The Best Laid Plans...

I had a vision for 2022, at least, for my writing. I'd finished a book at the end of 2020, finished a second in September of 2021, and had written 50k words for a third in November 2021. I'd also gotten a book deal and spent late December/early January editing the book included in that deal. To say I was exhausted was an understatement.

So, I planned to work on edits on my second manuscript later in the spring and focus on writing short stories. I thought I'd use #CampNaNoWriMo to finish my third book in April or July and then leisurely edit it throughout the rest of the year as I had time between editing my first book for publication and querying my second.

That was the plan. What actually happened was a continuation of the craziness of last year. I finished my pre-edits for my publisher in January, edited the second book in February and sent it to a developmental editor because it just didn't feel quite there. Then I spent March finishing the third book.

I'd love to say in April, I'll relax, but my thesis is due in early May, so I'm going to have to pick a book and edit it. I'm leaning toward my second book. For one thing, my first book's main character and my thesis advisor share the same name (though spelled slightly differently). It was unintentional, but it's still a weird coincidence. I thought about submitting the latest book so I can really make the most of my program, but I'm still debating between it and book 2. On the one hand, it would be good for me to have a reason to focus on editing book 2, but on the other, I just did a marathon editing session on book 3. It may be in better shape as a result.

At some point, I'm also going to have the first round of edits back from my publisher, which will take up a chunk of my time. Maybe after the book releases in the fall, I'll finally get a moment to breathe. I may just skip NaNo this year.

On the plus side, my MFA program confirmed we're able to travel to Buenos Aires this summer, which is exciting! I'm looking forward to finishing the program and not doing formal education ever again. A class here or there? Yes! A conference or two? Absolutely! But no more degrees. I deal with enough alphabet soup in my day job, I don't need to add to it with letters behind my name.

If you've recently joined my email list, I apologize for the radio silence, but hopefully I will be sending out a new newsletter soon!