Hi, friends!
Yesterday, I hit 100,000 words on The Song Of The Sword, my current work in progress.
It's a big milestone for me! The last book I worked on took almost three years to get to 100k and I wrote this in just 317 days. 317 days, 98 of them spent in Sorrento, Italy. 317 days with the best thing I've ever created, 317 days with my best friends, these characters I've created. It feels huge to me because my last book felt like it wrote itself- as it was realistic fiction largely based on my own life experiences, I felt like I knew the scene progression. I knew how the book was going to end before I even really started it. With TSOTS, I had to work my butt off for every word, for every plot twist, for every character that I built from the ground up and fell in love with slowly, and then all at once.
So what comes next? Well, the book isn't done. I still have over a dozen chapters left to finish before the book will flow from beginning to end. I'm keeping track in the notes section on my phone, and it is a little daunting to look at the list, but I just have to remind myself that a lot of these chapters only need a few more sentences to be finished, a lead in, and a finish. I'm hoping to finish all my chapters by January 23rd, 2023, the one-year anniversary of when I started this project.
After I feel like the first draft is finished, I'll put it in a drawer, so to speak, for at least a week and not look at it (which will be TORTURE). I'm also going on holiday with my family from Christmas to New Year's, and I plan to leave my laptop at home during that week, something I feel much better about after hitting 100k. Between writing a novel and being a college student, I tend to stare at my laptop all day every day and I'm looking forward to a break, even though I'll miss writing.
The weird thing about not being on an official deadline is that I can change things whenever I want, but I'm trying not to do that, as I know that so much of being an author is being self-disciplined.
So after drawer time, I'll pull it back out, and start adding all of the bits I sort of abandoned in favor of getting my plot down- the world-building and embellishment that I know will be so hard and so fun. I'll pull the plot points I've been questioning (such as Azalea's age) and decide whether or not to change them, and I'll probably ask a few of my beta readers for their opinion.
After the book gets a makeover, then I'll print it out and read it on paper to line edit it. I'll format it correctly (I'm AWFUL at formatting while I write and am legit considering paying someone else to do it.)
After that, I get to start querying agents!
It's a long, drawn out, lonely process, but I adore this project and want it in the world more than anything. I'll make it happen, I just know it.
I figured you guys were due for a book update, and I thought 100k words was a good place to do it!
I'll see you guys on Monday, with a bookish gift guide for all of the bookish people in your life!
Xoxox- Emmabird
