A New Direction

Earlier this week, I wrote about how I was struggling with changes to my manuscript that had left me unsure of its direction. I was frustrated after the comments I had received at the residency, and for a moment, I even considered scrapping the first manuscript in favor of continuing to work on my second.

But then, I had a sort of epiphany. I decided to go back to my original story, before I made all the changes based on feedback from one of my professors. Instead, I took that feedback and added a character, which I think addresses his concerns, but still allows me to tell the story the way I want to tell it. It’s going to take a lot of editing to go back to the story I had originally envisioned, but I think it’s worth it. The changes to the story just weren’t working within the context of my original vision, and I don’t know that I could have made the manuscript work if I deviated the way my original professor had suggested.

My plan now is to spend the month of August making corrections to my original manuscript with this new (or old, I guess, depending on how you look at it) direction in mind. Hopefully, by the end of August, I will have completed my corrections. Then I hope to return to writing my second manuscript in September. I would like to finish that manuscript before NaNoWriMo in November, but as I am losing a month to making edits on my first book, I don’t know that I’ll have enough time to finish the second. I may even just wait until NaNoWriMo to even continue the second since I do seem to do better when I have a deadline in mind for my writing. I’m learning a new job right now, so that may impact my ability to write as well.

Hopefully, I’ll at least be able to make the edits to my first manuscript in time for #PitMad. I definitely want to participate. I’m also planning to attend the Chesapeake Writers Workshop, which is a virtual conference. I’m hoping to pitch a couple of agents live, which is insanely nerve wracking for me, but worth it if it gets my pages read!

What are you working on? Do you have any goals for the month of August? Sound off below!