Works in Progress {sneak peek}

Hello, friends.

Once again, this isn't coming to you on a Monday. So sorry about that.

One reason for the delay is that I've been writing a book. While I'm no longer participating in NaNoWriMo events due to their stepping too far into politics rather than sticking to the writing-community services they offer, I am still writing.

Do you remember a very long while back when you voted on which story I should work on? At the time, I thought I was ready to work on the elderly ladies on a road trip story. Apparently, I wasn't then. But I am now.

In fact, back in June, I worked up a very detailed scene-by-scene outline for the story, which is now going to be a book rather than a screenplay (though I may write that version later, just in case anyone wants to make a movie out of it at some point). This story is now my primary project this month.

Of course I have a couple of other ones I'm chipping away on. I can hardly ever focus solely on one project at a time, thanks to my undiagnosed ADD. Yet, I find that working on multiple projects actually aids my creativity instead of harming it.

Maybe it takes me longer to finish each story that way, but the good news is there may be multiple stories finished up around the same time because of this process.

Some of you might be wondering how I keep the various storylines, character names, and plot points straight if I'm working on multiple books at the same time.

Thanksgiving

by Andrea Renee Cox

Happy Thanksgiving week! I hope your family and you will create wonderful memories as you eat great food, play board games, watch movies, chat up a storm, and whatever else you might do during the holiday.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

A Glimpse at a Rough Draft

by Andrea Renee Cox

This month is insanely busy for me, but I am remembering to take time to enjoy life and rest between my various projects. This weekend, I saw Murder on the Orient Express, which was a phenomenal story, one which I recommend studying to learn how to write complex plots that keep viewers guessing until the very end. I also saw a re-showing of Casablanca—a celebration of its 75th anniversary—an old classic I didn’t appreciate the first time I watched it. Cut me some slack, though. I was a teenager who understood nothing of politics back then. Even though I am still not a fan of politics, I understand more about them now, and I’ve learned a great deal about WWII since the last time I viewed that classic movie. 

As for rest, I’m soaking in snippets of the Word of God. I’m finding it helpful to meditate on a single verse or small section of verses these days, since I am so busy. This still keeps my mind and heart focused on God and His Word, even as chaos is pinballing around me. I love writing these verses on the white board in my room as well as on 3-by-5-inch notecards to stick in my purse, keep at my desk, and prop up on my bookcase (which I visit often, as you can imagine, my being an avid reader). At other times, I like to flip open to a favorite section in the Bible and read a full chapter. While doing this, I pay extra-special attention to any passages that I had previously highlighted, underlined, or circled—and I often end up finding hope, encouragement, and a whisper of love from the God I serve. Those moments are the most precious of my day.

These days, I need all the encouragement I can get, because I’m nearing the middle of NaNoWriMo, which is a challenge to write at least 50,000 words toward a new book during the month of November. Believe it or not, I’m past 40k already. Still going strong too. I’m at that point now where I’m doubting the quality of my work and dreading the editing. Normally when I reach this point, I hit a slump in my writing. I don’t know if it’s a dip in my confidence or a gap in my timeline (or lack of a timeline altogether). This year I have most of a timeline, and my confidence is stronger than in NaNos past. Still, I find myself struggling to find words right when I sit down.

Since I’m talking about NaNoWriMo and the story I’m working on, how would you like to see a section of my very rough first draft? Sharing something so raw and unedited makes me nervous, but I appreciate you guys so much that I want to share this tidbit with you. Here goes…

Psst! Want to Get a Sneak Peek?

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey you!

Yes, you. Would you like to see a little piece of my recent Camp NaNoWriMo project? Well, your wish may just come true.

This story I worked on was from an outline I drew up in only thirty minutes one afternoon. I was so surprised at how quickly my first manuscript outline came together. It was definitely God-designed, I'll tell you that. A couple of things changed along the way, as I was writing the story, but most of the outline remained intact. It's only the second time I've used an outline, but both projects didn't take me long to write, and I credit the outline and God's guidance very heavily for that.

The scene I'm about to share with you is unedited, so please forgive any typos. It may not stay in its current form once I start editing in a month or so (after I finish the first draft of another book in the series). Even so, I thought you'd enjoy getting a glimpse at my hard work from last month.

Fair warning: If you're anything like me, you might want to have some tissues close at hand when reading this snippet.

Sneak Peek!*

Camp NaNoWriMo + a Sneak Peek!

by Andrea Renee Cox

Hey y’all! How are you this fine Monday? I am busy as a little bee, working really hard on an outline for the project I’ll be writing for Camp NaNoWriMo in April. (Stay tuned for a fun sneak peek!)

Ever since my friend Hannah invited me to participate in Camp last April, I have loved and looked forward to it. Camp NaNo is a one-month writing session online (CampNaNoWriMo.org) where one may join a cabin of writing buddies. I like Camp better than regular NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) because of the cabin atmosphere and being able to set one’s own goals rather than being mandated to do 50k words. Sometimes I only have time for 20k or so; other times, I fly to 60+ thousand words before the third week of a month. Either way I go, the words build up into something amazing.