🖊 After the sprint

Today's newsletter: the results of the Great Writing Sprint of 2023.

Editing Tip #3

Save the edit for the edit. This one's for long-form writers, especially fiction/memoir. Time and separation from your draft gives you the necessary perspective to make changes great and small.

Instead of editing as you write, take notes. Not sure if a character would make that choice? Feeling iffy about the prose in that paragraph? Move on with the confidence that Future You can build on Present You's foundation. Future You will be grateful.

This tip feels particularly relevant for me in the wake of...

The Great Writing Sprint of 2023

The results are in.

HOURS // I wish I'd spent more time on this. But I'm happy with the results.

WORDS // I've never written this many words in one week. Not even close. But the fact that my fingers still function normally after this is rather reassuring.

SUBSCRIBERS // To those who joined over the past week, thank you for becoming a part of this journey! Your partnership is a huge encouragement for me when I'm in the trenches of outlining, drafting, and editing.

The journey continues with more writing...

New Stuff

READ THIS if you want a deeper dive into the ups and downs of sprinting.

DON'T READ THIS if you think "disyllabic" isn't a word.

Writing Updates

Codename SPOOKY: The developmental edit is back in my hands. If you want to know what that's like, imagine writing an essay for school and getting it back with FIFTEEN HUNDRED comments, suggestions, and edits.

Good feedback, for the most part. I definitely have some revisions to do, but nothing earth-shattering. Refinement and polish is the name of the game.

Next step: I'll receive the editorial letter this week, then schedule some brainstorming sessions and get this puppy revised.

Codename SPOOKY SEQUEL: I started drafting the week before the Great Writing Sprint. That momentum helped me write over 30,000 words in the past two weeks.

It's daunting. Even as I write, I face the temptation to go back and make major changes when I doubt the strength and impact of moments and scenes. (See Editing Tip #3.)

Yet I write. And I'm proud of the effort, even as this story molds itself into something beyond my initial vision. I can't control the outcome; I just write the words that serve the narrative.

Codename SPACEY: On hold...for now.

Something Different

The first tweet that ever was tweeted, seventeen years ago. Where were you on that fateful day?