Hello lovies! This is going to be a rather short update since for a majority of this month, Tide Bound has been in the hands of over a dozen beta readers.

First of all, a shout out to everyone who took the time out of their days to read it. As I approach the final draft, your feedback is both validating & crucial to ensuring I’m creating the best debut I possibly can. I’ve gotten some strong insight on how to improve the weaker parts of the romance & plot, which I was floundering with a bit in the weeks leading up to sending it out. As the author, you’re ridiculously close to your work and while sometimes I can tell pieces of the puzzle aren’t clicking, it’s hard to step back and figure out how to fix it. Secondly, one of my weaknesses as a person is my inability to take a break when I’m passionate about something. But Michaelbrent Collings, a best selling indie author & screenwriter, says ‘You can’t be a writer unless you’re writing.’ So I won’t fault myself for it too much. I’ve worked on some technical editing (cutting filler words and improving prose) as well as some conversations with critique partners to get the wheels turning. Since May 19th, I’ve allowed myself to stew over feedback before jumping back into revision mode. Outside of the writing, I’ve been working on putting together everything I need to start prepping and launching my kickstarter, where I will be offering signed editions of my novel alongside some bookish homemade items to help crowdfund the initial stock I need to purchase up front. This included designing keychains, commissioning some art & ordering those prints and finally being able to hold a proof of Tide Bound in my hands.

What’s up next?

I’m reaching the point where the ‘Up next’ is starting to scare me. It’s easier to feel excitement for the early stages of a project, when you’re staring down the barrel of potential. Now, I’ve reached the point where potential is nearing a finalized product and imposter syndrome is nipping at my heels.

‘How To Finish Your Novel’

Maybe I’m feeling inspired this morning, because I also think of following Jack Nicklaus’ advice, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” though he’s talking about golf, not self publishing your books, but I think the advice still stands. In the three weeks between working on my novel, I wrote a 13 page PDF on tips for finishing a novel. From the first draft to revisions. A step-by-step guide for getting your idea out of your mind, onto paper & into a full-fledged novel. I recognize writing routines can be drastically different for everything, so some (or all) of these tips might not work for you, but they might be able to point you in the right direction.