D. I. Harris @lunaemugio@mastodon.art

On the positive news, I've sent the first novel out to the editor, and should hear back in a month. Then it's two more drafts, and it should be ready to publish!

Expect publication in mid-May.

Well, I've started on my third novel, now.

Sci-Fi, because that makes sense. First fantasy, second contemporary (ish?), and third sci-fi. ALL TIME PERIODS!

Brain, work with me here to finish the first one first. And the second one second.

Got 9000 words done on novel #2 this month. Not bad for a month's work.

Now to go back to novel #1. Want to get that sent off to the editor before the end of the month.

And that's the second draft of my novel done! Keeping on keeping on.

Fixed a lot of fears I had about the first draft, and cut 4000 words out of the introduction to make it move faster. Really happy.

On to draft 3!

At 79700 words, the "first" draft of my novel is finished.

I still have so much more work to do. But now I know I'll get there for sure.

And that's part 4 of my novel done. The last chapter took a bit longer than I anticipated because of life, but still making progress. 1 more part and it's done!

Finished 2nd draft of part 3 of my novel. Only 2 more parts to go! Should have first drafts done by the end of September, and 2nd drafts by end of October.

I love the way my hair fades to a pinkish-orange

Reached 50k words on my novel, and finished the second of the three planned plot arcs.

At this rate, I'll have the first draft done by September. For the first time in my life, I'm on the homestretch.

Solid 2 weeks for writing. Caught up on where I was behind and even got a little ahead. Did some drawing too, and I think I'm going to continue with 1 drawing every 2 weeks.

Also made some decisions regarding publishing that I think will be good for me.

At the rate I'm writing, I should be able to almost do a novel a year, which is a great pace. And I'm doing a drawing every 2 weeks too.

Hit the midway point of my novel.

At the beginning of the year, I felt I was mostly successful in my life. Partners who support me. A house I'm proud of. Work that's meaningful.

But I was in my mid-late 30s and had never finished a novel.

So I changed. And it's been great.

And that's book 2 of my novel done. Still needs editing, but I've been making great progress since stalling out last summer. The changes I've been making to my life have really been paying off.

3 more books to go! At this pace I should have it done by the end of the year.

Hearing someone else read your stories really helps you know your flaws as a writer. I have a tendency to prize accuracy of description over emotive language. Thus, in emotionally charged situations, my writing can sound clinical.

Something to work on. Gotta keep growing!

The past 2 weeks, I rewrote a 3750-word short story, and wrote about 1000 words of my novel. Not quite a success, but not bad.

Next 2 weeks I need to edit 2 more old stories and finish the next chapter of my novel (~3000 words).

My birthday present to myself was this stamp, a personal brand for my writing.

Submitted a short story to an anthology for the first time in... 7 years? Feels good to get back into it.

Should hear back in a month or so. It would be good to be in print again.

Just finished a short story that hopefully will be published in an anthology. It'll be good to be in print again; I think it'll help keep me motivated to finish my novel.

The most difficult part of writing is believing that you'll have an audience.😂

It's been a good week for writing. At this rate I might hit my monthly goal by Monday.