I’ve heard no two writing experiences are the same, and, so far, the sentiment rings true. Writing this novel has been so different than writing my first.
The last novel I wrote (and shelved, for the time being) was fiction inspired by true events. That made things complicated at times. It stunted my creativity; I was too close to the story and struggling to let my imagination take the reins.
Book Two, however, is purely fiction. One of the three narrators came to me one evening when I could hear my very pregnant neighbor getting very sick through the walls of my apartment. A piece of dialogue floated through my mind, “Ugh, procreation is terrible,” and Mara was born.
I jotted the idea down in my notes app on my phone, and let it breathe. Like a bottle of fine wine, the idea matured. The other two narrators, Sharon, a mother of two, and her baby-fevered little sister, who I’ve yet to officially name (leave suggestions down in the comments!), came to me over the next few months.
What’s fascinating to me is that despite my being a pantser (I tend to fly by the seat of my pants when writing a story instead of plotting out the details), I have written countless outlines for this story. I’ve changed and rearranged things. I have a Pinterest storyboard dedicated to these three women and where we meet them in their lives. I wanted to take my time developing and understanding them.
So I have. And I do.
I really do.
A screenshot of my Pinterest storyboard.
The last week of March was an exceptional writing week. I finished a chapter, hit (and exceeded) the 30K mark, and surpassed 80 pages. I banged out almost 3,000 words. I felt so accomplished. The flow was flowing!
But then the weekend was super hectic (in the best way! I celebrated my sister-in-law’s bridal shower and Easter Sunday), and I fell off the productivity train. However, I started a new chapter this past Wednesday and cranked out a little over 300 words after writing a 1200-word article on how to open a pool, so I’m considering that a win. I’ll be writing more this weekend and maybe hit the 100-page milestone by this time next week?!?!?!
And speaking of milestones, I thought it was high time I started celebrating them, if for no reason other than to light a fire under my butt to get words on the page and finally make my author dreams come true. So, to hold me accountable, I’m announcing my plan for the next two here! I hope the second will also excite you.
First, when I reach 100 pages, I will treat myself to a piece of jewelry. I have my eye on a few things from Uncommon James…
Then, when I reach 150 pages, I plan to launch my - drumroll - author Instagram. I’ll share my handle with all of you - of course - and share more of my process! I’m crossing all of my fingers and toes, my legs, my arms - anything that will cross - that this will be my debut novel, and I’d love to take any interested readers on the journey with me!
As of now, I’m on page 88, and the doc is 33,500+ words. We’re a third of the way done, friends!
On another note, what are you all reading? Let me know in the comments below! I recently finished
’s One-Star Romance and LOVED it. I am currently reading Girls in the Garden by Lisa Jewell. It’s off to a slow start, but the synopsis is just so good that I’m going to keep at it.
I like the name Rosy for Sharon’s little sister!