Word count (to the nearest thousand): 58,000
Status: Chilling in some beta readers’ inboxes as I type!
Attitude: At peace
I’m happy to report that I finished Steve’s second draft
last week and sent him off to a handful of beta readers the same day. (Thanks
again, Amy, Liesl, and Myrna!) And I’m totally, one-hundred-percent, completely
at peace.
With Bob, I was as nervous as all get-out about sending him
off to betas for the first time, but now I just can’t wait to hear what they
have to say. I already know that these wonderful ladies like me, that they’re
only interested in building me up and helping me make Steve the best he can be,
so I don’t have to stress about it. I only have to wait--as patiently as
possible:)
To distract myself, I’m working on yet another project, this
one a shiny new idea that popped into my brain about a week and a half ago. This
as-yet un-nicknamed manuscript is a YA contemporary (gasp!), and it’s also one
of the few shiny new ideas I've had that Honey Bear hasn’t turned up his nose at. (He was
even a little skeptical about Bob and Steve at first.) Once again, I’m flying
through the first draft (5,000 words in two days!), but I don’t expect to keep
up this pace. This project is just a toy for now--which is why I haven’t
nicknamed it:)
So what are you working on, and how is it coming?
17 comments:
I'm in your shoes. I'm working on a new contemporary YA, which I'm very excited about, while I wait on betas.
I can't wait to hear more about your new project. Happy writing. :)
Yay for contemporary's!! I'm so happy you are at peace with Steve. That's a great feeling. Good luck on getting this new book written! :)
Loving Steve!
Sheesh, girl! I can't keep up with you!
Oh, well, since you asked, I just finished incorporating some great suggestions into DRIVERS, (thanks!), and am now reading it out-loud to my wife, who has never really liked it...much...at all.
You know, I think writing that's just a toy, as you say, often turns out the best.
My favorite part of this post: "At peace." So so so good. Have fun with your SNI!
I love your status updates! I think it's so cool, too, that you can be relaxed about sending your book out to betas. I always start checking my inbox every five minutes the moment I've sent the book off, even before people have had a chance to receive the email, let alone download, read, and critique the manuscript! I wish I could be calm about these things, too.
Wow, Tracey, you and I are in exactly the same place right now. Is the manuscript out with betas a YA contemporary, too, or something else?
Oh, Chantele, don't wish me luck that I finish this new project. Just wish me luck that ANOTHER Shiny New Idea doesn't come to me:)
Liesl, I know! The other day, Honey Bear said, "You know, hon, if you antagonize all your betas by sending them new manuscripts every other month, they're probably all going to hate you and never read for you again." I'm trying to rein myself in:)
Ben, I can understand why your wife's had a harder time with DRIVERS. It's probably tough for her to go through that stuff with your characters, knowing that you wrote it from personal experience. (And thank YOU for sharing DRIVERS with me. Like I said, I thought the manuscript really was quite stunning.)
It is good, Leigh Ann. And I'm definitely having fun with the Shiny:)
Well, Caryn, I'm still not as patient as I probably should be, but at least I don't agonize over what they're going to say anymore. They're all such awesome writers - and such awesome people - that I know I'm in good hands.
Wow, you are a writing machine! Way to go, Krista! :)
And thanks for entrusting me with Steve. I'm very honored!
Amy
I'm still working on my MS too, just on the last couple of chapters. I'm withholding them from my betas so they can read the ending the way it should be read...without any waiting. :) It's driving them crazy, which is giving me that motivation kick in the butt!
After all, what are beta readers for? :)
I'm a third of the way through Post-Apoc Ninjas, and I'm increasingly attacked by the feeling that the whole novel sucks and I'm wasting my time.
But then I add 1,000 words to it every day anyway, so I guess it's all in my head :-)
Amy, I think my brain's just kicking into overdrive because it's trying to get as much material out as it can before the baby's born. It's really hard for me to first-draft while I have a newborn in the house, but maybe it wouldn't be so tough to revise? (And thank you for taking the time to read Steve. I really appreciate it.)
Oh, Cassie Mae, you're so cruel:) Good luck finishing up those last few chapters!
Adam, you know what they say - if you never doubt yourself or your manuscripts, you're probably doing something wrong. Good for you for sticking with it. Writing through the crappy moments is one of the marks of a true writer, methinks.
Working on too many things at once, as usual. Also - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the shiny new ideas :D
Oh, congrats! Such a great feeling to be confident when your betas are holding your baby in their hands.
I'm currently 35K into my new WIP--I'm predicting I'm at about the 1/2 way point. The romantic element is just coming into play--hooray! Now it gets fun!
Bah! You know.
Jolene, I'm just trying out this whole write-ten-billion-manuscripts-at-once thing, and I must say, it's enlivening. Sounds like you're an old pro:)
Bethany, those romantic scenes are always fun! (I'm just getting ready to write my characters' first date in the un-nicknamed manuscript, which means I'm definitely looking forward to my writing time:) )
Esther, you'll get there. As long as you don't give up, you'll make it sooner or later. (Usually later, if your experience turns out to be anything like mine:) )
Wow, congrats on reaching a major milestone! Several, in fact. The peace and ability to cheerfully get back to writing are priceless. Best of luck with all of it!
Thanks, Suzanne! It has been nice to work on something else while I wait. As much as I love all my little manuscripts, I'm able to distance myself emotionally a little more from each one.
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