Michelle's Notebook

Welcome to my notebook where I share some of my writing. Main WIP is The Shadow of Vale. Tag friendly. Christian. I write Fantasy and love stories. Follow me on X: @wordsandlore blog: michellesnotebook.home.blog

[shellyscribbles]

I have alpha readers set up for August. :D

Now I have to get through the revisions so it's ready.

It's getting real.

[shellyscribbles]

I finished my first round of revisions! Yay!

Now I am going to make another pass to settle on one of the plot lines I left in and see how the new scenes feel together with the rest. Then I think I'll be ready to pass it off to my few alpha readers.

Given that it took me 3 months to do my first round, I think this could be a few weeks or a month.

[shellyscribbles]

I think...I think I did it.

In like 3 scenes, I think I managed to close the gap.

The length of time lapsing didn't actually make sense, so I narrowed the time span and hit the scenes with intention. I think its bridged.

:D

[shellyscribbles]

God is just so good.

Like, I'm over here flailing and He's just gently guiding me in a manner that must feel like herding cats, but He just keeps by me. Keeps leading as long as I'll follow.

[shellyscribbles]

I have started my hunt for an editor.

It's getting real now.

[shellyscribbles]

So, now that I cut out the extra POVs and plot lines that were clogging up the story, I see that I made a massive error in the pacing.

There was one point where I thought I was getting too bogged down in the day to day, so I did a time jump, but there is a massively emotional scene not long after the time jump (which, if I am being honest, was where I was trying to get when I did the time jump) and it just comes so far out of left field because of all the story I didn't write.

So, I am a little bummed that this revision is going to require a lot of added material that will take time to plot and write. I was hoping it would be faster, but I get to write sweet little scenes with Zuriel and Aila together and I love writing those.

I don't know what I was thinking. There is obviously a bunch of stuff missing that was necessary to the story. Like, I skipped the shift in their relationship. I skipped the bad guy's scheming. They're just suddenly in love and under attack and I don't know why I thought that would work.

I put into like five paragraphs story that should have probably been twenty pages minimum.

Now I have to go back and write out those pages.

[averyauthorship]

It happens to the best of us! I kept doing this sort of thing so I just started writing out of order so I wouldn’t feel stuck and then inclined to skip important story beats. Writing a cohesive, long story is sooooo hard! Be kind to your process and good luck with the story/rewrites <3

[shellyscribbles]

Thank you! <3

I do love writing out of order. :)

[shellyscribbles]

So, now that I cut out the extra POVs and plot lines that were clogging up the story, I see that I made a massive error in the pacing.

There was one point where I thought I was getting too bogged down in the day to day, so I did a time jump, but there is a massively emotional scene not long after the time jump (which, if I am being honest, was where I was trying to get when I did the time jump) and it just comes so far out of left field because of all the story I didn't write.

So, I am a little bummed that this revision is going to require a lot of added material that will take time to plot and write. I was hoping it would be faster, but I get to write sweet little scenes with Zuriel and Aila together and I love writing those.

I don't know what I was thinking. There is obviously a bunch of stuff missing that was necessary to the story. Like, I skipped the shift in their relationship. I skipped the bad guy's scheming. They're just suddenly in love and under attack and I don't know why I thought that would work.

I put into like five paragraphs story that should have probably been twenty pages minimum.

Now I have to go back and write out those pages.

[shellyscribbles]

I am starting to realize that I actually got a lot of this right the first time I started the overhaul of the story and when I rewrote it, I should have stuck closer to what I had already done. I am on day two of putting it back the way it was for the most part.

[shellyscribbles]

I am trying to build a presence on several platforms in preparation for having to market and promote my book, but good gracious, the general book space is not a fun place for me.

I do not have words for how much I do not want to read your smut.

Read what you want. Write what you want. I am not trying to police you, but could you maybe keep the actual smut in your books and not share them as pretty little graphics on public platforms?

The fact that I can't make the decision that I don't want to read explicit content, without still being subjected to it, is a problem.

And It's not me just being reckless, I am actively working to avoid it and I still come across it.

I'm sorry guys, but that's just not okay.

[shellyscribbles]

Trying to work on some revisions/edits but my 4 year old is this chaotic ball of energy making constant noise and moving without stopping and I cannot focus to save my life.

I didn't realize I hate the sound of things falling on the floor, but he keeps dropping his colored pencils and its making me twitch and want to scream.

[shellyscribbles]

For this round of edits I have settled on going through scene by scene now that I have a better sense of what the big picture needs to focus on.

While I sometimes get the urge to just open a new document, most of the draft would be getting copied and pasted anyway, so I think just keeping on editing this way makes the most sense.

The later parts is going to be a lot more rewriting and deleting scenes and probably adding several.

But overall, I'm not drastically altering the main story line.

[shellyscribbles]

It's starting to rain and I am chilling outside working on revisions on my hammock.

[shellyscribbles]

My brain went immediately from big picture edits to scene by scene, mostly because something clicked about what wasn't working in the first couple scenes, but I feel like I should probably settle on the big structure before I get into rewriting scenes...

but it's hard to stop myself.

[shellyscribbles]

Okay, I have been reading through my scribble sheets (running documents where I just write random, disembodied scenes to work out ideas and characters) and I found this today and I was dying cause I don't remember writing the origional snippet, nor do I recall rereading it and becoming furious with myself for stopping where I did. (but I totally agree with later me)

Thing I found:

              Isidro turned, pulling fire and throwing it toward the sorcerer on his heels. The man dodged and threw a jet of water which met his fire and turned to steam.

              Switching tactics, he pulled earth and the sorcerer’s feet sunk into the softened earth which he quickly hardened, leaving his opponent pinwheeling and forming a spear of ice to keep himself upright, saving his ankles.

              “Who are you?” Isidro demanded, taking several quick steps toward the sorcerer.

[I stopped there?! Where was I going with this?! Past me: Why?!]

[shellyscribbles]

I finished the draft of The Shadow of Vale today!

117,664 words.

It is taking everything in me to not start the reread.

I might buy the Diablo II remaster to keep myself away from it. And as a reward for finishing it.

[shellyscribbles]

Alright *rubs hands together* Lets get this book written.

[shellyscribbles]

I put one of the contemporary stories I am working on in my google docs to see if I like that ability to write on my phone and computer seamlessly. I am wildly uncomfortable about it, but I still think it might really help to be able to write on my phone and computer depending on what I can get access to. I spend a lot of my time stuck somewhere with just my phone.