Writers Ennui
When expectation doesn't meet reality + March update!
Can I be real for a second? I’ve been really down when it comes to writing of late. Editing is taking far longer than I anticipated because I cannot focus between real life responsibilities and the gravitational pull of stories left unwritten. I have so many stories calling me and I feel like I cannot write them until I’ve finished my first novel. I NEED to finish it in order to prove to myself that I can and because every story I have ties to it in one way or another.
While the stories are interconnected standalones that can be easily extracted from each other, I simply do not want to do that. They build on each other in such a cool and satisfying way that the idea of dropping the first book is repugnant. But so is editing the 180,000 word beast it’s become. Mind you, I’m including both the full first draft and the rewrites in that number. But since I haven’t gotten to cuts I’m counting every word! It’s daunting!
I’ve held all these other stories hostage as motivation to get to work but it’s seemingly done the opposite. But I have a plan! I’ve loosened the self imposed deadlines so that I don’t suffer another month long burnout and I have commissioned character art from two different artists (coming soon!). I feel like not only will this fuel my passion for completing this project but give me a nice visual to help share my story with others and build a future readership.
March Writing Update
In honor of the Spring Equinox and new beginnings I want to share my plans for my current work in progress! First, I’m going to take a mental and literal deep breath and try to be positive about how far I’ve come.
I have come a long way in my rewrites and am now at the climax of the story! The first go around my main character Jamie was so broken by events in the book that she became a side character in her own story as other characters took charge. This time she’s taken the lead and is kicking vampire ass while doing so!
I also picked up a dropped story line that not only fills the massive plot hole it left but is now a major theme that reveals a deeper corruption that will echo throughout the rest of this series and the next (and that’s on interconnected standalones!).
With concentrated effort, I can be done with this rewrite by the end of the month and will be able to start on a large scale structural edit in April. I’ll be adjusting where my novel starts, cutting the fluff and info dumps, and stitching together what’s left with the new scenes and rewrites. I was hoping to be ready for beta reads next month but it’s looking like late May or early June. If all goes to plan, August will be when I jump into the query trenches!
If you made it this far, thank you for letting me get that off my chest and for seeing my plans for getting my book in shape to go out to agents! If you haven’t subscribed already please do so! Subscribers will be the first to know when I open for beta readers and have the new character art arrive right to your inbox when it drops (so excited!). Don’t forget to check your welcome email for a subscriber exclusive short story and a free printable for writers and readers to help you meet your 2026 goals!