Hey guys! I would really love to say that I’ve been able to get a ton of writing done, but unfortunately, that’s not the case. This time, it’s not really because I don’t have time for it. I have plenty of time, but I haven’t been able to print out the chapters for my main WIP (I’m doing a hardcopy edit of it). But I guess I can talk a little about how that’s been going, because I’ve done a little of that. Also, I did have school assignment that required some creative writing, so there’s that, too!

For my main WIP, I started printing the chapters and editing them with my red pen and highlighters two weeks ago. I’ve done the first two chapters, and I’m really taking my time with it so I don’t miss anything. The red pen is for general notes and stuff, while the highlighters are for specific things. For instance, the blue is for scenes I want to completely rewrite, or red is for information that isn’t accurate to my plot (a lot of stuff has changed for the plot, so I need to remove old stuff). I’ve been enjoying this method of editing! It’s fulfilling to see my book in the flesh, too, and it just reminds me that I’m getting closer and closer to perhaps getting it published someday! I’m hoping to complete chapter 3 and 4 this week. I am also gathering more readers, but that’s a bit hard honestly. It’s actually one of the hardest things about writing, if I’m being honest. Also, finding someone who will listen when I want to talk about my plot so I can work things out is difficult, too. When I think people don’t want to hear about something, it’s hard for me to talk about it, so I usually just tend to shut up about things, haha! Probably not a good thing, but oh well!

Lately I’ve been wondering if I’ll have to turn it into a trilogy instead of a duology, because I’m finding that my biggest issue with the second book is that there simply isn’t enough time to tell the story. When I set out to write this story, it was so simple, but it was also a little dull. I added so much stuff that I believe makes the story richer, but in the process it became too big to tell in a standalone book. So I split it into two. The first part was easy to write, and I have much love for it. However, the second one is feeling rushed, confusing, and just honestly feels really awful. I’m dreading writing it. There’s so much I want to do in it, but just can’t because it’s getting so large compared to the first one. I’m debating cutting it into three books, but I just don’t know. Hopefully by the next Writing Updates post, I will have made my decision! However, I think I might not decide until I actually start writing the second one.

Speaking of what is to come with this series, I made a major decision about the end. I was struggling with how to end it, because what I had written felt out of place and a tiny bit anti-climactic. An original idea for this story was the take a lot of inspiration from the book of Exodus in the Bible, when Moses was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. This is still very present in my story, but I didn’t feel that the end conveyed what I wanted it to. But then I got a lightbulb idea that just felt right, like it linked to Moses a little more, even though it made me a little sad. But it’s perfect for the protagonist’s ending! I had a hard time deciding if I actually wanted to do it, but now I’m thinking I’ll go with it. Plus, it actually fixed a big plot hole I’ve been dealing with since the very first draft, so that’s a major plus!

In other news, I had to write a poem for my English History class, and that was pretty fun! It only had to be a couple lines, since we are learning the IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) and we would have to translate the poem into that. But being a writer, I can’t just write a couple lines of poetry! I actually used to dislike poetry, especially writing it. But now I feel it’s one of the best way to get the thoughts out of my head. I wrote a few stanzas based off of one of my favorite songs (Wildflower by Beach House), and I really loved how it turned out! I translated it and turned it in last Friday, so I’ll see how that goes.

Besides that, I’m bummed out that I haven’t gotten to work on my next short story, but that’s my own fault. My true self is lazy, so it’s like pulling teeth to get myself to do, well, anything, haha! I’ll get to it soon, but I guess I’m a little intimidated by my plot. I really want to get this right!

I don’t think I have anything else to add. That’s pretty much been how it’s going! So let me know your thoughts in the comments below! Also, tell me how your projects are going, I’d love to hear about them!

God bless y’all and have a wonderful week!