or, biting off more than I can chew.
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✍🏻Writing Updates
I made the brilliant (re: mad) decision to edit two manuscripts simultaneously, and it was sort of working. Is working. Sort of. I mean, I’m getting the edits done at a relatively decent pace (for me), but I’m starting to come to terms that what I thought would be a final proofread for Before You Called Me Baby (Book 1) is turning into a solid final (final) content edit. A mild developmental edit, if you will. Definitely not the simple line edit I thought it would be.
And that’s ok. Whatever makes the book better. I’m here for the long haul, after all. But it does mean coming to terms with the fact that I may not hit my fall release goal. Maybe late fall, if my body cooperates (with chronic migraine and summer storms triggering the pressure, that’s a BIG if). NGL, it’s gotten me a bit down. I amped myself up for a Fall 2025 release since I wrote it in my vision board/planner back in 2021.
If you’ve followed my journey on YT or the blog, you’ll know I queried for two years while pursuing trad pub before deciding that my work stood a better chance in indie. It was a decision I wrestled with (the thought of being a small business is daunting as heck), but I’ve been all in since I made it. Now, here I am, regretting the years I lost querying and, more recently, the time I spent thinking I was done with edits and ready for proofreading.
Still, I’m glad I can make these changes before putting it out into the world, though it will mean some tweaks to my publication plan. I’m also learning that my initial goal to have all three books edited and ready for a (semi)rapid release launch is not going to work. I’m not a fast writer and editing takes me twice, if not three times as long to complete. I’m never going to be the writer putting out 5 or 6 books (or more) in a year. It’s just not in me, unless I quit my day job (and that’s highly unlikely to ever to happen. Hello, I need health insurance). So, I’m coming to terms with having to make some realistic changes to my plan, and focusing on producing the best book I create, given my current reality.
Who knows, maybe I’ll get a burst of energy and push through to the finish line to meet my goal. I’m keeping the hope alive, if nothing else. 🤞🏻
📈Anyhow, here is May by the numbers
Current Drafts in Progress: 2
- Before You Called Me Baby (Tangled Hearts Book 1)
- My Favorite Mistake (Tangled Hearts Book 2)
⏲️Time spent working:
BYCMB 💜
- Reading: 5 hours, 27 minutes
- Read: 66 pages
- Revising: 10 hours, 33 minutes
- Revised: 59.5 pages
MFM ❤️
- Revising: 7 hours, 26 minutes
- Revised: 41 pages
Total time spent working on both drafts: 22.86 🎇
These numbers help me recognize the slow, but steady progress I’m making. This month I lost 13 days lost to migraine and/or travel. It also took me a few tries to find the most effective editing schedule to juggle these two projects with life and work, but after a couple of weeks, I found a plan that’s working, even though I missed some days.
As I write this, I’m down with a cold, but still making progress. Fingers crossed that it stays mild and goes away soon.
marginalia and such 