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:
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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.
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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.
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The Post-Draft 4 Checklist |
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The Pre-Draft 6 Checklist |
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"Procrastinating" by creating covers |
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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)
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)
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)
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.
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.
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
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:
After I publish the book (September 15 is my go-to date!), I shall be doing this:
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That. Looks. Ah-mazing. |
Because I have a LOT to choose from (this is just 9 of 52 on my Kindle):
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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:
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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!)
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-Sydney