Typing The End, Long Drafts, and My WIP: Update 1

Hey guys!

Before I go into the wonderful discussion on sharing your work with others I just wanted to connect with y’all and share what is going on with my writing journey.

First of all, I want to thank you for reading this and supporting me! It really means a lot to me that each of you is giving some of your precious minutes to my corner of the internet!

 Later, in the comments, I would love for you to tell me where you are on your author path and what is your progress on your WIP!

This blog will be full of advice for writing and just fun tidbits about me! Remember, we writers should stick together and support each other. Because trust me, other people might care but the thought of staring at a screen trying to whip out thousands of words does not sound like a party.

Alright, so I have just finished my WIP!!!

*which I mean is CRAZY* The title and plot are yet to be revealed to the general public*mwaaahhaa* I know, I’m so evil. And also, guys, did you just hear me? I finished it! Tell me in the comments what it feels like to finish something! Even if it’s the first paragraph of a 100,000-word novel.

For me, I’m a really fast writer which means 6,000 or more words per day. And please don’t think that because Eden is doing everyone should do it. This is just my process.

Also, writing that much can more or less be good. The writing is usually really bad but the important thing is that I’m getting all the story down. I just remind myself constantly: I can make this better.

I put in the things and lay the necessary building block for the story. I put my characters in and follow my outline but for me, editing is where it all comes together. I’ve heard a lot of authors become scared because their first draft is not what they expected. Let’s be honest for a moment.

We’ve all been there.

Every author has written a messy first draft.

That’s just life.

Now, some books of course just don’t have a plot that works. It’s really hard when that happens. That’s also life. However, don’t get discouraged when your first draft isn’t publishable material…. Yet. Someday, it will be.

That’s where editing comes in.

Now, I’m planning on doing a whole series on my editing process but for now, I am going to update you on my WIP and how it’s going through the editing process!

Now, I first started this project in July/August of 2021 after many different failed attempts at stories. It’s almost been my one-year anniversary of writing this one story! It is kind of funny, but this story came to me when we were watching a movie and I saw something in the background that I had never seen before. And of course, the what-if question came to me and I was like, “Yes, I want to try that.”

Now, I’m so thankful to God because there were many times when I did not want to write anything. After like ten story ideas where I probably had all the character sheets filled out and part-way outlines, and many, many first chapters I was beginning to feel discouraged. 

This idea was a totally new outlook and conveniently my sister was next to me so I could grab her and make her play a game of chess with me while I scribbled notes. *yes, my WIP has chess in it. That’s all you get to know.*

So after I had the idea I started it right away and after a few chapters, I finally started outlining the first half.

I actually went on a writing spree for several months and finished it right after Christmas. And then after two weeks of a break, I came back to it, read it, and understood some things. I loved the first part but the second part was lacking. I hadn’t outlined this part as detailed as I would have liked. It was very random, the plot didn’t make sense, and it lacked the themes I desired.

So, I cut out half of it.

This is where I’m going to tell you that each draft is different. Now, each of you might be a plotter or a panster or something in between but I also do want to say I love outlines. (However, rough or detailed you want to go is your personal author’s decision.) If I had just worked on my outline then I wouldn’t have to write it over so many times.

So after that, I rewrote half of it and finally turned it into the plot I wanted. Or thought I wanted.

After I read it over, I was once again not satisfied. So I copied and deleted. (not really, I always save my work but you get the point)

So after a few months of break, I wrote the second half again in less than a few weeks. It was a mind-whirling experience and now I’ve finished!

HOPEFULLY, when I come back to the third re-draft of the second half *wipes forehead* I will be satisfied. Sometimes perfectionism is not the best thing for writers.

Also, right now I’m taking a break. I want to say, guys, I do not like taking breaks for writing. I’ll explain why in a later blog post but that is just not how I roll so it took a lot for me to understand that writers need breaks, especially before they edit. 

In the meantime, I am actually talking to people and not just hiding behind my computer… hopefully. I’m working on this blog *looking at you*, and I’m dreaming about my characters. Yes, they always seem to creep back in! I’ve also been studying and planning on taking on some big reading projects.

Remember, writing a book is a long process. We grow in patience over time and it becomes necessary in the writing industry. 

So that is my update on my WIP and I know, I know, you want to know something about it and we are almost there! *anticipation is key* 

I hope this blog was just encouragement and maybe inspiration!

Please, please comment and tell me about your WIP! I love to hear about y’all. And again, here is another update that I mentioned in a previous news blog! We are almost 100 subscribers and I really can’t get there by myself. Even if it’s just one person, I would love it if you could share it with people!

Love you guys! Thanks for hanging out with me! Stay tuned for more resources!

See ya around!

Eden 😉