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Two novels and a poetry book: a haphazard writing update
Hello dear readers, I write to you from my kitchen desk after a long day in the garden. Today I replanted sunflowers for the third time¹, added some new flower seeds to the tulip bed, and helped my mom spread wildflower seeds for my aunt’s new front yard. But I’m not here to talk to…
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My heart lies with horror: a writing update
Hello dear readers, As seems to be the pattern, I write to you from my kitchen desk on a blustery Sunday morning. The skies are grey and flat, and wind blows through the cedars and the pines in the neighbours’ yards beyond. I am incredibly tired, mainly because I drank coffee at six yesterday afternoon,…
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Another draft done, fueled by coffee and my inability to chill
Hello dear readers, I write this to you from my office desk, where I have been holed up for the past few days working on something I hadn’t planned to be working on, but which allows me to share an exciting update: I’ve just finished the second draft of my mystery novel. But Catherine, you…
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Finishing the first draft on a snow-filled evening
Hello dear readers, I’m writing this to you from my kitchen desk, where I’m watching the first snowfall of the season, the flakes substantial and fast to make up for the fact it held off for so long. I have some news: I’ve finished the first draft of my novel. The last words were typed…
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January is the month of hitting word counts (a writing update)
Hello dear readers, It’s been a while since I’ve checked in with you on anything writing-related, and so I wanted to give you a little update of where I’m at. I decided back in December that, throughout January, I’d focus on getting the first draft of my current novel finished. So far, this is going…
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Calling myself out & the path forward
Hello dear readers, It’s been a little while since I’ve done a writing update, and for good reason, though not one I’m thrilled with: I’ve hardly been writing at all. And while I can make all the excuses I want—like filming videos again and marking endless presentations—the fact is that I’ve just not been keeping…
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The first draft is done!
Hello dear readers, This is just a short update for you, because something exciting happened last week: I finished the first draft of my novel! I hadn’t expected to complete it quite so soon, but everything aligned and it’s finished. I went back and forth on posting about this because I just did a writing-related…
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A writing challenge update
Hello dear readers, It’s been a little bit since I’ve done an update on my NaNoWriMo-esque writing challenge, and funnily enough, I’m actually almost done. Originally, I’d told myself I’d hit 60,000 words by October 15, but partway through, I realized my first draft may be a bit longer. I wanted to accommodate that, as…
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NaNoWriMo, Catherine-style
It’s been a bit since I had the time/space/energy to do NaNoWriMo (I think my last one was 2019), and so imagine my disappointment when, a week ago, I found out that they went under earlier this year. And while I understand why it happened, I still find myself missing the structure that the contest…
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Finishing my manuscript & what comes next
I’ve sat here for a good five minutes trying to figure out how to start this post. And so, in lieu of anything fancy, I’ll just say it: I finished my manuscript. This was my fourth draft. I undid plot hole notes I’d created in the first and second drafts. I clarified certain passages and…
