Today, I finished editing chapter eleven. I'm so excited, because I was finally able to insert a detail I've been having a hard time finding a place for. I also included a flashback at the beginning of the chapter. It's a great feeling, because adding to a draft is so counterintuitive for me. Plus, I'm just really happy to add any length to this novella. My current goal is to complete three chapters a week, which means I could wrap up this first round of edits by mid- to late April. I'm planning on two more rounds of edits after that (one content edit and one line edit), but it depends on how the manuscript shapes up as I work on it.
I always struggle with how much information to give readers at this stage of the process.
For now, I'll just say that this little book contains the following:
*romance💙
*librarians📖
*nerdy references😎
*an aspiring author💻
*a secret cosplayer🦸
*found family👪
*a sci-fi tv show🚀
Reading . . .
I continued with last month's theme of reading children's books with Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne. While I felt a little cheated reading this since I watched the cartoon as a kid, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it and found myself laughing out loud more than once. It's delightful, warm, and just the slightest bit silly. From there, I moved on to a SpongeBob graphic novel, Comic Crazy . . . Take 2! I always struggle to get that last book in for our library's winter reading program, and I love SpongeBob, so this was an easy pick.
I read A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice, because I saw it on Instagram & it looked cute.
The rest of my book choices were re-reads. My stepdaughter & her boyfriend got me a stack💞 of Sarah Adams books for Christmas. I started with The Match. I also read Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young. I used to read it at least once a year. So, imagine my shock when I realized it had been four years since the last time I read it! I don't read much fantasy anymore, but diving back into the story was like being wrapped in a warm hug. I've tried to figure out exactly what it is about this book that has such a hold on me. Is it the poetic & atmospheric language? Is it the emotion? The fighting? The Viking vibes? The character development? The heart-rending nature of Eelyn's discovery? The healing & shift in mindsets? The unity despite all odds against a common enemy? The answer is a resounding yes. And yet, there remains some element I can't quite put my finger on. I'm looking forward to writing down more quotes in my journal and pondering this brutal, beautiful, heartbreaking story.
Loving . . .
First, a couple of practical things. One is a scrub brush I got from Dollar General. I believe the brand is Scotch-Brite. It has an ergonomic handle and only cost me around $3.50. It's great for doing the dishes and has a little scraper that's safe to use on pots and pans.
Second is extra virgin olive oil. I have struggled with dry, cracked, and bleeding hands every winter for years. And when I say years, I mean twenty would not be an exaggeration. I'm constantly applying lotion, which only serves to keep it at bay. Not to mention, the part of me I like the feeling of lotion on the least is my hands. I started applying EVOO at night before bed. And WOW! The situation isn't perfect, but my hands are so much better that I've hardly touched my lotion. I wish I'd tried this sooner!
Lastly, I've been watching a vlogger on YouTube. I won't share the channel name due to the fact that I don't care for all her content (she's into crystals and the like). It's not a channel I subscribe to because I don't want to feel compelled to watch every video. That way, I can choose what videos to watch or not watch. Sometimes, I start a video and then either skip part of it or the whole thing.
Now for the things that I do like about her channel. The music and vibes are soothing. Sometimes, I almost forget it's playing.😂There are a variety of videos and things happening in the videos, everything from thrifting to gardening to decorating and decluttering. Occasionally, she'll take the viewers with her to the river or horseback riding. I also love her style. A lot of the time it's feminine and flowy with a touch of boho. It can also be denim shorts, a tank top, a plaid button-up, boots, and a ball cap. If any of you follow any similar accounts, let me know. I tend to fall head over heels for a new channel and blow through all their videos in short order.🙈
Talk to you soon,
Jessica ♡
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