Writing and Life Update
It’s been a hot minute since I posted on my blog. Life has been a bit of a roller coaster these last few months. Between navigating the loss of Avery (our cat), running around after an assertive 3-year-old, and working on my manuscript, I kind of forgot about this space. Or rather, updating my blog wasn’t top of mind for the last little while.
My son is the light of my life. He’s honestly one of the funniest people I know. Weekends are usually spent doing various activities together as a family or one-on-one with either Mommy (me) or Mama (my wife, Emily).
I’m back with an exciting update: I have officially finished the first draft of my manuscript! I have a lot of feelings about it … mostly excited and proud, but also a bit sad. I’ve grown really fond of my characters, their lives, and their love story. I’m going to miss hanging out with them. It sounds kind of silly, but it truly feels like I know them. Although, I guess I do since they’re based off of people I know or characters I watch on TV.
I’ve been missing Avery’s quirks so much so, in an effort to not lose them, I’ve written Avery into my manuscript. I asked Emily to read one of my chapters and her first remark was, “that’s our Avery!” Losing Avery has been extremely difficult for me. She was in our lives for almost a decade, which really was not long enough. She truly was my soul cat in every sense of the term. She cuddled with me at night, followed me around the house, sat on my lap while I worked on my writing. I feel her with me always, but it’s not the same as being able to scoop her up for a squeeze. I hope I did her justice in capturing her silly and lovable personality.
Avery editing some of my writing in 2019.
I’m also more than halfway through GCLS’s Writing Academy 2 and our mentorships have started this past week. That means I’ve sent the first 100 pages of my manuscript to my mentor. I’m equally excited and nervous to hear her thoughts about my work. I hope she enjoys my book as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.
My plans for the next couple of months are to complete some research to ensure that some of the legal jargon I’ve included in my book actually make sense and revise my work based on my mentor’s commentary. Once that’s done, I’ll start submitting my book to publishers. So, keep your fingers crossed for me.
What I’m looking forward to most, is the annual GCLS conference this summer. I’ll be flying in and spending the entirety of the conference learning from some of the greats and making new connections. I’m also looking forward to seeing friends I haven’t seen in a while and meeting friends in person for the first time. I’m also looking forward to a week off from mom duties (I know all the moms out there know what I’m talking about).
Keep an eye out for more updates to come! :)
