Day 15 — Done…But Not Done
First, Good Pals, I need to tell you about a FREE book! Yeah. FREE! Bonnie Grove‘s spectacular novel “Talking To The Dead” is FREE for today and tomorrow (November 15 and 16 only) for your digital reading device. I read this book with my eyes wide and mouth dropped open…it’s that good. You won’t be able to put it down. Find it at Amazon and Barnes and Noble .
Last night, I wrote the 50,000th word in my first draft. The word was “them”. Why couldn’t it have been a more colorful word? It could have been “bereft” or “dubious”?
Oh. Yeah. Because those words would not have made sense.
Anyway, I’ve had a few people ask how I had time to hit my mark. I thought I’d give you a few of my trade secrets…
*Copious amounts of coffee
*I didn’t edit. Not even a little. My manuscript will be rife with spelling/grammar errors. There were a lot of passive verbs. Sentence. Fragments. Excessive, comma,s.
*I decided what was essential for me to do (homeschooling my 3) and what could go (mopping).
*I worked around my busy schedule. I homeschool, attend a Bible study that includes homework, am trying to pull together a book trailer, am the executive chef and dish washer at the Finkbeiner Cafe. But I worked between my duties. Sometimes shoving 15 minutes into the writing.
*I have really amazing friends. Truly. You are all on my “Thanksgiving” list of ways God has blessed me. I don’t think that you will know how you have all pushed me and encouraged me and kept me going when I had to write the hard scenes of this book (my friend Andy even yelled at me to get to work, personally, twice…at church).
I’m not done yet. This novel hasn’t reached the end. It still has a good 6-8 chapters left. Then I’ll put it away for a month before I grab my purple pen for my first edits. Those will start in January amid promoting “Paint Chips”.
Have I mentioned that I love this job?
Thanks, friends. Many hugs to all of you!
susiefinkbeiner.com 
Yes 🙂 I love reading about the schedule of writers 🙂 Especially mothers 🙂 Awesome work! 🙂 I checked your word count yesterday to see if it had changed and then BAM! You won! 🙂
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Oh, thank you, Hope. I guess I just try to sneak the writing in whenever I can. It also helps that my kids are really independent and have each other to play with. 🙂
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I’m dizzy thinking about all those words you wrote and it’s only the 15th. I think I’m at. . . um. . . 2000 or so. Better pull up my big girl panties and get ‘er done.
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This novel is deeply personal, steaming from a traumatic event in my life. It’s lived inside me for just under 2 years. It needed to come out.
No droopy panties. 🙂
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I hope we get to cheer you on as you complete the last few chapters. Please keep us posted.
(It’s amazing that you reached the 50,000 word goal in half the time allotted. Well done!)
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I’ll let you cheer me on whenever you want! I can use it. Thanks, Peter. I will keep everyone posted as it progresses.
I’m so glad to have the most difficult parts of the novel out of the way (so far, who knows what else might prove difficult). It’s been very therapeutic.
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Does that mean Andy gets a book credit? 🙂 I still owe you a Pumpkin Spice.
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Sure! Why not? That would be pretty funny, huh? And I still need to figure out when to drink that Pumpkin Spice with you. 🙂
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