Ah yes, it’s officially hit chilly status here in central Pennsylvania. As I write this, I’m sitting in my office, with the window open. A light, damp breeze is blowing in and I have a flannel blanket wrapped around my lap. Did I mention that I’m sipping a cup of coffee? AND that my cat is nearby?? This is peak writing environment perfection my friends. Which is great because I have an afternoon of writing ahead of me, but I’ll get into that in a moment.
Before I talk about what lies ahead in my future, I gotta brag on myself. Hot tip: Bragging is far easier to do over the interwebs like this than in person. That’s been my experience at least. So, if you’ve talked to me in person this past month, I probably wasn’t bold enough to share what I’m about to share.
My first accomplishment this past month was that I finally completed my Camilla knowledge base!!! WAHOOO!! Every time I sat down to write my newsletter this year all I could tell you guys was that I was stilllllllll working on it…
In case you’re new here, my Camilla knowledge base was a big document I created that holds pertinent information about my 4 existing Camilla books. I wrote down character info, timelines, and chapter summaries to name a few. This allows me to keep details straight in what will end up likely being a 7-book series. I’ve already been writing these books for 7ish years, so it gets hard to keep things straight.
I set a goal for myself to finish it in October so that I could be fully present to participate in Nanowrimo (national novel writing month) in November. So, I kicked it into high gear and showed this document who’s boss.
It feels simply amazing to have this information right at my fingertips as I start to write the next Camilla book. Of course, the knowledge base is something of a living document until the series is complete since I’ll be adding to it with each book I write. But in case you were wondering, I have about 3 more full books left to write in the Camilla series plus I have companion story ideas and even potentially a “next generation after Camilla” series idea. Sooooo, this knowledge base will be handy as I continue my writing career.
My second accomplishment of the month was my participation in my first ever in-person, book event. Yes, I’ve been writing for a decade and I’ve never done a book signing or a book show or anything like that until just last month. I know what you’re thinking; What? Emily! Come on. In person events are great exposure and marketing! Why haven’t you ever done it before!??!?
*BIG SIGH*
Look, I don’t have to explain myself to you… but I will! In a nutshell, I never felt like it would be worth the money and effort. And I’m still not sure it is. BUT I did sell a few books which is more than I would have if I hadn’t gone to the event and more importantly, I made lots of personal connections.
At my core I’m an introvert so in-person shows like this can feel really draining for me which is why I’ve shied away. But it was a good experience and I’m definitely open to doing more!
Well, lest I rest on my laurels (that’s a tough twister of a sentence), I want to share with you guys what my plans are for the future. Nanowrimo has begun so I’m a couple thousand words deep into rough drafting the next Camilla book.
It’s happening people. The words are on the page.
After finishing the Camilla knowledge base, I spent the last week in October outlining and prepping. Historically I’ve been a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants writer, but I tried something different this time. Typically, I’d hit a big roadblock in my first round of edits where I’d realize my plot points were a mess and I’d have to totally rework things. This time I plotted intentionally BEFORE rough drafting.
Some of you writers out there are rolling your eyes at me for only trying this after writing 4 books. I’m stubborn. I admit it. It’s yet to be seen if this new method will save me editing headaches down the road but you know I’ll report back with my results. I’ve still got approximately 48,000 words to write this month so I’m gonna go ahead and cut off this post and get to work.
Just a reminder that you can still download the first Camilla book, The Sacrifice of One, for FREE by CLICKING HERE. The next Camilla book is officially in the works, and I’d love for you all to be ready to jump into it by the time I’m ready to release it. So go read The Sacrifice of One and be sure to check out the other books in the series below.
Prequel: The Faintly Beating Heart
Book #1: The Sacrifice of One (add a paperback copy to your bookshelf!)
Book #2: The Bear Gap Rebels
Book #3: The Dark Ruler
Later,
Emily
Recent Comments