September: conference and editing

Hello!

I can't believe it's October already!! This year feels like a very odd dream, honestly, but I'm glad it's finally fall. This is my favorite time of year by far. It has everything- cold weather, spooky stories, cozy clothes, Halloween, Nanowrimo, and my birthday! I'm both especially grateful for it this year because the smoke from the fires was awful and I'm glad that's over... and not that happy about it because it's going to make it harder to get together with my friends. We've been hanging out outside and I'm not sure how we're going to do that, but we're determined so we'll find a way. I've been waiting for Halloween to be on a Saturday for freaking EVER and I'm going to figure out a way to have a Nanowrimo kickoff party with my writing buds, dang it.

The big thing I did in September was the PNWA Conference, which was a blast even though it was virtual. I found so many good tips and resources and new people to follow, took as many classes as I could fit into the day, and in between I wrote. I did about twelve hours of writing a day, which was fun but definitely only something I can do in short bursts. The other thing I did was work on short stories, which was a lot of fun. I'm getting the hang of them and I have some fun Halloween-themed ones started already. And then, of course, Nanowrimo prep! I honestly think I look forward to Nanowrimo more than any holiday, and this year I'm especially ready for it because I have big goals!

Numbers:

Words Written: 65,800

Days Worked: 30/30

Progress:

The House on the Rocks- I'm getting my query together, and this month is the month I submit! I'll let you know how it goes in next month's update because I think I'm officially out of excuses not to send it out lol.

Runeless- I got about a quarter of a way through the chapter I wanted to do this month, which is a good start on finishing by the end of November. I'm slowly finishing it, but at the same time I'm also making a lot of notes for revision, which is going to be just as big of a project as actually writing it. I want to spent October finishing at least the chapter I started- if I can keep going I'll do that, we'll see- and making a revised outline. I also want to work on worldbuilding. This project needs SO MUCH worldbuilding and I love it.

Resources:

I'm still going through the Masterclass lessons- I have the subscription for a year, I might as well use it!- and I found a new one that I might have to buy so I can revisit it later. The class by James Baldacci is focused on thrillers and mysteries, but it had a lot of specific, useful advice about a bunch of different topics, including research, action scenes, and how to turn writing a book into a writing career. It was a nice, upbeat talk and I listened to most of it in a single day, which tells you how interesting it was. Along with Shonda Rhimes, this one was one of my favorites I've found so far, and I definitely recommend it to any writers!

See you next month, and if anyone is doing Nanowrimo, add me as a friend! :)