The Writing Peasant

Okay, is anyone else just ridiculously shocked that this year is almost over?

Maybe I was just super duper focused on my projects this year, because it just didn’t feel like we went through ALL the months. April? What happened there? September? Don’t actually remember it happening.

But… I guess I have the work to show for it, so let’s take a look. They’re not exactly in order, but I don’t think I’m that organized anyway, haha, so there you go.

1. WEDNESDAY’S BOOK!
   • I started the year off with a bang here. It was released January 1, 2021, and was nominated for a Whitney Award in July. 🙂 It spent a little time on Kindle Unlimited, did quite well there, and then has chugged away little bit by little bit. It has since been released wide in eBook, Paperback, and Hardcover.
2. OAK AND IVY
   • This book was released on October 1, 2021. This one has also done pretty well for itself, and I’m very happy with both the end results, but also the work it took to get there. It challenged me in ways I didn’t even know existed, and it has also been released wide in eBook, Paperback, and Hardcover.
3. EDITING (Sort of dovetailing off of Oak and Ivy)
   • I’ve sort of learned how! Both for Wednesday’s Book, and for Oak and Ivy – which were vastly different experiences, mostly in terms of how much time it took to actually carry out edits – I’ve been consistently been turned toward consistent errors that I make, and blindspots in my stories (mostly to do with side characters.) It’s been humbling and satisfying to see myself become a better writer, and I couldn’t be more grateful for the help that I’ve received from my editors, my sisters, and all the wonderful beta-reader-friends that I’ve discovered along the way.
4. OTHER PROJECTS (Outside of writing. Sort of.)
   • Oddly, I’ve done a lot of projects for The Day Job. I’ve never been into technical writing, but I am pleased to say that that ALSO gets easier the longer I do it. I’m far from perfect, but just like any project, it’s more daunting before you start, and I don’t panic when I’m asked to do it now.
   • Blankets. (Crocheted) I’ve made a lot of blankets, guys. Probably more than I should have, haha. I finished what turned out to be a three-year, very ambitious project, which will NEVER have a duplicate. I then proceeded to crank out another one right off the bat for a Christmas Present. Now I am working on my own. ❤ Pictures will probably follow. Later.
   • Reading. Ya’ll. I actually met my Goodreads Goal. I don’t know that this one was super intentional, but I’ve really enjoyed digging into both classics (The Brothers Karamazov, namely) and also some lighthearted romances. I also rediscovered one of my favorite sci-fi authors, and I have never been happier. I have a saying: put good in, get good out. Reading is almost as important to my writing as writing is, and I’m glad to have put more time into this this year.
   • This Website! It’s been on my list for a very long time. Kaylyn (as always) has been a DREAM to work with, and we were able to get things up and running.

LOOKING AHEAD: Which brings me to… UPCOMING PROJECTS! I have 5 projects that I’m working on this coming year. Of course I hope to finish all of them, but I’m also taking this coming year to enjoy the process of writing, so if I don’t get to every single one, they’ll still get written eventually. There’s lots to look forward to!

Note: These will go up on the “Upcoming Projects” page when they go into the “Editing” stage. That way, they’ll have a real title, and a release date. 😀 It’s for your sanity, and mine.

1. SCI FI SERIES: This manuscript (for the whole series) is approximately 96% finished. It was the book(s) that was the subject of my NaNoWriMo goal this year, and I am very glad to have it down on paper (or, y’know, word processor). This one was a bit different than what I usually do – it was flash fiction, so I really didn’t have much of an outline at ANY given point, and I was given random words almost daily as part of the challenge. As a result of that, it’ll probably need more editing as time goes on, but I’m looking forward to the challenge, since I already kind of know what I’ll be for to smooth out.
2. THE CINDERELLA RETELLING: This one, I CANNOT tell you how excited I am to be working on this. This one, in the tradition of Wednesday’s Book, came from a writing contest with WR Gingell, and it’s kind of stuck with me ever since. Much like Wednesday and Trillion, my main characters may be a little altered from how we saw them in that initial snippet, but I’m SO excited.
3. WEDNESDAY’S WORLD COMPANION NOVEL. Wednesday’s Book has always lent itself toward lots of potential stories, and this one I’d had on my docket for a really long time. It’s based in WW2, will feature (but not revolve around) characters we met in Wednesday’s Book, and…. that’s all I’m going to say about that for now.
4. WEDNESDAY’S WORLD PREQUEL. Much like the companion novel, one of the joys of creating an alternate universe, is I can skip around throughout history and basically make it up as I go along. This one, however, will deal with characters directly introduced in Wednesday’s Book. It will be set in the Regency Period.
5. CONTEMPORARY SUSPENSE NOVEL: I love writing mysteries. They’re compelling, and as much as I didn’t think I ever would write a contemporary one, I now have a gesture-drawing of an outline, so odds are good. This one I’m looking into traditionally publishing, but I’ll actually need to have a manuscript first.

Well, that’s what I have for now! I got a feeling this is going to be a good year! Best wishes to you and yours! Onward and upwards!