It's hard to believe that we only have one more day in June before we hit the middle summer month! I am ecstatic for July. It has one of my favorite holidays, an anniversary, and several birthdays, including my son's. There are also some great things in the works for several of my book projects.
The first is a fabulous SALE on my anthology Christmas Magic!! Only 99 cents for the e-book which we all know is a steal (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07XJ8C5HF). I never quite understood the whole push for Christmas in July, until probably this year. It's nice to have an escape and Christmas stories generally provided that request. This year has been a crazy one, so I more than usual can't wait for the cheesy romantic holiday movies and reads.
July is also the month where many writers will be engaged in camp Nanowrimo, which I won't officially be in, but I do have large goals for my current project. Book 2 of the Honey Cove series. This book follows Shelby as the main character in the beloved town of Honey Cove. I'm about halfway and currently writing the chapters with the Rowe's annual Christmas Ball! So much fun to write a swanky ball scene. I have good news for this book and some releases soon … not saying too much yet, but a cover reveal may … or may not be happening soon. ;)
For all my writing friends who will be knee deep in writing sprints and large word counts. Here are my top three tips for large writing sprints/word counts.
Come prepared. Now this could mean literally or figuratively, but being prepared is important. You should have your notebooks, outlines, or doodles that draw your focus and channel your writing. Personally, I use a notebook to roughly outline chapters. My characters still tend to have a life of their own, but I always have two to three plot points and then the rest goes with the flow. You also need to be prepared to write, so your mindset is important too.
Make a plan. I'm horrible if I don't have a schedule. If I say okay, I have to write today and that's all, but I don't set word goals or deadlines in the day, I procrastinate way too much. This is up to your personality and how you work best, but some kind of plan always seems to help me.
Forgive yourself. This has many purposes. First, forgive yourself if you don't make a word count or can't quite nail a scene. One of my favorite writing quotes is, "You can't edit a blank page." So get the words down, however many it may be, and then go back. Forgive a crappy first draft, you'll have time to perfect it afterward.
There are lots of other ways to make each day count, but those are my top three things that help me. I could have also mentioned a bonus, which is FOOD! I have to have some yummy brain snacks, but that could take up its own blog post.
I hope you've enjoyed this blog! Comment and let me know what you think or if it helped you! Let me know what you like most about July and are you doing camp? What will you work on?
Check in Friday for my recommendations/book reviews!
Always,
Marie
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