writing novel process Archives

Glorious sun and deceitful word counts

The weather we’re currently blessed with in Sweden is out of this world. I’m profoundly impressed by my ability to time this with working from home, not being locked up in an office. Being able to work on my dream while enjoying cloud-free skies day in and day out surely makes for a smoooth life! (Let’s discuss financials another day.)

Last week I finished another round of editing, currently sitting with the third draft of Kilonova Blues beneath my fingertips. The manuscript’s really evolved during the past months and even though many of you surely can relate to never feeling “finished” editing, I’m still happy with where it’s at right now. Most major changes have been done, and for what grammar and language’s concerned, I’ve come as far as I can on my own and it’s definitely time to get some fresh eyes on the text.

The first draft came in on 111 390 words. Working with the second draft, I cut 3 436 words. Yay! I felt like a samurai warrior, ignoring my emotional ties, slicing the manuscript with my sword as though it was a simple cake. I wanted to cut down on some text to make it leaner and felt I was good underway.

Today I checked the current word count… 110 950! I’ve obviously added a shitload of new text and am only down 440 words from where I began. Ah! I just smashed my forehead and laughed before getting up to fetch a new cup of coffee. What to do?

I know this is not the final draft though, so I’ll just leave it as it is for now. In about two weeks I’ll send it to five competent and highly appreciated beta-readers, and I’ll await their reflections and feedback before making any other major changes to the text. Up till then, I’ll focus on formatting and minor changes, deleting an extra space here and there, maybe swap that word for this word and so on, you know the drill. AND – I’ll try to read the entire thing from a reader’s perspective without changing ANYTHING.

Dear Lord, give me strength.

That’s all for now,
hej så länge!

Writing and crushes

Paranormal romance novels / Leave a Comment / By evelynlux

Is it just me, or do the weeks just fly by? It seems like there are only Mondays and Fridays, and we’re already at the end of March. It feels like it was only a couple of weeks ago I built the website and launched my social media platforms, but that was way back in January. I guess that’s a sign I’m doing something I really love, and I’m both happy and grateful for having connected with so many talented, hardworking people. Thank you for all your input, whatever form they take!

I’m still revising the first draft of Kilonova Blues, and I’ve worked my way through chapter ten this week. Only eight more to go! I didn’t think I’d enjoy this part of the writing process as much as I actually do, but the feeling of rereading an edited chapter and seeing the progress is so fulfilling. Even if I’m not even through the first round yet, I can’t wait to get back and start all over with the ever-growing list of things to look at that I wrote about in my last blogpost. And don’t even get me started with the excitement I feel regarding working with beta readers further down the line, and see the manuscript evolve even more!

I feel like I’m still in the crush-phase with writing, you know that first phase when you date someone, and everything’s just shimmering and breathtaking? We’ve been in this phase for almost a year now, and scientists say it usually lasts up to six months, so I’d say writing and I have a very promising future ahead of us. I know there’ll be bumps and challenges along the road that we’ll need to overcome, but for now, we just go with the flow and let our worlds revolve around that tingly sensation that makes everything sparkle.

Let me give you a taste of a dialogue between Alexandra and Marcus in chapter ten:

“Don’t ask me how or why, but there must be a reason we met. I feel the same strong force pulling us together as you do. Why do we fight it?”

“You know why”, he dismisses in a stern voice.

I close my eyes and shake my head, feeling the previous strong conviction returning to me. “No, Marcus. It’s not right. I’m not afraid of you.”

“I could destroy you”, he insists.

“No, not without my permission. I’m the only one who can destroy me. Depending on who I choose to engage with, everyone has the possibility to destroy me. My life is not your responsibility. I am responsible for my life and the decisions I make.”

I wish you all a wonderful weekend! Don’t forget to rest. Even the happiest relationships benefit by creating some space to miss each other from time to time

That’s all for now,
hej så länge!

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