Stories are strange things. They really do take on a life of their own, the characters say things and make decisions that can change the course of the story completely. For this particular manuscript, I thought it would be a chapter book of about 5-7,000 words. However, it turned into a novel for slightly older readers (but still under 12) with more serious themes then intended and came out at just under 15,000 words when completed.
When I get into turning it into a second draft in mid-May, I'm hoping to add a couple more chapters, flesh out the beginning and rewrite the beginning of one particular chapter that is, currently, 'telling' more than 'showing'. If all goes according to plan, I estimate it to come in at around 20,000 words, which means extending quite a bit from the current first draft word count of 14,523.
This story surprised me in that I allotted about 6 weeks to finish the first draft and yet, miraculously, I finished it in half that time. About 19 days after beginning, the first draft was finished! I really surprised myself as that never happens when I write!
So, now this manuscript is away in my plastic box of manuscripts for a little while, I of course have some other projects going on. First of all, I am making some touch ups on a picture book manuscript that I plan on submitting to publishers shortly as well as a contest for Unpublished Manuscripts. I also have my children's fantasy novel. I have not worked on it for almost a week or so, unfortunately. Other things have bested me and I had to break my own pact of writing 2 pages a day. I have about 6 or 7 chapters remaining on that novel and it currently stands at approximately 30,000 words. I hope to have it completed by my deadline of 30th May and, as my uni assessment is almost over (for just a couple weeks of 'free time') I'm sure I will make it.
Apart from that, I am outlining several books and making notes and tenderly 'beginning' two new books. These have been very difficult. I wrote the first chapters of both and crossed it all out. Things weren't flowing, it didn't feel 'right'. I felt like a big fat failure in all honesty, because I thought the stories for both of them had worked themselves out in my head and yet when I began writing I just knew I wasn't doing it right. Luckily, the outline for one, another children's book, is going well and it is becoming clearer in my head so I think that one I shall write next.
The second book, for slightly older readers, is a more serious book featuring friendship, death, divorce, homelessness and death (Sounds a right laugh, I know!) is still floating around in my head, generating the 'backbone' of the story until all its pieces fall into the right place. I hope then something will 'click' and I can start that book with it feeling 'right'. This second book is the one I crossed out the first chapter to. I really think I will need to write this one a bit out of order, as the beginning is unclear to me. However, I have often written bits and pieces of a story and matched them up later so I am not worried.
I have been reading a lot of books but have not made Review videos or indeed a blog post for quite a while, so this post is to make up for that. I promised myself I would post at least twice a week to get myself into that habit but things come up just like they always seem to do.
I've just finished a couple Judy Blume books and a Jacqueline Wilson. I have pile of 7 or 8 other library books by my bed, amongst them Lois Lowry, more Judy Blume, Katherine Paterson, Robin Klein, and a Jackie French. If I finish this piece of assessment for Uni today, I'm hoping to devote a couple days to pure reading and writing!
Until next time.
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