Documenting the Process

While it only took a month to complete the rough draft of my first novel, it feels like the revisions are taking forever. Every time I look over it I find a new typo. Oh well. No one ever said this was easy! But it is exciting to see it all coming together . . .

In other news, I've finally rescheduled the freelance writing workshop I was supposed to hold back in January, before several weeks of inclement weather foiled my plans. This is part of the LakeNormanMommies Learning series, and will take place at my home in Huntersville on May 8 at 2 p.m.

Below are the details:

During this two-hour class (which includes coffee/snack time), you'll learn how to:

• analyze the mastheads of local publications to see where writing opportunities are
• brainstorm article ideas
• find expert sources to quote in your articles
• query a national publication

My writing credits include:

The Charlotte Observer

Lake Norman Currents

Charlotte Parent

Little Ones

Carolina Parent

Piedmont Parent

www.iParenting.com

Huggies Baby Network

Funds for Writers

The Writer

You can find more bio information on my web page, www.FinishedPages.com.

The class fee is $20 and a portion of the fee will be donated to LakeNormanMommies as a fundraiser. There will be door prizes, too, and great opportunities to connect with other creative LKNM moms! Contact me if you would like more information.

Write Book, Check!

On March 29, I completed the rough draft of my first novel. It was a great feeling -- well, more than great, really. I've talked about this project for so long it's hard to believe I'm one step closer to being a published author. Now, the real fear of failure sets in. I've been afraid to even read the first few pages of the manuscript. This is the mental block that always kept me from writing my story down in the first place, only now it's bogging me down in what is supposed to be the revision process.

So I've had two weeks away from my rough draft, and it's time to pick it back up. I'm pretty sure the prologue needs to be revamped, and many of the first few scenes can be condensed into longer chapters. But deep down, I feel like I did a good job with character development, pacing, and dialogue. Only time will tell, I guess.

I just returned from a short vacation to visit family out of state, and I'm looking forward to diving back into all sorts of projects now. They include sending out more query letters for articles, setting up phone mentoring appointments, teaching a possible local freelance writing class, and maybe even an outline for my next novel idea. And of course, researching potential agents and fleshing out a query letter for my book!