Writing Update: Revisions, Camp NaNoWriMo, Etc.

So I've been on a writing steam train lately, and I've been loving it.

Speficially, writing planning. I've had to get myself back into revising - which, while fun, isn't near as fun for me as writing a first draft - and I decided spur-of-the-moment to do Camp NaNoWriMo this April.

I guess I'd better talk about this one at a time, shouldn't I?

Revisions

As stated earlier, I've been in kind of a revision rut. It's easy to be like, nah, I'm planning on releasing my book on Amazon this summer, I can wait, right? or it's easy to sink hours into Skyrim. (Whoops.)

However, as also stated earlier, ruts are some of those things that you have to jump out of. There's no easing out of a rut. You have to start somewhere.

That being said, revisions have been going well. I'm actually adding more than I'm deleting, which is kind of surprising. But, nonetheless, I'm super excited about it, and I can't wait to see what the finished product looks like. I still have to do things like design the cover, lay out the final book, etc.

Right now, expect my debut novel, Swept Off My Fins, to be out this June or July.

Here is a synopsis:

Lisette is a mermaid, the youngest of five sisters, and is a darling of the Sea Kingdom of Aquamarine, protected under the careful, watchful eye of her father the king. The only thing her family and her people wishes she’d work on is her singing voice.

But what they don’t know is that she can write like no other.

And write she does, keeping secret stories hidden in her grotto of what she imagines the world above to be like. Not only does she write stories, but there are letters from a prince just beyond her ocean home.

But when her friendship and budding romance with the prince is jeopardized, and her dreams of sharing her stories seemingly shattered, she bargains with one of the darkest powers of the sea to try to get ashore and see the world she’s been writing about for herself.

Can Lisette share her true voice, outsmart a sea witch, and find her prince? Follow a daring mermaid’s adventure in Savannah Cottrell’s debut novel, a retelling of a classic tail…er, tale…that you won’t want to miss.

My Novella?

Yes, I'm writing a Novella this April during Camp NaNoWriMo. On top of revising my first book.

What am I doing?

At the same time, why not? I mean, as a writer, you need to keep writing and honing your craft, whether that's in starting a writing project, revising, editing, or whatever.

So, why a novella? Well, the biggest difference between Camp NaNoWriMo and "regular" NaNoWriMo is that you can set the word count. Also, it's not an actual camp; it's just another opportunity to write something, big or small. Camp happens twice a year, too: April and July (I would recommend the July one to you students out there). So, I set my word count for Camp to be 25,000, which is in the sweet spot of the typical length of a Novella (about 17,500 to 40,000 words, which is actually kind of a massive range).

I don't want to divulge the details of my novella yet, but just know I'm super excited about the idea, and I'm taking risks that I haven't taken before as a writer. I am SO excited to get started on April 1st.

Speaking of getting started, I've found an app that's going to help writing this novella be so much easier. It's called Pacemaker, and it's a task management calendar website. You plug in your project length, how many words, and other specifics, and it gives you a project calendar that's customized to your specific needs and schedule. As a planner, I LOVE this. I can plug the word counts the site gives me into my paper planner and Scrivener, and I can go to town knowing I have a plan in place.

You can access Pacemaker here. You do have to make an account, but to use the best features, it's completely free.

Anyway, I'm so excited for my writing adventures coming up, and I can't wait to share how they go with you guys! And yes, I will update you guys throughout Camp NaNoWriMo. That will be a fun ride, too.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!