I'm Actually Sticking to a Writing Goal

The thing about writing is that you can just free-flow with the ideas. If a shiny new story pops into your head, you can just pursue it.

HOWEVER.

The problem with free-flowing story ideas is that eventually you will have hundreds of half-written ideas and hardly a solid novel in sight. Yes, I speak from experience.

HOWEVER.

When you are a published author, things get a bit more dicey. I have given the people what they want, and now they are requesting more. Now, you don’t get more unless you dedicate yourself to a single novel, a single goal. For a writer who likes to float all over the place and struggles to commit herself to the tedious process of a full-novel, it’s tough work.

I have been working on the Rose’s War series since I wrote the first book back in 2018. It has been six, almost seven years of this story. In many ways, I have grown weary of writing it (hence why there was an almost five year publishing gap). My writing has changed and grown tremendously in that time and so it was tough to remain motivated to complete a series that I didn’t fully resonate with anymore. The world wasn’t as fleshed out as I would have liked, the characters didn’t have the depth I’d prefer, etc.

But then I pulled through and wrote the prequel, Rose’s Ruin. A novella that barely broke 20k, but wow, was it fun. And the reviews agreed. I had dove back into the world of Atulau and enjoyed it.

Rose’s War was always meant to be a duology—the prequel snuck itself in there. And so, the book I am writing currently is the final book in the installment. The thought is very exciting to me, as I have plenty of other stories I’d rather be focusing on.

I will say, though, I am enjoying writing this new draft. The writing is better, the characters feel more real, and I have a decently good idea of how I want it to end. Best of all, I’m on track to finish the first draft by June! I write relatively polished first drafts (it’s why they can take so long), and so my editing tends to be smaller vs rewriting whole chunks of the story. Now, if I keep to my goal of having the first draft written by June, I very well could be promoting book #2 this time next year!

For Rose’s Reign, the final installment, I plan for the book to be decently longer than the first. Rose’s Wrath was written while in high school and when I was first learning to write full length novels. Because of this, it’s about 55k, just over the threshold to be considered a novel. I think one of its biggest flaws is how short it is. A long time ago, I had hoped to make Rose’s Wrath a standalone, but once I hit 50k, I realized that I actually needed to tell way more of the story, but the book had felt finished (hello, book #2).

With Rose’s Wrath being 28 chapters and 55k words long, Rose’s Ruin being 16 chapters and 23k words long, Rose’s Reign will be roughly 40 chapters and 80k words! I am currently on chapter five, and we’re sitting just over 8k words.

Until I finish the first draft, I plan to keep informal updates posted on this newsletter. You’ll get the most up-to-date info, and I might even release the cover early here, too!

To end, I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite couples to write.

Verre gazed at him, knowing he’d no doubt tease her for the adoring look in her eyes. But as her eyes wandered from the short stubble that spread across his strong jaw, his warm, playful eyes, his smooth brown skin–there was no other man like him. To see life as an adventure and laugh at the sorrows to come? Some benevolent being must have looked at her broken, bloody mind with pity to have blessed her in such a way.