Writing, Revising, and Publishing

Note: If you are wondering about the story behind Mom Novelist with a Deadline, click here for my Confession.

I'm still in the middle of finishing up my Fourth Self-Published Book. For the last month, my Saturdays and Sundays have looked like this:

Where can I get this? Seriously.

Dust bunnies the size of The Easter Bunny are everywhere. The toilets are a week overdue in needing to be cleaned.

I wish I was bionic sometimes.

But I have not been slacking. I've been putting in time at The Day Job, time at The Momming, time on The Treadmill, and time at Writing/Revising/Drafting/Rethinking.

The Post-Draft 4 Checklist

The Pre-Draft 6 Checklist

"Procrastinating" by creating covers

The revision food. That I consumed way too quickly!

What exactly does the writing process look for like for me? I broke it down:

Fast-Writing (July 11-15)
I fast wrote this story, thinking it would be an 8,000-word story. I wrote 6,000 words. (I try to get to  2/3 to 3/4 the number of words I'll need. You'll see why soon enough.)

Fast-Writing Other Stories
July 15-July 19 (Next book in the Rent a Man Series)
July 26-August 6 (Next book in the His Favorite Series)

I fast wrote other stories, giving BMRAM: Glampfest! a breather.

Draft 2 (August 10-August 15)

I proofread and I revised to create Draft 2. I didn't use notes, but I just read for, well, my insane moments, i.e., I tried to fix the parts that looked like a first grader had transitioned and plotted and characterized. I didn't perfect anything, and I embraced this knowledge. 

To attack this task, I imported Draft 1 into Scrivener and worked chapter by chapter so my brain didn't become overwhelmed and explode. My word count at the end: 8,000.

I Sent to Alpha Readers. This is where my critique partners* read through my story and tell me who they hate and what they hate. Very, very valuable information. *They have been my CPs for 10 years. We're online CPs now, since they live in Phoenix and I don't anymore.

Draft 3 (August 26-September 3)

I created a list of everything that was missing after the initial post-Draft 2 read-through. I looked through my revision checklist that I had gathered from multiple writing books, and I put down ideas for tackling those revisions. 

Example: Make Anna charming and likeable.

I inputted those notes to create Draft 3. I put the story back into Word and began formatting it for Createspace. My word count at the end: 10,000.

Draft 4 (September 3-September 5)

I put the story on my iPad as a PDF. I read off of that but wrote notes on a legal pad (there were too many notes to put directly on the PDF--talk about creating the feeling of "Overwhelmed!" if I had done that!). 

I proofread and revised. I also changed the name from Labor Day to Glampfest. (Labor Day had passed. I didn't want to date it.)

Editor. This is where big picture stuff and really confusing phrasing is caught.

Draft 5 (September 6-September 7)
I proofread and revised superficially for Draft 5. I created my last checklist.

Draft 6 (September 7-September 9)

I proofread and revised for Draft 6, inputting things from that last checklist. 

Example from last checklist: Insert more of the mother's voice in Maggie's head.

My word count at the end: 22,000.

What's Left:

Draft 7
-Print out on paper. (My fourth method: the other three methods were Scrivener, Word, and PDF on my iPad.) -Proofread aloud. 
-Fix as I go.

-Import into Scrivener.

-Create a Mobi to look for formatting issues.

I Will Send MOBI to Omega Readers.These are romance readers who like romance and aren't overthinking like a writer would be.

Draft 8
Input edits from Omegas.

The Finish Line
I will insert changes. I will publish. I will be awesome.

The entities I'd like to thank for helping push me make these deadlines and creating a better story:

Writing Challenge: http://writingchallenge.org/septwritingchallenge-badge/

Follow on Twitter with #SeptWritingChallenge

Cherry Adair's Butt in Chair Challenge: https://www.facebook.com/groups/686209854724056/

After I publish the book (September 15 is my go-to date!), I shall be doing this:

That. Looks. Ah-mazing.

Because I have a LOT to choose from (this is just 9 of 52 on my Kindle):

Oh where oh where do I start. Me thinks the novella, 
Beginning Again, since I'm in the midst of Novella City.

So yes, I am still revising. I had hoped to be done by September 1, but there was too much yet to do. 

Then I aimed for September 8, but my energy wasn't up to par with my optimistic expectations (I have to get to bed by 1 am or I'm useless). 

I would be ready by September 11, but that's a day that I don't want to launch anything on, out of respect for the day.

(Bad segue alert.) Both of my leads, by the way, are Gingers:

Maggie and Bugs are both redheads. Sparks, sparks, and more sparks!

Too bad I couldn't have had my story done by on those dates. Maybe once the days are 48 hours long... Or, I could live on Venus. The day there is 116 days long. Um, yes please!

Until next Sunday! (The Eve of the Launch!)