The Blog
Writing, Editing, and Publishing process for 2021-22 Fellows Project
I have spent this week working on the novel. I have officially finished chapter 8, and polished it up a little with a few edits. I am working hard on chapter 9, but I am reaching a point in the story where I'm not entirely sure what should happen next. However, I am excited with the progress of my story and Danny's and James' relationship.
Next week, I will have the fellows fair, and I am excited to share my project with the upper school. I am still thinking of a fun way to present it. I will most likely print out an unfinished manuscript to pass around and come up with a fun game to play while learning about the process of becoming an author.
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This week, I was sick and stuck in bed, so I was unable to get any writing done or do the update. Now that my head is clearing up, I am excited to hop right back into writing. The May deadlines are approaching, and I need to start working on presentations and the final video.
This month, I have been focusing on writing after school and over the weekends. The book is progressing, and the first draft is coming along. I spoke to Mr. FC this week about how to get past a scene that I was stuck on. We ended up running through the plot of the chapter and he helped me work out all of the kinks. Now, I have a clear vision of where the plot is headed.
In the coming weeks, I will start to think about my various fellows presentations and how I will present my project. I need to decide what I will talk about, because unlike other projects, my fellows was mostly one major step: writing. Over Spring Break, I was only able to complete chapter 8. I found myself going back and fixing things, rather than moving forward with the story. I am struggling to find where the story is headed right now and trying to make sure that it follows a logical sequence. Mr. FC mentioned doing a "blind write," where I can't see what I've written, and hopefully that will cure my writer's block.
Over Spring Break, I hope to do something similar to the 12 Days of Hooked, which I completed over Winter Break. After meeting with Mr. FC, I set a goal of 1500 words a day. Which, is no easy feat. I will not be doing a blog post everyday, but I may post some research or a few updates. After Spring break, I will assess what I have completed and what more I need to accomplish, so I can plan for May.
I have not had time to write with the last week of the musical, but I will get right back to it now that it's over. I went over my Mid-term review feedback. It was all very positive, and I loved seeing their insight. I also met with Ms. Carsley to go over the reviews.
I completed the Mid-Term Review and am transitioning into my Spring goals. I will be uploading my presentation to the milestones tile, so keep an eye out for that. Once the musical is over after this weekend and lax tryouts are completed, I should be able to jump right back in to the story. Thank you to the review panel for taking time to listen to my presentation! I am excited to keep working as we transition into Spring.
I have begun my Mid-Term Review Presentation and continued work on the novel. I am still working on going back and fixing. I'm considering it a halfway edit. I have already made so much progress, and I am much more confident in my characters. Rather than James being broody and suspicious, he is now supportive and friendly, but still mysterious. I have been doing research on how to build a strong love interest, so keep your eyes peeled for another tips & tricks post. I tried printing the first chapters of the manuscript out so I could edit by hand, but they didn't seem to print out right, so I will continue on the laptop.
In these next few weeks I will focus on determining where I want this project to be by the end of the year, and what my steps are to get there. Rather than moving forward in the chapters, I am going back and strengthening James's character. I have a new plan for him, and I don't think I should move forward because I will have more to fix later. I am beginning to think of my mid-term progress presentation and my goals for the remainder of winter. I am hoping to strengthen the story, and then by Spring I will be back on track for continuing on the rest. I have made a lot of progress, and the book is coming along. I've met with Mr. FC, and he agrees with this plan.
Over Winter Break, I completed the 12 Days of Hooked Challenge. It was my goal to write for at least two hours every day and complete Chapter 8. I am currently halfway through Chapter 7, but I did reach my goal of writing every day. Some days, I wrote for more than two hours, or even stayed up until 2 am to finish up an exciting scene. It became less of a chore and more of a routine or a destresser. From this experience, I have learned to enjoy writing, to not doubt myself, and to follow a routine.
One of the best things I've learned is how to get myself into the writing mood, which is vital to a productive session. For me, this means: putting on my blue light glasses, lighting my pine candle, and listening to nature sounds with my AirPods in. Sounds hilarious, but it works for me. So, I encourage any other hopeful authors to check out my tips & tricks section, so they too can discover what gets them into the writing mood. |