We begin the summer by burning out.
That’s why there weren’t any wrap ups. I hit my limit, all my author deadlines stacked up again, and my Dayjob projects legitimately tried to take me out. It wasn’t the worst summer I’ve ever had by any stretch of the imagination, but I felt like I was swimming through molasses. All my progress was imagined. I was constantly out of time. My body was ready to give up.
Let’s go in order. I think that’s best.
June 2023 Stats
- 9464 words drafted
- 0 words / 0 pages revised
- 1 projects submitted
This was when I realized I was slipping. I barely wrote anything I didn’t absolutely have to and stopped using my tracker when I did.
I submitted my copy edits for “Bonne Nuit” on June 2nd.
I received my next round of edits for Suitehearts 2 on June 9th. The first sketch of the cover also arrived. I’m hoping to see a new draft soon!
I saw the sample layout for the Adult Romance #2 on June 13th. Copy edits also landed in my inbox on June 23rd.
I tried working on DBAND (the source of my word count) but I was working with less than nothing. I don’t really remember anything else except deciding to take an intentional break and crying a lot.
July 2023 Stats
- 8858 words drafted
- 0 words / 0 pages revised
- 2 projects submitted
I continued to not use my tracker consistently so the above numbers aren’t accurate.
I submitted copy edits for Adult Romance #2 on July 5th. Every author is different, but for me, I read the entire manuscript as opposed to just the editor’s comments and corrections. I’m still deeply in love with this book. It’s a long one which I always try not to do, but reading it felt like it took no time at all. There’s not a single scene I could cut or merge to make it shorter and I think that shows. It’s lengthy but also economical. Each scene and chapter are skinned to the bone without losing those precious details needed to make it an engaging experience.
I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong and just hoping, wishing, praying it reads that way. I’m hitting the point where I’m starting to get nervous. People are going to read it soon. It won’t be my secret for much longer. I really want people to love it as much as I do.
My burnout break lasted until July 7th. I remember sitting down that day and telling myself to write something. It could be anything I wanted as long as I did it because writing is a muscle. The longer I went without doing it, the harder it would be to get it back in shape.
I started brainstorming some ideas for a middle grade project that probably won’t go anywhere. And then, on July 8th inspiration struck–a new idea for an adult romance with a working title.
Out of nowhere, I was able to outline act one and draft several scenes of TPP. I woke up every morning for the next week excited to work on it. I was dreaming about it, obsessing over it, and was *this* close to hitting 10k on my draft, but alas… paid work had to take priority.
Suitehearts 2 has been an interesting ride from beginning to end. I straight up don’t remember what possessed me to give it the setting that I did and often lamented that I chose this direction. My editor is fabulous and worked magic with what I gave her, to be honest. Because of the Suitehearts overall deal, I never really had a firm vision for the series, just loose ideas. She was able to take the scant, sliver of vision and turn it into something cohesive and compelling. I owe her a lot.
My draft was due July 15th which was a Saturday. Turns out, neither of us checked the calendar when we set the date lmao I ended up submitting the next draft on July 17th instead.
With all of my paid work completed, I turned my attention back to TPP for a single session then decided to switch gears into DBAND.
It’s possible this is obvious, but in case it’s not, I am sensitive. I’m an artist, okay? Sometimes, I get edit notes and it takes me days to recover mentally and emotionally. Occasionally, it’ll take me months, which is what happened here. My agent was 100% right. No doubt about it in my mind that the changes we came up with are the better route and will result in a stronger proposal. My brain just needed a minute! I couldn’t accept it. Unlike Suitehearts, my vision for DBAND was so strong I had to let it go by rewriting the main character.
This is not only a secret writer hack, but also exactly what happened with [Redacted] in AR#2. If I get edits that aren’t in line with the initial MC’s character arc, I have to supplant that character. I won’t be able to change their minds (or story) because they’ll fight me the entire time and the draft will continue to be awful. So, I sit them aside and wait for a new MC to step up to the plate.
The first step to rewriting is always finding a new name. The lead in this book has already had three :((((((((((((((( but her current iteration is really fun and I’m hoping she’s the one. I worked on DBAND fairly steadily until the end of the month.
I’m still not in a place where I want to share a lot of personal life details in these posts, but July was a doozy and I don’t want to forget:
I moderated an event for the launch of The Quiet Part Out Loud by Deborah Crossland. I love doing this. Deep diving into a book, crafting personalized questions for the author, writing jokes for the audience to keep them engaged UGH IT’S MY FAVORITE THING!!! I know what you’re thinking: but Claire, you’re a reclusive introvert what are you talking about? Oh I absolutely still am. I’ll feel awkward before and awful after but while I’m in the moment? It’s magic. I don’t let anxiety (and fear of C19) stop me from living my life. I will be masked and holding that microphone like a pro. If you’re an author in NorCal, please consider me for your event lol I truly love hosting.
I got into a car accident while on the freeway. I live in a place where drivers are literally ranked worst in the state, so I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened to me. Penny, my car, needed about $[redacted but it’s a lot!!] worth of car plastic surgery. I’m so thankful for insurance, affordable deductibles, and not having to buy a new car lol.
I went to THE ERAS TOUR! I finally got to see songs from the folklore album performed live! I cried twice! I had a marvelous time!
(I have never and will never again willingly put myself in a crowd of 70,000 people though. Everyone was really nice and lovely, but the sensory overload was intense, my god. Also that stadium is on my blacklist.)
August 2023
- 3643 words drafted
- 8348 words / 389 pages revised
- 2 projects submitted
And here’s where I finally began to feel like myself again. Even though I was stressed out of my mind and spent way more money than I should have, it still feels worth it in hindsight.
All things AR#2 dominated the month. First, we finalized the copy which is the actual term for the book’s description. Everyone usually refers to this as a synopsis but in terms of publishing, that’s technically incorrect.
I went back and forth on it with help from editorial and my agent because I really wanted it to blend in with the pack. I wanted it to sound like a ROMANCE novel, you know? Going in you know the tropes, where your reader expectations should land, and there’s just a touch of ambiguity so the plot can surprise you. I feel like we got it to a good place, but as always, I’m nervous!!
Next, I received the pass pages on August 9th. Authors are usually given two weeks to finish them and I immediately had to ask for an extension because my due date overlapped with my travel dates for Steamy Lit Con (more on that in a moment). I read my entire book for the last time before publication and turned it in on August 28th.
Emotionally, I’m a mess. Mentally, I’m in anguish. I can’t stop obsessing over the things that I should’ve added and written differently. Does the plot make sense? Is the ending good? Is it overwritten? Is it enough?
I have a confession to make: whenever I love a book too much or I personally think it’s fantastic, wonderful, amazing and that everyone will love it… they don’t. Those books flop. I feel like I’m cursed. I want to celebrate this achievement–I gave this book everything I had but if I revel in how excited I feel people will know and they will hate it. My career is on a precipice. If this book doesn’t do well, I honestly don’t know if anything will come next for me in traditional publishing.
Speaking of things completely out of my control, I got an email with cover sketches on August 22nd. I don’t want to talk about it. As of today, all I can say it’s not ready and I don’t know when it will go live. I’ve created a temporary cover for myself just for fun and to lift my spirits 🙂
On August 21st, preorder links began seeding to websites. It took a really long time for them to show up everywhere so I wasn’t comfortable announcing that they were available just yet.
I’m *officially* going live with all the details on September 4th. The posts are scheduled! I’m not changing my mind!
Speaking of getting covers in August (lmao), the first sketch of Suitehearts 2 arrived on August 15th. I sent in my notes ASAP and I know the artist, Lissy Marlin, is going to nail it like she always does. Suitehearts: Harmony & Heartbreak continues to hold the title of my favorite cover. I just love it and honestly, so does everyone else. I always get so many compliments on it!
And on August 17th, the final final draft of Suitehearts 2 went to copy edits! She’s going to be a book! I don’t have much to say just yet. I think I’ll really dive into my feelings during CE and pass pages.
The other big event of the month was, well, an event! I attended the inaugural Steamy Lit Con in Anaheim.
I’d never really gone to a book convention before, the kind where I had to man my own booth. In preparation for the event, I had to file for a temporary seller’s permit for taxes, figure out which payment system I wanted (Square won y’all. That app is unmatched), and create an inventory. The most time consuming part was commissioning, designing, and ordering art prints, bookmarks, and signage. I was so frustrated trying to figure everything out on my own, I seriously wanted to quit and show up with nothing except myself and some pens. And at the last minute, things began to get really expensive so I ended up having to go alone which I’m still lowkey devastated about.
But I didn’t quit. I didn’t have everything I wanted but I had enough. I decided to drive instead of flying since I had books with me and it took about 6-7 hours each way.
I’m so glad I went! I met potential vendors to partner with, authors I’ve only interacted with online, and readers–oh my god some of the books they brought for me to sign had TABS! Pages marked, passages highlighted, just all the color-coordinated goodness that made me cry my eyes out. I sold out of almost all the books I brought to sell and even hosted a little game called would you like to buy a vowel?
Using the provided letters, attendees had to guess the title of my next book. 34 people entered my contest! I was expecting like… 2 lol so I’m thrilled. I took a lot of videos and pictures while there and am going to try my hand at creating a vlog. I finally reached the limits of what Canva can do for me and purchased video editing software. I’m really excited to learn how to use it!
Lastly, it’d be remiss of me if I didn’t mention that I wore a mask the entire time I was on the floor, washed my hands religiously, and ate all my meals alone, which coincidentally worked perfectly for me because it also gave me time to recharge my social batteries. I’ve officially passed the C19 transmission window and am so thankful (because Miss Rona was definitely there. Several people have since reported being sick).
And now, we end the summer on a wistful note.
That was a lot. Some might even say too much.
I definitely prefer my monthly wrap up style and will be going back to that post haste. My fall and winter schedule is still pretty much the same. I’ll be working on a brand new something that I’ve always wanted to do in October-December 2023. But before I get there, my first priority is getting DBAND revised and back to my agent. She’s almost ready–I just need to conquer the synopsis which has been hell 🙂 but I finally figured out the final plot twist this week and am excited to dive back in.
September 2023 Goals
- Submit DBAND to my agent
- Draft a new proposal (short version) for practice
- Send middle grade concepts to my agent
- Keep working toward making the AR#2 release everything I want it to be.
Until next time,
Claire ❤
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