Tag: revising

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: September 2016

Kate M. Colby

Goodbye, book launch month! As you likely noticed, September was all about the release of The Courtesan’s Avenger (and, of course, this month’s booklet: 100 Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Writing Prompts). Unfortunately, my fiction book launch dominated the month, and the booklet took up what little time remained. While I’m thrilled to have them both out in the world, I’m even more excited to get back into creation mode. Desertera #3 has been calling my name for weeks now, and it’s about time I answered. Fingers crossed that October can be a strong start leading into November (aka National Novel Writing Month).

One thing that I did manage to make a lot of time for was podcasts. When I first started on my indie publishing journey, I would listen to podcasts all day at work. They helped me get up to speed on the industry and gave me a sense of community in what is an often lonely journey. I’ve really missed listening to them, so making time to do so on my commute (and at the gym – gasp!) has been really refreshing.

On a personal note, my husband and I also took a very bookish anniversary trip to Salem, Massachusetts, in September. I share more about the trip, my inspiration, and a few travel tips in this post. For now, allow me to recap September and get sorted for October.

Writing & Editing

  • Blog Posts Written – 12 and one reblog
  • Fiction Words Written – 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction – 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written – 95 prompts
  • # of Days I Wrote Nonfiction – 15
  • Drafts Revised – Final proofread of The Courtesan’s Avenger (Desertera #2)
  • # of Days I Revised – 4
  • Outlines Written –  1 (100 Horror Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Creation/Production – 7

Reading

  • Books Reviewed on Blog
    • None

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for October

  • Begin writing Desertera #3
  • Write and publish 100 Horror Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 10)
  • Reflect on one year as a published author and set goals for year two
  • Catch up on my friends’ books and help a few out with special projects

What did you accomplish in September? What goals are you working towards in October? Share below!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: August 2016

Kate M. Colby

August went so quickly that I almost feel like it didn’t happen. As in July, I enjoyed a much-needed break from author work toward the end of the month while I visited my family and friends in Kansas. However, my mini-vacation also left me a little behind heading into September. The next two weeks will be especially busy, as I prepare for the publication of The Courtesan’s Avenger, but I’m ready to tackle my monster to-do list. Stay tuned for more updates – there are a lot coming very soon!

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written – 9
  • Fiction Words Written – 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction – 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written – 105 prompts (plus two rounds of front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Nonfiction – 9
  • Outlines Written –  1 (100 Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing – 16 (thank you, Kansas!)

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised – Final line edits and first proofread of The Courtesan’s Avenger (Desertera #2)
  • # of Days I Revised – 7

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for September

  • Final proofread of The Courtesan’s Avenger
  • Finish cover design process (now that my designer is back from vacation)
  • Publish The Courtesan’s Avenger
  • Write and publishing 100 Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 9)

What did you accomplish in August? What goals are you working towards in September? Share below!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

Month-End Update: July 2016

Kate M. Colby

Wow. As I recap July, I feel like these mere 31 days were two months instead of one. For the first 20 days, Daniel was in Australia visiting his family. I eased my loneliness by working my ass off, putting in extra hours to write, revise, and do all the little things that come with being an authorpreneur. And then I got on a plane to Australia to join Daniel…

…and promptly did zero author work for the final 11 days of the month. A much-needed rest that has left me feeling a bit disoriented as I head into August (aka the final march toward the publication of Desertera #2!). Here are my notes on what I accomplished in July and my goals for the coming month:

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written – 7 (and two reblogs)
  • Fiction Words Written – 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction – 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written – 100 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Nonfiction – 8
  • Outlines Written –  1 (100 Science Fiction Writing Prompts)
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing – 13 (thank you, Australia!)

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised – Line Edit of Desertera #2
  • # of Days I Revised – 10

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for August

This month is all about getting Desertera #2 ready for publication in September!

  • Finish line editing and proofreading
  • Finish cover design process
  • Format for ebook and paperback
  • Set up preorder on online retailers

I also plan to write and publish 100 Science Fiction Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 8).

What did you accomplish in July? If you participated in Camp NaNoWriMo, did you meet your goal? What are your plans for August? Share below!

Fiction Blog, Writing Updates

SPECIAL Month-End Update: June 2016

Kate M. Colby

To mark the halfway point of 2016, I’ve got a special month-end update today. In the first part, I’ll do the usual June recap. Some highlights? Desertera #2 is finally with the line editor, and 100 Action & Adventure Writing Prompts (Fiction Ideas Vol. 6) is published AND FREE through tomorrow.

In the second part, I’ll be catching you (and myself!) up with my New Year’s Resolutions. My biggest accomplishment? *knock on wood* I’ve only had ONE major migraine attack this year! I never thought I’d hit that goal, and I’m incredibly thankful they’ve mostly subsided.

Before you dive into all the bullet points, I want to highlight three exciting July activities.

Brain to Books Generic Posts (1)First, today is Indie Pride Day! Check out this Book Blast hosted by Angela B. Chrysler to find some awesome independent authors and books (myself, included!).

Second, tomorrow I’ll be hosting the Fire & Lies Goodreads takeover. Head over at 3 P.M. Eastern U.S. time to chat science fiction and fantasy and enter to win a FREE ebook copy of The Cogsmith’s Daughter (Desertera #1) – OR Desertera #2, if you’ve already read TCD.

Last, this month I’ll be unveiling the title of Desertera #2. Since I’ve put it off so long, I’ve decided to make an even bigger deal out of it and run a contest! Stay tuned for details (and chances to win advance review or signed copies of Desertera #2)!

June Update

Writing

  • Blog Posts Written — 7 (and one reblog)
  • Fiction Words Written — 0
  • # of Days I Wrote Fiction — 0
  • Nonfiction Prompts Written — 100 prompts (plus front/back matter material)
  • # of Days I Wrote Nonfiction — 7
  • Outlines Written — 0
  • Days Without Writing and/or Editing — 13

Editing/Revising

  • Drafts Revised — Content Edit of Desertera #2 (plus a quick second pass)
  • # of Days I Revised — 10

Reading

*Remember, I review every book I read on my Goodreads page.

Author Business Activities

Goals for July

I’ve got a few exciting things planned for July — I’d stay close if I were you!

  • Announce Desertera #2‘s title with a contest!
  • Complete all line editing for Desertera #2 (pending editor’s schedule)
  • Cover design for Desertera #2
  • Write and publish my next creative writing prompts booklet
  • An author interview on Kate Evans’s website
  • Participate in Camp NaNoWriMo
  • Participate in the Indie Pride Day Book Blast (today!)
  • Participate in the Fire & Lies Goodreads takeover (tomorrow!)

New Year’s Resolutions

So far, I’m on track to hit my goal of 50% of my resolutions. As a quick refresher — our family tradition is to make one resolution for each year of your age. Therefore, I try to shoot for the stars and at least hit the moon!

My difficult code: E (easy), C (challenging), DD (damn difficult), LOL (…yeah…)

WRITING

1. Write five days a week (C, but based on past experience, LOL) – If by “write,” I mean draft OR edit, then I think I’m on track.

2. Finish Desertera #2 (E)

3. Publish Desertera #2 (C) – On track!

4. Write Desertera #3 (DD) – On track!

5. Publish Desertera #3 (DD) – Not happening

6. Write a book for fun (LOL) – I repeat: LOL.

7. Write all nonfiction booklets (E) – On track!

8. Publish all nonfiction booklets (E) – On track!

9. Publish nonfiction compilation (C) – On track!

BUSINESS

10. Publish two blog posts per week (C) – On track!

11. Read 50 books (C) – Way ahead!!!

12. Make $1,000 from my author business (C, maybe DD) – Still possible with the upcoming book launch

13. Adhere to my marketing plan (C) – More or less, need to re-evaluate

14. Send two email newsletters per month (C) – Doing it!

15. Update my author website/platform (revise each quarter) (E) – Check!

PERSONAL

16. Keep Daniel and myself student loan free (DD) – WOOT!

17. Keep migraines to one per month (or less!) (DD) – DOUBLE WOOT!

18. Exercise for 30 minutes, 3 days a week (LOL) – Hahahaha.

19. Record my three daily gratitudes (C) – Yup!

20. Visit a new state (E) Rhode Island & Massachusetts

21. Go to the 9/11 Memorial in NYC (E) – Hopefully this fall

22. Visit home (summer) (C) – Tickets booked!

23. Visit home (Christmas) (E) – Tickets booked!

Who else has accomplishments to share from June? How are your New Year’s Resolutions coming along? What are your plans for the rest of 2016?

Fiction Blog, The Desertera Series, Writing Updates

Revisions, Revisions, Revisions

Kate M. Colby
My best editing tip? Stay focused on the end rewards!
My best editing tip? Stay focused on the end rewards!

After a grueling first drafting, I’m pleased to report that the content revision for Desertera #2 went smoothly.

In case you weren’t around when I explained my content edit experience with The Cogsmith’s Daughter (Desertera #1), here’s the skinny: Essentially, my editor combs through the manuscript looking for plot holes, dropped story lines, character development issues, etc. When she’s done, I receive a summary document with her overarching comments and a chapter-by-chapter analysis of the book. Likewise, she returns my manuscript with her suggested revisions and textual comments. Then, I go in and make revisions based on all of her feedback.

Besides the pleasure of getting my manuscript one step closer to publication, this content revision held a special reward. I could see how much I’ve improved as a writer from book one to book two. I learned from my mistakes with The Cogsmith’s Daughter, and most of the issues my editor spotted last time never arose in the sequel. While a few of them did (and of course, I had a couple new kinks to work out), this draft was much cleaner and a hell of a lot less holey than my first novel. That, in itself, is my greatest pride with book two so far.

So…what’s next?

Because I have nearly two weeks until my deadline for line editing, I’m going to take a quick second (but really third) pass through Desertera #2. Then, the novel will be off to the next round of editing. During the line editing process, a different editor will scour my manuscript for issues with sentence structure, consistency in details and voice, and larger grammar problems. To learn more about this process, you can watch this vlog.

After that? Proofreading, cover design, formatting…and publication!

If The Cogsmith’s Daughter is any indicator, the next few phases should fly by. I’m still on track for an early September release, and I cannot wait to share my second brain child with you all. Stay tuned for future updates (though my newsletter subscribers always hear big news first), and maybe even a few sneak peaks!