Writing Journal: Climbing Mountains at My Desk

Dear Journal,

It has been a while since I posted here. So, an update is in order. I have been steadily climbing the book writing mountain with the view from the top in mind to keep me going strong. I liken this process to hiking up a mountain because it is a challenging process, one I am slow at, which has an extremely rewarding view at the top. But I am getting better, and faster, and I know that no matter what happens, the view I will see from the top (having a book (or books) completed and published) will be worth the hard work! And I can always get better! As with many things in life, writing and publishing novels takes practice and is a skill that takes time to develop. Thanks to those who are on this journey with me and have walked the trail before me; so far, so good!

So where am I on my mountain? To be honest, I have many mountains I want to climb. For the mountain of getting a single story published, I am nearing the top! But as with all hiking expeditions, that is the hardest part. I am looking forward to it!

As I near the top of this first mountain, I am very close to getting my first story released. It is a short story that takes place hundreds of years before the books I am working on. I am so excited that its release is near, and I can't wait to be able to share it with people. More short stories are being written and will be released as well, but probably not until after I publish the books. This short story will hopefully lead to new friends joining me on this journey. I have been blessed to have wonderful friends and family hiking up this mountain with me, and I look forward to meeting more on my way. A view is always better when shared with friends!

I am also nearing the top of the next mountain, getting one novel published. Who knew one could climb two mountains at once! Only those who climb mountains at their desk. Book 1 is in the caring hands of a beta reader who gave terrific feedback on my short story. I look forward to seeing what he thinks of this book. Once it is back in my hands, I will have a better idea of when it will be published. I will also be able to get the page count to my cover editor and get the print covers finalized.

I have gotten higher up on my third mountain than I thought I would at this point! Having more than one book published is a mountain I have learned so much from climbing. Book 2 is back from the content editor. He surprised me by finishing his edits a couple days ago! I was not expecting to have it back until the new year, so I was delighted with his timing. With that round of editing done, book 2 is back in my hands, and I can't wait to get to work on it again. Book 3 and another book I have been plotting are both up on my plotting board. I think I have worked out a much better plotting system than I started with, so I hope this new book I have been working on will be a little easier to edit. Plus, this new plotting strategy is way more fun and organized! I have come to love plotting books, and I already have two that I am actively plotting while I finish editing this first trilogy.

I have always been slow when it comes to hiking, and it has been a while since the last hike. But here I sit, climbing mountains at my desk, mountains I never thought I would find, let alone venture to climb. The view I have been working towards is near. I hope all those who have walked with me this far, making sure I don't give up or stop for too long, will join me for a picnic at the top. But even then, there are more mountains to climb. Mountains that teach one to write better, to persevere, to find community, to do rather than try. And I will continue to develop my skills for writing and life, for these are only some of the things I have learned while climbing mountains at my desk.

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh

Writing Journal: Editing

Dear Journal,

Editing is still a work in progress. My books are getting better and better each day, but I must admit that I am growing impatient. I had hoped to have editing done by now, but that is not the case. On the bright side, the delay has given me some time to figure out why I am not currently satisfied with Book 3. I have made recent notes on things I want to change, changes I know will make the book much better, and I plan to edit them into the manuscript as soon as I get Book 3 back from one of my editors.

Book 1 is coming along nicely. I am working closely with someone who is helping flesh out the logic behind the world I am building. It is taking a lot of time, but I truly believe that hashing it out now, in these books, will set the stage for following books. Having the logic down, and getting the practice of implementing helpful critiques, will benefit me in the long run. So, I keep plodding along.

I recently felt a burn out coming on and the first thing I do when that happens is I take a day (or a couple) to focus on my other business ventures and read books. I recently revisited The Lion the Witch and The Wardrobe. That is always a good one. I also listened to The Hobbit, but I ended up listening to it at a faster speed than I normally listen to books. It turned out to be rather amusing. Some of the higher pitched voices, at that fast a speed, made me laugh even more than the dialogue.

Today, overall, has been quite productive and now it is time for a break. My TV was recently mounted on the wall, making it visible from my kitchen. Maybe I will watch TV and do the dishes.

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh

Writing Journal: Word Choice and Imagery

Dear Journal,

The writing of fantasy stories is an adventure! I have been editing my book with the help of multiple editors, each very different in personality. I am learning from all of them what kinds of details "need" to be discussed and which ones can be left up to the reader to create on their own. It is interesting to see people who have completely different personalities both point out the same word choice and that it needs to change. In moments like that, I find myself more open the changing words from one I prefer, because I can see a wide range of readers might not find the word helpful.

It is a grand adventure to learn the different ways people think and to hear about the images that come to mind when people read certain words. For example, one editor suggested using the word "mire" in one section. I agreed, as I thought the word fit, but I later found out it didn't fit the way I thought it did. See, my editor thought that the scene I was describing was all mud, so my editor suggested that word "mire" because it fit with what he was imagining. But in my head, the scene is muddy in some places and contains clearer water in other places. Adding the word "mire" ended up making the text fit what my editor had imagined, but not what I had imagined. I thought that was so interesting! One simple word can have such a deep influence on the image we derive from the text. Though there were many other words in the text to describe the scene as I saw it in my head, the scene we were working on looked different when just that one word was added. I have yet to finish clearing up the imagery in that scene to make what I see in my head appear on the page, so to speak (my editor agreed that taking "mire" back out would help) but the lesson was fascinating! Words are an amazing thing!

Sincerely,

Ondrea Keigh