I’ll keep this ROW80 check-in brief. Classes start this week, so I spent some of the last week doing some prep work, and I know my word counts will probably decrease in the coming weeks as the semester begins.
My plan for the next few months is lots of revision. I have a short novel, a novella, and a short story to revise. Hopefully by the middle of the year I can start querying.
This week’s ROW80 check-in:
Writing: Wrote 4,616 words in A Prince in Patience Point. That story has officially become a novel. It will end up being a short novel after I finish this draft, but at least it’s now in novel-length territory. (I originally wrote it as a novelette, and then expanded it to novella length before realizing it needed to be even longer.)
Reading: Finished Thoroughly Kissed by Kristine Grayson. I have to admit the middle was really slow and there were times when it seemed to drag, but it picked up toward the end. I’m about halfway through The Fairy’s Wish by Maggie Shayne, a really sweet retelling of The Little Mermaid—only instead of a mermaid, the main character is a fairy. Started reading Story Engineering by Larry Brooks.
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Denise D. Young 
Ah, the expanding WIP. That is the better problem than the shrinking one, but I still find it unsettling, perhaps because I’m not used to it yet!
I’m glad to see your tracking what you’re reading. I’m tempted to do that as one of my goals.
Great start to the Round, Denise!
Thanks, Elizabeth! A lot of times I’ll write a story and feel like it’s pretty close to the length it needs to be. But this one demanded more, so that’s what I’m doing. Plus it’s been a while since I’ve written a novel–I’ve mostly been working on novellas. I can honestly say this one feels a lot stronger as a novel.
Good work on your progress.
Thanks!
Sounds like you’re making good progress. 🙂 What classes are you preping for?
Thanks! This semester’s exciting adventure will be media writing. I’ve taught the advanced version of this class before, but this is the intro, so we’re starting from scratch. The first class is tomorrow. 🙂
Congrats on the fabulous word count Denise! You’re making great progress. Hey, it’s gone from a novelette to a full novel. Awesome! Again, inspiring! Keep it up. 🙂
Thanks, Karen! This story has grown in incredible ways. I’m hoping to have a finished, novel-length draft soon–hopefully in the next few weeks. Take care! 🙂