wanting my attention. I've sacrificed a lot of hours that I could have been spending with friends or family or my boyfriend for it. I've put aside books I've wanted to read, stopped watching TV shows I loved, I've even cut down on my long, lovely soaks in the bath because The Book Always Comes First. I've kept working in a shop and put aside my career plans aside, passing up on job opportunities because I so wanted to do my best and try to achieve this one, stupid, outlandish dream.

The writing itself has been a huge learning curve, figuring out all the rules from scratch and working my way through plot holes and poor grammar and my constant desire to repeat the same basic writing techniques again and again (and again. See? There I go again with the triplication!)

But it's been fun. So fun. The best fun (Triplication again, dammit). Even though it was tough, writing has never actually felt like "work". I've never sat down to write and wished I could be doing something else. Even when I struggled to find the words or got stuck in a scene, I've constantly enjoyed the simple pleasure of writing.

While it has been a long time, it never really daunted me how far I still had to go. If it had been an university assignment, the idea that I would be working on it for the next who-knows how many months would have made me want to run and hide. But the only thing that's ever really scared me about writing has been finishing. Because next is the really hard bit and I'm equal parts excited and terrified to enter the publishing game.

I'm so happy that I've finally made it. I keep insisting that getting published is the main aim of all this, but actually writing a whole book has always been the biggest goal. If nothing else, even if 'Grey Sister' never comes to anything more than a series of files on my computer, I'm so glad I've done this.

So then, for one last time.

The word count, as of 9th March, 2014 is:

135, 917.

Eight months since starting. Prologue and twenty three chapters. 

Completed.

Now, where's my champagne? 

End of February Wordcount...

128,714.

Prologue, twenty chapters and a quarter.

Seven + months since starting.

Only a few days late! Oops. There's been a lot going on story-wise this month and there's been some scenes I've been looking forward to writing for months and months, which has really helped speed me up. I'm someone who definitely likes to write chronologically, so its exciting to start reaching the end. 

There was one chapter in particular I had real struggles with this month and it bogged me down for quite a while. It was a scene I felt was important for the characters, but not very interesting for the reader so I had some difficulty trying to get over that and just get it written so I could move on. Hopefully when I go back to it I'll be able to see it a little clearer and hopefully get it polished up better. 

Not much more to go now. March may be my very last progress update! Eeek!

End of January Wordcount...

110, 202. 

Prologue, sixteen chapters and a quarter. 

Six + months since starting. 

January has been another busy month for me. I only finished my extra work in the library in the last week, so time still hasn't been on my side writing wise. I also had my five year anniversary with my other half to celebrate which, of course, kept my away from my laptop (but, for a pretty nice reason, so I can forgive him).

I have, however, reached a very big milestone this month: 100k words! Really pleased to have made it to such a big milestone in my writing. It's also been a full half a year since I began The Book, which feels at once like a long time and not enough at all. The Book has become a huge part of my life and, to be totally honest, almost my entire vision for the future. I find it hard to believe that this time last year I hadn't even had the first idea for the story.

Now I'm so far into writing I'm starting to think seriously about What Comes Next. That has scared me a little and I think my pace has slowed recently because of that. Nevertheless, I'm almost finished plot wise. I figure I have three major events left before the climax, which really isn't much at all. Another 20,000 words, perhaps?

Next month I hope I can get a really good focus and start heading for the finish line in earnest....

Hitting the Big Hundred...

So, I got a little carried away (and a little terrible at adding up) and whooshed right past the 100k mark today while writing. Which means my word count as of January 10th is: 

102, 673 !!!

It's a crazy amount to finally be hitting. I can't quite believe I did it all myself. Perhaps the elves came at night to add to my wordcount? That being said, it's been a long haul to make it this far. A massive number of hours (I can't even imagine how many) have gone into The Book (which may have a name now, but I want to keep trying it out in my head before I start using it out loud) and I've put a lot of myself into it. 

It's not just the time, but the amount of emotional effort and sacrifices that go into a project of this size. There's little things, like not playing on the Wii or reading as much or watching as much TV because they're all big time eaters, but there's also the bigger things. I know I've given a lot of the time I would have been spending with my boyfriend away to the book, which I feel very guilty about. He's incredibly supportive though and he knows that this is a hugely important thing for me to do, but we struggle to get time together as it is (his work is a fair commute and we very rarely have days off together, especially with me working two jobs just now) and though I always want to be with him I have to keep up with writing. Even when I do have time away from The Book, it's constantly on my mind and I've become a lot more introverted I think. I certainly feel like I spend a lot of time "in my head" so to speak. I'm a prolific daydreamer as it is but having a story constantly being tweaked in my head makes even someone as scatter-brained as me seem more preoccupied than normal. Which I think makes me a bit of a pain to be around right now, so I hope my friends and family will forgive me.

The other thing that's really taken a back seat to my writing is my real-world job hunt. I knew this was going to be the case and prepared myself to not be progressing career-wise for a while. But it's a bit of a tricky thing to explain to people who ask why you're still in That Shop Job and not looking for something more. But I'm still not comfortable telling people about my ambition (though a few more friends know now) so I've taken to casually changing the topic when it comes up. It will still be a long while yet before I'll know if I'll be able to make anything career-wise from The Book so I'll have to try and hold on on the job front for a while yet. 

Until the end of January I'll be continuing working two jobs, so the word count might not be as healthy as I'd like by the end of the month, but I'll try to keep plodding along and hopefully I can keep adding bits here and there. 

But, Holy Poop: look how far I've come! The finish line is in sight! We're going for gold! And other sports metaphors!

End of December Wordcount

95,045.

Prologue, thirteen chapters and a half. 

Five + months since starting. 

Well, I didn't quite make the 100k mark but I came pretty close. Time's not really been on my side this month but I also realised that, along with the story marker I reached earlier in the month, I also hit a bit of a gap in my research. I've got a few trips planned in January to fill in the gaps and get some inspiration together for the second half of the book. Big, big, BIG plans next year. Wish me luck!

Phew!

With a rousing fanfare and a great big 'woohoo-for-me', I've made it to my story deadline. Yippee! 

It's been a long couple of weeks: seven-day working weeks and Christmas preparations do not make for the most conducive writing experience. And while that's definitely been reflected in my word count, I've managed to reach my plot point target with a whole 10 days to spare (I stopped writing just after midnight last night, but I'm counting that as the 15th). I'm pretty glad Me of the Past spent extra time writing last month. Having that big chunk of words behind me has really helped boost me forward to reach my goal. 

I'm now officially considering The Book half way done, which I think is a pretty big achievement (insert self-congratulatory back patting here). I honestly doubted I would make it this far without getting disheartened by my ambition or distracted by something easier or less time consuming. I'm really glad to see myself come so far since I started and it gives me confidence that I might really manage to write the whole book. 

I'll probably be giving writing a bit of a back seat for the last few busy days before Christmas. I've been editing chapters as I've finished them and I'm hoping to have everything so far at least a little more polished before the festivities begin. I might even let one or two particular people have a read.

That 100,000 word mark certainly is tempting though... and only about 10,000 words away. Hmm...

End of November Wordcount

82,240.

Prologue, ten chapters and three quarters.

Four+ months since starting.

22,200 words this month! (Is it a bit weird to be such an exact number? I swear, I count every word.)  I'm really pleased with my progress in November. I've really been able to move the story along a long way since the end of last month and I've had a lot of really good writing days. With my Christmas deadline coming up its good to be able to make some good progress. Real Life got in the way during the last little bit, but I was expecting that so I'm not going to be too hard on myself. 

I'd love to hit the big 100,000 mark by the end of 2013 but it's a pretty unlikely thing given my current schedule. So long as I hit that all important storyline marker though, I'll be happy.

End of October Wordcount

60,040.

Prologue, seven chapters and a snippet. 

Three+ months since starting.

I feel like I should have gotten further this month. I'm a little disappointed. For some reason I really struggled to find the drive to just sit down and write (which is also why I didn't do much/any blogging this month). I've picked up again quite a bit in the last week or two, which is why I think I'm disappointed: because it felt like I've gotten a lot done of late. But oh well. I'll just have to work harder in November. Lots to do! 

End of September Wordcount

43,049.

Prologue, four chapters and a snippet.

Just over 2 months since starting.