Life
Has it been another month already? It’s sort of a non-statement, but it’s hard to believe. For those of you who read my blog post The Worth Engine, you already know that this month was a tough one for me, on an emotional level. It hasn’t been dramatically outside the bounds of the normal up-and-down of life—it just all hit me a bit harder for a while. Fortunately, and I believe with the help of getting some of those thoughts and feelings off my chest in that post, I am doing a lot better right now.
I have continued to attend chess club this month, and one of the nights I even went 3-0 against a player that I usually struggle to beat. With the exception of that one prodigious night, I am not sure if I’m making much progress in terms of my chess abilities, but I have been enjoying it and think the sense of community it brings is good for my wellbeing.
School is still going well and though I’m starting to weary of just how long the commute is, I have still been getting a lot out of reading on the way there and writing on the way back. I’ve been nurturing a couple of friendships with classmates, and though I don’t know if I’ll see them in any more classes in the future, it has been really great hanging out and studying with them. I am eagerly awaiting news about the interview process for the professional program I have applied for in June, but I have been told that I may not hear anything until December.
Writing
As far as writing, this month has been moderately productive. I was fairly consistent about putting in my word count goal every day. Not my best month, but I have to count it as a win. I did the polish pass on “Chasing Light” and got it sent out to those who requested it. I wrote my two most successful blog posts so far. (Am I getting the hang of it? Maybe…) So I feel pretty alright about how the month went in that way.
I reached out to a book blogging tour company this month to try to find some ARC readers for Bittersouls. So far, all I know is that it’s been put out there for bloggers to choose, but no one has asked me for a copy yet. The way I see it, either it materializes or it doesn’t—I have other irons in the fire as far as marketing, and from what I can tell having ARC readers or not isn’t a make-or-break matter, even for a debut novel.
I am still pushing forward on draft 2 of The Damned Earth, and if I had to guess I am about 2/3 of the way through it. One of the last big things I need to force myself to do this next month is to make a map for it, which has historically done a lot of good for me when it comes to understanding the action of the overall narrative. Though it didn’t make the final version of Bittersouls, the map I made for that world was crucial in the revision process. (Maybe I’ll even share it someday.)
So! If I’ve been a good little writer, next month’s newsletter will include the words “I finished the map, guys”. Even better, it might include the words “I finished the draft”.
Fingers crossed, right?
Sincerely,
L.A.