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| Relaxing on the Couch, with Coffee |
Sleep over at Grandma's
And, we had some great visits with friends and our northern family members throughout August, September, and October too, including a visit from blogging buddy Liesbet and her husband Mark. I just haven't had time to write about everything that has been happening!
But, that is not what this post is about.
Art Update
This Saturday and Sunday, I will participating in another Studio Tour. As with last time, I will open my art studio and gallery, Notch Hill Art, to the public. I hope to see lots of new and previous visitors! I have blogged about it here.
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| Art Show This Weekend! |
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| Long Shadows |
Novel Update
Newsflash! I have just completed a first draft of my novel.
It clocks in at 30 chapters and more than 100,000 words. I can’t tell you exactly how many words it is because I have written it using an older version of WORD that stops counting at 100,000. It is a somewhat lighthearted post-apocalyptic tale (if you can imagine that) crossed with a coming of age story.
I am excited about having completed the first draft! I have been working on this novel for about three years, although I actually had the original idea for it nearly 30 years ago when my second child was a baby.
My next step with the novel is to read the whole thing through, making small revisions to do with flow and consistency. Then I am going to give it to my beta readers. I am so happy that four people have offered to read it and give me feedback. They are all people who will present perspectives that I know will be very helpful.
During this past year, my writers’ group has been such a great support and source of feedback. I think that knowing that we will be meeting each month helps to motivate me to keep on working on the manuscript. Every month, I want to have something new to read at our meeting.
The other great thing about our writers’ group (besides the fact that they are wonderful people and good writers) is that we have started to go out to writing related events together, like readings and storytelling evenings. I love being connected with a bunch of likeminded writers.
Next month, I will be reading through the manuscript of one of my writer friends, and I am looking forward to that very much (AFTER the art show).
So, in summary, although I have been actively involved in a lot of things this past year, I have still managed to find some time for writing and art. Writing and making art were two priorities that I set for myself when I retired, and it makes me happy that I have persisted toward these goals.
Congratulations for finishing your first draft, Judith! That is fantastic news. I know how much that means to you. And, you are on the home stretch now. I am so happy and proud. And, as I mentioned before, I envy you your writers group! That is so important to receive the ongoing support and encouragement and to give back. Well done!
ReplyDeleteMy memoir is also 30 chapters long and over 100,000 words. I have started work on it again and hope to cut the word count down to a number that even your old Word version will be able to detect. :-)
And, have a great art show this weekend. Sell lots and inspire even more!
You have a lot of fun things going on, being creative. I’m behind with my blogs as well. I finally wrote about our meet-ups this past summer.
Yes, completing the first draft is a huge milestone! However, I am sure that the manuscript still will need plenty of work. I have never actually read it through from beginning to end, so I am looking forward to that step. And I am also looking forward to what my first readers have to say.
DeleteI am glad to hear that you are working on your memoir again. Being settled in a house sit must really help. You have a great writers’ group as well, only your group is virtual rather than F2F!
I meant to write about our visit on my blog, Liesbet, but I seem to have so little time for blogging, with all that has been happening.
Jude
Congratulations on the art show and the novel. How nice to meet Liesbet and Mark - and you certainly tired those kids out!
ReplyDeleteAnabel, it was fun to meet Liesbet and Mark. Maybe someday I’ll make it to Glasgow and meet you too! Re: the grandkids. Can you guess which one is just pretending to sleep?
DeleteJude
Hi, Jude - Congratulations on your Art Show and your novel. Richard and I had hoped to get out to the Studio Tour but were unfortunately already committed for this weekend. Will your Art Group also have a gathering in one spot later this December/January like they did last year? If so, I would love to attend.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to getting together again soon. We need a BIG catch-up!
Hi Donna. Yes, we should get together for coffee. I have been missing the dog walking group as Kate has had a sore foot. The Studio Tour Group will be doing a Showcase again, I think, in the Spring, although the date has not been set yet.
DeleteJude
Hi Jude! Congratulations on finishing your first draft. That is a HUGE step! Now the fun part of editing!!!! (Not!) And I'm sure your ART show this last weekend went very well. I would have been there in support if I lived closer! Thom and I hope to make it up your way next summer so maybe we can get together? It is always fun to connect IRL with our online friends. ~Kathy
ReplyDeleteKathy, I would LOVE to meet you in person! I hope your trip to Vancouver Island works out as planned.
DeleteThe art show was fun. I had lots of visitors over the two days, mostly new people who hadn’t been to my studio before. And, between visitors, I finally finished a small painting that I started over a year ago.
On my previous attempts to write a novel, I dreaded the step of revising and editing. However, this time I feel a bit more ready to tackle it. I think the feedback from my first readers will help a lot.
Jude
Congratulations, Jude, on another successful art show and your novel. They're both huge accomplishments. Enjoy December!
ReplyDeleteThanks Natalie! I had lots of visitors to my studio/gallery on the weekend. The show was not so successful in terms of sales, but still it was great to meet lots of people and gain exposure for my artwork.
DeleteI have set aside reading my novel temporarily as I am deep into reading my writer friend’s first draft.
Jude
Congrats on your first draft. A lot of us know how special that is. I may be out of place here, but will charge ahead anyway and refer you to a post I blogged just yesterday about "telling our stories" on 'octoberyears.com.' After reading your comments I can tell you have lots of fans doing exactly that.
ReplyDeleteGood job. Gil
Gil, thanks for commenting. I took a quick peek at your blog, and I really like the way you encourage others in their senior years (or October and November years, as you call them) to write the stories that they want to write.
DeleteJude
Completing the first draft of a project that has been part of your life for so many years...absolutely a high five to you. A friend took almost two years to complete his first novel, but he felt such a sense of accomplishment that the blood, sweat, and tears (and thousands of dollars) was worth it to him. I have his book proudly displayed in my home.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the very best as you move through the process of watching your dream come to fruition.
Thanks Bob! I feel that this is a solid first draft, and I am committed to keep working on it. I also have written some notes for a prequel novel and a sequel. So, I think this is going to be a series.
DeleteIt is not actually my first attempt at a novel. I wrote one about 20 years ago, and completed about 3/4 of the first draft and then got stuck and never finished it. I still might go back to it someday. And then I wrote a first draft of a another novel ten years ago and sent it out to some first readers who gave very helpful feedback. But that novel needed a lot of rewriting, and I became so discouraged about doing the revisions that I never finished revising it. Fingers crossed that I don’t hit a similar brick wall with this current manuscript!
Jude