Alright, June is here! It feels like this year, at least in the part of California where I live, we are actually experiencing a real spring season. Nice! It makes me very happy as I have been enjoying the misty mornings with their light rain drizzle but I am sure warmer days are on the horizon, soon. I can feel them coming on.
Weather news aside, I am happy to be back with another update from the writing trenches. It looks like I ended up skipping May’s entry but that’s ok, it happens. All I can say is that it’s good to be back, and without further ado let’s dive in to what’s been going on, my side of the screen.
WRITING PROGRESS
I think the reason I ended up skipping an entry for May is because for a little while there my mojo was pooped. I felt blocked and unable to move forward in my story. A moment came when I really wanted to give up and just stop working on this story and maybe move on to a different project.
In the end I didn’t do that and decided to stick it out. I came across this video on YouTube by Ellen Brock that helped me to see that if I caved in and tried to move on to a different story idea, I would never get better at writing full stories. That sounds harsh, but there was a lot of sense to what she was saying. It seems obvious but I really understood how following through, committing to a project could help me develop strengths in areas where I needed it most. It was better than being a literary flake. So stuck it out and I’m glad I did.
I think I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to produce good work quickly. I was disappointed in my lack of progress. It felt like it was taking too long to get started. Slowly I am learning the importance of patience, discipline, and self love. I want to be nicer to myself and to learn to be grateful for the work I get done. I need to love me, love the work that I do, love the process. There was a great podcast from Writer’s Digest on this that I listened to recently, you can view it here.
It’s been helpful for me to see writing as a type of marathon. I’m here for the long haul. Regular “exercise” and practice is progress toward the finish line, the end goal, the completed novel.
Anyway I could go on about this topic for a long time but I’ll just jump forward and share that this week I managed to finish the first draft of my story. I have a start to finish layout, a groundwork. Next will be the process of going over that work multiple times, making improvements with every pass.
I’m happy to be at this point, I want to celebrate this milestone but also know that there is still a long, long way to go before this novel is where it needs to be, where I want it to be. But for now I will smile and be pleased 🙂
INSPIRATION + LEARNING RESOURCES
- Make a Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld
- The Scene Book by Sandra Scofield
Both of these books have been great in getting me to move from the big picture outline, roadmap to thinking in more specific detailed terms. I haven’t read through both in their entirety but know that already I have found many nuggets of gold in both. Also these will be great resources to add to my growing collection of books on writing. One can never have too many!
In other learning news, I signed up for two courses on writing that will begin at the end of this month. They are part of a larger creative writing certificate program that I am dipping my toes into. For now I am taking things a course or two at a time. I would love to enroll in a full MFA program but sadly I can’t afford to pay for a program of that scale at this time which is why I am so grateful for all the books on writing and other writing programs out there that are more accessible.
CURRRENT READS
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Originally published: May 3, 2022
What a delight of a book! I have been enjoying every bit of this read. It is different from many of the books I have read in recent months and as such it has been a breath of fresh air. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up. Being that it was one of the Pulitzer Prize winners this years I was worried it might be too literary, dare I say…boring. But it’s not! It is engaging, interesting, informative, just great all around. I love it. I am about 1/4 of the way through and excited to get through the other parts. This book may be a contender for a spot as a top read so far this year.
FINISHED READS
Since my last post in early April, I have finished several books.
•THE LONELY HEARTS BOOK CLUB•
First up is The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore. I love this book. Right now it’s pretty much my #1 favorite read this year. It was just such a sweet, cute read about a community of people coming together around books to help one of their own. A story about friendship, about life beginnings and life endings. The POV changes throughout the book and we get a part of the story through multiple characters. At first I wasn’t sure I wanted that but every time I got into each character’s section I found myself falling in love with each of them and not wanting to leave their perspective. Changing POVs definitely made me bond with each individual character more and understand where they were coming from and what they were struggling with on a more intimate basis.
This is the only book I’ve read by Lucy Gilmore and am curious about her other work.
•HAPPY PLACE•
Another finished read since April is Happy Place by Emily Henry. This is another first from this author for me. I watched a YouTube review of Happy Place and from what I gathered, it seems this book might be a bit different than her usual style. I would like to pick up at least one of her other books to compare. I know she has several that her many fans rave about constantly. I think that if you like Colleen Hoover, Emily Henry will be right up your alley.
Definitely enjoyed this book and liked that the romantic element centered around an existing relationship on the rocks, a couple falling in love again rather than for the first time. Other topics the novel touched on were friendships and adjusting to life in your 30s. Looking back at the story I guess it kind of has a “friends” vibe.
•THE HOUSE IN THE CERULEAN SEA•
The last book on the finished reads list is The House In The Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune and what a lovely book it was! It was very whimsical and fun, a perfect cozy fantasy book. Linus Baker was such a nice guy and wonderful to have as a POV character, and the children in the story were so …well magical! Loved them all!
The book hit on LGBTQI+ issues, chosen family, and just overall the importance of being your authentic self and the love we all deserve no matter our differences.
I watched a few videos featuring the author and he was charming! I loved how he described this book and the two others he has published since as his “kindness trilogy” despite not being officially a series or connected in any way other than in their attempt to bring some goodness into the world.
I do love how all three of his books (The House In the Cerulean Sea, Under the Whispering Door, and In the Lives of Puppets) have the same feel. I certainly want to complete my collection and get the other two. Another thing I loved was that I purchased the special Barnes and Noble edition with the colorful stenciled edges that match the beautiful cover artwork. Having this special edition meant that when I opened my book to read, it felt like a more immersive experience as I was constantly reminded of the beautiful sky. Definitely recommend getting this special edition if you can.
TBR + TBW
To Be Read + To Be Written…There is certainly much on the horizon of things to come. This month I am excited to see what other books and bookish things I get into and just can’t wait to make more progress on my own novel. Having finished this first draft I am definitely looking forward to working with what I have and making it all that it can be. I am sure there will be more trials and tribulations along the way and I will share them all with you here.
Until next time!
🖤 Geli Sophia
Angelica Sophia 
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