March update on how to build I’m building routines and trying to maintain consistency
JANUARY UPDATE
Well, well, well, it’s been a while since my last update. That’s because I’ve been unwell. I’m still unwell, but I’m learning how to keep writing in lighter, more fun ways that feel fulfilling and positive.
Before I got really sick at the end of August, I was in the process of editing my first to be published novel, Love and Murder at Cliffside Manor. I was also working on its screenplay counterpart. Even before getting sick I was feeling like I wasn’t having fun with the process. I love LMCM and I wanted to give it my all, and I had nothing to give but judgment and shame for not working harder. It’s still brewing in the back of my mind, and I will get it edited and ready for publication.
In the meantime, I’ve started working on an idea I’ve had for a while. It’s working title is Lady Thief. Cressida Isolde Cornelia Islington, known as Cici, is a beautiful jewel thief who is out to ruin Society. She is a vivacious widow who has no qualms about allowing men into her bed as cover for her burglaries. Beau Templeton is newly returned to Society after living in France for a number of years, working in counterintelligence. When a distant relative dies leaving Beau the title and the expectation of marriage, he agrees to work on the Society jewel robberies and return to his duties. When Beau and Cici first meet, it is passion and fire, yet they quickly learn the other is not who they thought. They must team up when Cici becomes the center of a nefarious plot with multiple murders linked to her mysterious past.
I’ve written two chapters, about 3000 words. I’m in love with this story and having so much fun seeing what happens myself. I had posted my first draft of Chapter One from LMCM, so think I’ll probably do the same for Lady Thief.
See the mood board here https://www.pinterest.com/serensehota/lady-thief/
Stay tuned for more!
AUGUST UPDATE--MEET THE CAST
JUNE UPDATE
My dear friends!
June has not been what I hoped. As per usual, everything takes longer than I think it will, especially when hospitalized for viral gastroenteritis. My deadline for Love and Murder final draft is coming up August 14th and I am still in the research stage. I am hoping it’ll be like when I wrote my MA dissertation on Hadrian’s Wall, and that once all the research is in my noggin, the tippy-tapping will flow easily. We’ll just have to see, shall we!
Part of my goals this month are to streamline this here website. I’ve already taken it from stream-of-consciousness style blog posts and over-cluttered tabs to hopefully something that feels easier to navigate for you, my lovely reader. My goal of bringing love and peace would hardly be successful if my website itself causes chaos! I am still open to making changes, so please let me know if there’s anything you want to see that’s missing, or anything that’s there that feels erroneous.
In streamlining my website, I’ve been collating my previously published (and unpublished) blogs into downloadable white papers. They’re all free. Maybe one day when I am coveted for my sick writing skills I will charge for my previously written works, but for now, please enjoy my wanderlust rambles without dipping into your account.
That said, self-publishing is expensive! I’m hoping to figure out how to connect my donate button to my website to help pay for publishing costs. And before you ask why I’m self-publishing instead of going through a traditional publisher, let me answer with another question; would you rather control 100% of the ideas and 100% of the profits while also doing 100% of the marketing, or control 80% of the ideas with 15% of the profits while also doing 100% of the marketing? I’m hoping with future books that I will be able to go through a traditional publishing house, but publishing has changed since the days of leather elbow pads and in-house publicity. Traditional publishers expect, nay require, that an author already has a platform with which to market. Blame social media, 50 Shades of Gray, and/or the pandemic, but authors are now expected to be the editors and marketers of their own stories, regardless of how they publish.
Traditional publishers also routinely change stories once the story is legally theirs: characters ages, arcs, and even themes. Quinnie Greene is my protagonist, and she’s 31 years old. I could easily see a publishing house deciding to age her 10 years younger in order to reach the teen and young adult audiences. But that wouldn’t be the story I’m telling. There’s a reason Quinnie is 31. It’s crucial to her character arc and the relationship she forms with Fred, aged 35. If she were 21 and Fred were 35 her arc wouldn’t work, nor would his arc make sense if she was 21 and he 25. By going through self-publishing, I can maintain the story I want to tell, and I can put it on Kindle Unlimited for readers to read for free, thereby building that platform trad pub demands. I am very grateful to my mentor Christina Braver for helping me with this decision and process.
Breaking them down, my goals for June are:
Reading my research books, taking notes, and applying new knowledge to new revisions.
Cleaning up my website to make it more user friendly.
Collating previous stories into easily downloadable white papers.
Hooking up my Donate and Share buttons on my website (can you tell I’m not that tech savvy?).
Create photo galleries of my travels for my website.
Posting social content updates weekly.
I’m hoping by July, I’ll be just novel focused because everything else will already be clear, concise, and attractive. Here’s hoping!!
MAY UPDATE
May Update:
Love and Murder at Cliffside Manor is getting its second round of edits before preparing for Beta readers in August.
As a part of my Editing phase, I’ve bought and am reading:
Story Genius: how to use brain science to go beyond outlining and write a riveting novel by Lisa Cron
Wired for Story: the writer’s guide to using brain science to hook readers from the very first sentence, also by Lisa Cron
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: how to edit yourself into print by Rennie Brown & Dave King
The Emotional Wounds Thesaurus: a writer’s guide to psychological trauma by Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi
Romancing the Beat: story structure for romance novels by Gwen Hayes
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: the last book on novel writing you’ll ever need by Jessica Brody
Save the Cat! Beat Sheet Workbook: how writers turn ideas into stories by Jamie Nash
These books are to ensure I write and edit the best possible book I can before new eyes see it.
In addition, I’m dedicating more time to building my social media presence and updating my website, hoping to grow and maintain consistency. Starting in June, I will record reels and videos to post to my instagram and youtube pages that will be posted for July’s theme of “So You Want to Write a Novel.” Stick around to learn more!
