Hello and welcome!

In the coming posts, I’ll be outlining the steps I’ve taken and the progress I make towards becoming a published fiction writer.  My aim is to provide a useful resource for other writers who, like me, are just starting out.

Some questions you may have:

Where are you at in the process right now? 

I have a manuscript, complete and edited at 64,000 words.

How long did it take you to write? 

I started writing this novel in March of 2017.  It took me about four months to complete the first draft, but I was on fire!  I wrote about five chapters a week until it was done.  I took a month and a half off in the summer, but aside from that I’ve been editing ever since.

Have you received any feedback on it? 

Yes, lots!  I sent the book as I was writing it (three or four chapters a time) to a trusted mentor.  He’s a dear friend and without him, my book would be far less interesting.  And the ending would’ve been awful.  THEN I proceeded to finish the book, run it through a few edits of my own, then I sent it off to a half-dozen or so trusted writing friends and family members.  I invested in hard copies so that they could make notes directly on the manuscript.  These patient friends even answered my review questions at the end, such as What were the main themes of the book? and Who or what was the villain?  I worked on other projects over the summer while awaiting their edits, then came back at it in the fall with a fresh mind.  In November of 2017, I paid a profession editor to give me feedback on the novel as well as my query letter (more on that in future posts).

So is the novel finished? 

Is any novel ever really finished?  Just kidding.  Sort of.  I’m still puttering around with things but yes, it’s finished.

What genre do you write in?

Young adult contemporary romance. (I do have a few other projects up my sleeve for someday down the road… don’t tell anyone though!)

What is your novel about?

It’s the story of two star-crossed teens trying to sort out their pasts, navigate new love, and make it out of the wilderness alive.

That’s pretty vague.

I know!  I’ll give you more as we go along.

What’s the next step?

Good question! In seven days I will send out my first query letters to agents.  I’m beyond excited to begin the rejection-letter-phase (as I like to call it) and to introduce my baby book to the rest of the world.

Stay tuned for news related to this process and for insight as to how I’ve brought my project this far.  I may not have all the answers, but this isn’t the first time I’ve tried to publish a finished manuscript (more on that later) and I personally would’ve loved to know then what I know now!

All the best,

Danielle

Life is short, choose kindness.