I have updates, in the form of two different projects.

Yes, I’m still working on my SF WIP and managed to finish revising a chapter and started on the next one, but I also started working on another project.

But I’ll start with the SF WIP first.

I don’t want to say that I’m over whatever mental block that might’ve been blocking me – because I don’t want to jinx myself. Words seem to be flowing and that feels great.

Twoish weeks ago, I got together with Brigid Kemmerer to write (we live fairly close to each other and try to get together to write every now and then when schedules permit) and I was able to crank out almost 1000 words, after deleting about 500. I felt so productive!

And prior to that, I had cranked out like 2200 words over a few days and finally finished a chapter. I did hit a little snag, but that was because I was forcing my MC to act out of character (hence the 500-word deletion). I wanted her to have this vulnerable moment, but where and who she is in this moment in the story, isn’t someone who breaks down and lets her emotions overwhelm her. She’s very “wall around her heart” right now, so an emotional break down felt forced and it was ultimately throwing off her character.

To be completely honest, I just wanted my two MC’s to have a moment and it wasn’t the right time. I got the urge to write that scene off my chest and was able to move forward.

And for the other project.

It’s not a new project, but one I started about a year ago – a beach contemporary romance. I recently got a new idea for it and wanted to get it on paper. I’m maybe 5k into it but will probably stop working on it until November and make it my NaNoWriMo project.

An incident that happened to me last year while on vacation at the beach spurred the idea – I got caught under a large 6-8 ft circular pool float and struggled to get out from under it. I had to try and remain calm and not panic as I tried to get out from under it as wave buffeted against it. I obviously got out, but that swim back to shore was the absolute hardest swim of my life. I was exhausted, panicky and just wanted out of the water. The tide was coming in, and I ultimately just let the strong current carry me back to shore, because I was utterly depleted.

I had family members walking towards me, telling me that they thought they were going to have to come pull me onto shore because they didn’t think I was going to make it.

I am proud that I managed to stay calm until I got out from under the float, and that I could rationalize that freaking out wasn’t going to help me any. I was definitely nervous to get back in the water after that incident, but that float was deflated and gotten rid of after that.

But anyways, it spurred this idea in my brain, and last year I wrote about 10k of this story. Then a few months ago, I did one of those Twitter posts “your birth month and day and whatever else is the title of your YA Contemporary book” and my title was pretty good, and it gave me a new idea for this story.

My Hater Stole My First Kiss.

Like, how perfect?

Now, you know basically nothing about this WIP other than that incident above plays a part, but there is a male character in this book who was never supposed to be the love interest, and when I wrote him in the 10k draft, it was looking like he’d stand a chance. But you might ask, how does the title Twitter gave you come into play? Well, the MC cannot stand this guy, and kind of vice versa. Also, that title isn’t the official one, just what I’m choosing to use for now.

Anyways, once I get back from vacation, it’ll be time to dive back into my SF WIP and then come NaNoWriMo, my plan is to work on this contemporary, but we’ll see!