Writing World Update

Time for another writing world update. I already announced this week that my fourth book was accepted by Guardian Angel Publishing; but as you know, I set a series of goals for 2014--some writing related, others more personal. I'm only going to focus on the writing ones this time around. I'll write up a full goal update at the end of the quarter.

Complete the first draft of my middle grade historical Amelia's Mission by February 28th.

This didn't happen. It's nowhere close to done. That said, I have spent any free time performing research for Amelia's Mission. The books are due back to the library by the end of next week, so I need to finish off this part of the job. I opened the manuscript file yesterday to read over the last chapter and make a few edits. The first two chapters were already sent off to my critique group for review, but I'll hold off on any major changes until the first draft is complete.

Research one new publisher/agent a month.

This didn't happen in January or February, but this month I've already researched two agencies and I've requested three middle grade historical novels from the library for market research.

Write one short story for submission each quarter.

I knew this was a lofty goal going in. I haven't written anything yet, but I'm tossing around ideas and wondering if I can still meet this goal. One idea is to write short stories based upon the character of Amelia Ridgemont, my main character from Amelia's Mission. While I think this would be an excellent way to build a fan base for these characters before a full-length novel comes out, I'm afraid of boxing myself into a story line and impacting the novel.

One other thing I did this month is read a book on self-publishing. I'm not certain what the future holds for me and my writing, but self-publishing is something I consider on occasion.

So, while I haven't achieved everything I would have liked to, I still feel I'm focused on the right things. I'll keep praying for guidance and do my best to keep my heart open to God's plans.