December IWSG

10:32 AM Elizabeth Seckman 11 Comments

Complaining about why I can't get this current draft finished is so last month, I am going to concentrate on the positive instead:

I have written the story all the way to "The End". Sure, it's a tragic mess with all kinds of plot holes, character shifts, and series' errors that need to be researched and polished, but technically, it's done.

I know where the plot is going and sort-of, kind-of have a general idea of how I need to fix it.

I took time in November to read, get a mammogram, and travel. Okay, so I travel all the time, but usually I work and travel. This time, I did not. Call it poor planning, call it providence, but my husband and I went to Rome and forgot to add the right kind of international service to our phone plan, so we toured the city old school with off-line maps and placard reading instead of googling.

This month's insecurity? As always, it's in finding the balance and getting all the things done that a writer needs to do to sell a book. It's a lot. Those of you who do it well, I commend you. I've been at it for a decade or more and I still haven't found the balance.

Thank you to our awesome co-hosts for this month! Ronel, Deniz, Pat Garcia, Olga Godim, and Cathrina Constantine- you guys rock!

December 4 question - Do you write cliffhangers at the end of your stories? Are they a turn-off to you as a writer and/or a reader?

No and yes. :)

Join the IWSG!

11 comments:

H. R. SinclairDecember 4, 2024 at 11:17 AM
What a lovely adventure you had in November--traveling old school. :) Happy Holidays.
Alex J. CavanaughDecember 4, 2024 at 11:28 AM
Rome! Hey, who cares if you were offline the whole time. That was probably a blessing.
Natalie AguirreDecember 4, 2024 at 11:36 AM
It's awesome you went to Rome with your husband. I hope it was a fun trip. And congrats on finishing your first draft. Many are messy and need lots of revision. Finishing yours while juggling your work and family responsibilities is a major accomplishment you should celebrate.
Elizabeth Spann CraigDecember 4, 2024 at 2:23 PM
That sounds like an adventurous way to see Rome! You probably made some unexpected discoveries. :)
Ronel Janse van VuurenDecember 4, 2024 at 3:35 PM
Sounds like you had a wonderful time in Rome -- doing it without the aid of the internet must have added another layer of fun :-) Balance in between writing and publishing is a myth, just do the best you can when you can. Happy holidays!

Ronel visiting for IWSG day Over and Done With. An Author’s Year in Review 2024
L. Diane WolfeDecember 4, 2024 at 3:38 PM
LOL! I remember touring London with only a booklet. No good cell phones then. I bet you had a blast.
Tyrean MartinsonDecember 4, 2024 at 4:25 PM
Bongiourno! We were in Italy last month, too! Maybe we saw each other in the crowds and didn't know it. :)
jabblogDecember 5, 2024 at 4:38 AM
Rome sounds fun and I'm sure the break did you good.
Madeline Mora-SummonteDecember 5, 2024 at 9:13 AM
"... but technically, it's done." - I hear that! :)

Hope you had a wonderful time in Rome!
Patricia JLDecember 7, 2024 at 5:32 PM
I'd be fine with exploring Rome the old fashioned way. It sounds fun.
AnonymousDecember 10, 2024 at 6:04 AM
Anonymously Esther O'Neill, East of the Sun, no signal, nothing most people would call broadband. Exploring Rome phone free was unforgettable - especially when someone spotted my English guide and asked the way. So hot, and I remembered the green oasis of the place I used to call the Protestant Cats *- all rescues - at the Cimiterio Acattolica, with Keats and Shelley. The cats have excellent taste in music,