I am tired, but that is because it has been such a good month. I debated trying to push hard and get this blog done and posted on the first, but I’d rather take my time with it, even if that means being late. I set a lot of deadlines for myself, but at the end of the day, most of them aren’t real. So, if I need to slow down a day or two, I can.
That said, this month has been crazy. I’ve gone on three trips and only had one weekend at home, which I worked. I feel like I’ve barely gotten any writing done due to the travel and other life events, but I am looking forward to September and a bit more of a chill time.
I am so excited for Autumn, and the crisp air is putting me into the mood for Gilmore Girls and lots and lots of tea. (Though to be fair, that’s a year-round occurrence). I am ready to finish up this first draft of Surrealist and move on to the next project, but I still have about a quarter of it to write.
Progress
I wrote about 11k words or 410 words a day on average, and all things considered, that isn’t terrible. I feel like I’m crawling with the end of this manuscript, but at least I’m still moving forward. However, I did take a decent amount of notes while at Worldcon in Seattle, which probably added up to about 5k words or more that I didn’t count in my spreadsheet.
Most of the progress this month is not counted in words. In fact, I believe that, for once, my word count cannot express the extent of my progress. I made so many solid connections this month and achieved many intangible goals that will no doubt be illuminated better by time.
Worldcon
Going to Worldcon was everything I wanted and more. I met so many wonderful people, from those willing to critique my query package (query letter and first X number of pages), to new beta readers, agents, and authors at varying stages of their careers. And, as with other conventions, I was blown away by how kind everyone was.
More importantly than all of that, I’ve met people like me. It is rare to find people with the same drive and creativity. I’ve talked with my family about how I miss certain aspects of college, where I could discuss deep topics with other intelligent and like-minded individuals. It is so difficult to find that in adulthood, and we as writers, artists, and entrepreneurs do a very strange thing. With any sort of strange (outside of the norm) activity, it can be hard to communicate the depth of that experience to those who do not partake in it themselves.
All that said, I am looking forward to next year’s Worldcon in LA. And I don’t think I could write this section without mentioning that I got to see Brandon Sanderson, my favorite author, at the con and heard him read from his first draft of Ghostbloods, which won’t be out for another three years.
Leisure
I am starting to read more romance books. By that I mean I read about half of Twilight and a chapter of Part of Your World and Pen Pal. They all seem to be very different parts of the romance world, which is interesting as a point of study. I have also watched a couple more romance movies and am currently in the middle of Something Borrowed.
I also read a bit of Michael J. Sullivan’s The Death of Dulgath. His writing is simply superb.
I watched back through all of Wednesday’s season one and am up to date on the first half of season two. Alongside a Gilmore Girls rewatch, I need to start watching the newest Great British Bake Off season. Fall is such a good time for shows.
I wish there were more hours in a day because I have so many things I wish to watch and read. Yet, writing continues to take precedence when there is any time to be had. I’ve seen people putting together a “curriculum” for themselves, and while I really like the idea, I just do not have the time to implement it between writing and my full-time job. Once I’m a full-time author, however, all I will do is read and journal. My writing time after my “9-5” will turn to leisure when my writing becomes my 9-5. I look forward to those days.
What I’m Learning
I loved the science panels at Worldcon more than the writing ones, because I am closer to being a panelist than an audience member in the writing ones. That was one thing that was abundantly clear to me. I am much further along in my writing skills and journey than I give myself credit for. It does go to show that there is often a long time of “being ready” before you get published. This makes sense when you think about how many books a lot of authors write before they sell one, and how slow traditional publishing moves.
I also learned a lot about networking and how to manage it, even being the introvert that I am. My idea of networking came from my Entrepreneurship Academy in high school, and that was a lot of talking to people about things I didn’t really care about. I care about writing. A lot. A topic you enjoy makes it significantly easier to talk at length with other people. You know that you both have at least one shared interest, and info-dumping is not only accepted but encouraged.
I also learned a bit of sword-fighting at the broadswords basics class, which was quite fun.
Looking Forward
If I don’t finish Surrealist this month, I’ll cry. I have about 20k words left to write if I’ve done my chapters right. Knowing me, it’ll probably be a bit longer. That is a very doable number of words for one month, especially since it’s an ending. If I get to the end of the month and I haven’t finished it yet, I’m going to simply lock myself away in my room and force myself to finish it. Though I’d prefer to finish it earlier in the month. If I really buckled down (which isn’t going to happen, because life), I could get it done in 10 days or less.
What comes after Surrealist is Project C, which I can feel nipping at Surrealist’s heels, and if I’m not careful, it will devour it before Surrealist can fully form. I will likely start working on Project C a little bit. Ideally, I’d finish Surrealist before the middle of September so I could crank out Project C before going to my sister’s wedding in the middle of October, but that is a very aggressive timeline even by my standards.
I know that things will get done when they need to, and I’m choosing not to stress about any of it, but I want to get Surrealist ready to query as soon as possible. Not querying feels like a waste of precious time.
It has been a whirlwind of a month, and I’m glad to take a much-needed break. I always knew August would be rough, but I didn’t think I’d be quite so tired. Tired but ready to get back to work.
See you at the end of September when I’m one year older.
Naomi
