That’s a wrap! July-August 2019
July and August have been an interesting time for me, as I’m soon to commence the next chapter of my life. Progress on the writing and reading fronts has been slow, but by no means non-existent, so read on for all the exciting details! →
July and August have been an interesting time for me, now that I’m done with my studies and about to begin the next chapter of my life. To be honest, it’s felt a little like the calm before the storm! My key “highlights” from the last two months include:
Taking a short hiatus. I took a short hiatus for most of July and into early August. While I was busy during that time for other reasons, I did nothing related to reading or writing so it was a great chance to clear my head!
Continuing the job search. As I mentioned back in June, now that I’ve finished my uni degree I suppose it’s time to find a Real Job. I’ve finally commenced the search, and even have my first interview next week. Wish me luck!
Making the most of my freedom. For now, I am making the most of having few responsibilities or commitments, because I know that once I find full-time employment that freedom will come to an end hahaha!
Over the last two months I published 2 full blog posts, which you can check out below!
As you may be aware, I currently have 2 key writing projects: one a contemporary YA novel, and the other an epic fantasy series. My progress on these is revealed below…and you can click on each heading for more information!
Holding Up the Sky
“The weight of the sky—of the whole world—was pushing down, and it was crushing me.”
Status: Post-beta editing
Word count: 84,200
What’s new: I have spent much of the last two months reading through my contemporary YA novel Holding Up the Sky, editing and making minor adjustments based on the feedback I received from my beta readers. I am now set to write the fourth and “final” draft, which I plan to finish by the end of September…and then it’s on to seeking some form of publishing! Eek!
Blood of Old (Graceborn #1)
“The Old has returned…and what once was, will be again.”
Status: Writing 2nd draft
Word count: 63,700
What’s new: Due to my focus on my other WIP, I made little to no progress on the 2nd draft of Blood of Old, the first book in my fantasy series Graceborn, in July and August. However, I intend to launch myself into Part 2 over September. I’ve also been toying with the idea of including a little quote/excerpt at the beginning of each chapter like a number of fantasy novels do these days. What do you think?
During July and August, I only read a total of 4 books. It was a slow two months for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the stories I did get through, and I’m excited to get back into the swing of things! The books I finished are:
My greatest wish for humanity is not for peace or comfort or joy. It is that we all still die a little inside every time we witness the death of another. For only the pain of empathy will keep us human. There’s no version of God that can help us if we ever lose that.
— from Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Of everything contained within the pages of Scythe, I think my favourite parts were the little excerpts of various scythes’ “gleaning journals” at the beginning of each chapter—particularly those written by Scythe Curie, who is responsible for the quote above. These excerpts are so philosophical and thought-provoking, and something about this quote in particular really resonated with me!
What did you get up to this July/August? How much reading and writing progress did you make? When was your last hiatus and what did you do?
Rebecca Alasdair
I'm an Australian indie author who hoards books, loves dogs and coffee, and has a tendency of staying up all night!
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Andrew McDowell
Some progress was made. Probably the biggest highlight was learning that my first book was a finalist in that contest I mentioned before.
Rebecca Alasdair
And that’s a pretty great highlight!! Congrats again 😊
Andrew McDowell
Thank you! As far as blogging goes, I’m continuing to post once a month. Most of them I’m glad to say have been getting a lot of likes.
Robert Poe
I took a hiatus myself during late July and August. Eventually, however, I got the first book in the Jack Jones series self-published on Amazon. I am currently working on the second book and trying to read as much as possible.
Rebecca Alasdair
Congrats on the publication! That must be such an amazing feeling! Best of luck with writing book 2 😊