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My second semester of grad school has officially begun! Huzzah for even less time to write than usual!

I’ve set up a plan for the next revision of Narrator. You may have noticed the progress meter is back to 0. I’m going to be going chapter by chapter: first big stuff like adding or rearranging scenes, then smaller stuff like style and grammar. I’m super excited to get back to Narrator, I have lots of ideas to fix the problems my writing group found in the 2nd draft.

Speaking of Narrator, my query was critiqued by copyeditor Lynnette Labelle! My query isn’t promising, but it is a start! I need to figure out how to get all of the complexities of the novel to fit into an enticing 250 word blurb.

You may have noticed that my progress meters haven’t been moving much lately. Luckily, they do not reflect reality. I have been writing, but in a notebook where wordcounts are much harder to obtain. I have decided to try a new planning technique I learned for Fragment of the Moon. I’ll share that with you once I’ve figured out if it works for me.

Hope you all are getting to work on those New Year Resolutions!

And so we come to the end of A Single Bell‘s first year! I thought it would be a good time to sum up the year and look forward to the next.

What I’ve Accomplished This Year

1. I started grad school. After planning for several different variations on the grad school thing, I’m glad to have settled on publishing. It’s a perfect fit.
2. I got a job. In October, after a year and a half of searching, I finally joined the workforce! I have a job I love, on a career path that makes sense for me.
3. I moved out of my parents’ house. Oh adulthood.
4. I finished Narrator, second draft. That’s a huge step for me. I’ve finished first drafts before, but I’ve never done a complete re-write before.
5. I’ve got a decent plan for several more novels. I’m not as worried about which novel to work on. Switching back and forth might make completion take longer, but it’s a great way to deal with getting stuck.
6. I’ve contributed to and learned from the blogosphere. I have fallen in love with this blog, and I’ve learned so much from reading others’.

What I Hope to Accomplish Next Year

1. Polish up Narrator and start querying. I am determined to get this novel out there. Hopefully someone will find it a gem.
2. Continue my studies, both in and out of class. Between school and work, I’m learning loads about publishing.
3. Kick this blog up a notch. I want to give the design a make-over, and try to make every post count. I want to be able to help you guys improve your writing and/or creativity.

Favorite Blog Posts, as determined by the Readers

1. 10,000 Words. I guess people like pretty pictures…
2. Writer’s Workshop: Weaknesses. Definitely something you need to research.
3. Eat Your Heart Out, Mr. Morgan. World building, anthropology style.
4. Adventuring Goblins. A great comic. Go read it.
5. How Not to Write a Metaphor. Hilarious examples of terrible metaphors. Please don’t write like this.
6. Writer’s Workshop: Writers as Sadists. A personal favorite, I must admit. Also, very true.
7. Self-Publishing: Vanity or New Credibility? A look at a very important question now that self-publishing is easier than ever.
8. When You Wish You’d Thought of It First. Good advice considering every idea has been done to death.
9. How Not to Emulate the Classics. Five mistakes people make because they’re trying to write a new “classic.”
10. An Editor’s Useful Advice to Writers. A must read for writers.

It’s official. NaNoWriMo is not happening this year. Instead of scrambling to churn out 30,000 words this weekend, I’m going to work on my final for class.

Good luck to the rest of you!

NaNoWriMo is half over! Am I working hard to catch up right now? No, not particularly. Instead, I’m at AnimeUSA! I’m blogging for them. If you’re there, maybe we’ll randomly meet. It’s my first convention, so I’m excited!

Narrator is taking a break on my digital shelves. Once December rolls around, it’ll be time for the next round of editing/polishing, and then I can finally start querying! Huzzah!

Shadows, Echoes, and Reflections was a bit stalled this week, but thanks to the suggestions of my writing group it now has a worthy First Book of Trilogy plot that doesn’t involve questing! (Gosh, I hate questing.)

In between work and homework, I’ve been frantically writing to finish up Narrator. I’ve finally made it to the last chapter! So close!

When I don’t have access to my notebook, I’m busy planning for NaNoWriMo. Get ready for a NaNo-filled November, starting Monday!

As I mentioned earlier this week, an awesome new job plus grad school leaves little time for writing. Planning, however, is full steam ahead, both for how I’m going to end Narrator and where I want to take NaNo.

Now excuse me while I return to studying for my midterm!

Only two or three chapters left for Narrator! I am this close.

As we get closer to November and NaNoWriMo, I’ve been thinking more and more about the novel I’ll be working on. I’m almost 100% certain I won’t win this year, what with a full-time job and part-time grad school, but it’s worth a shot if it gets me to write a lot.

Given the odds, I might break the rule about starting something new, and stick with Gatekeepers or Fragment of the Moon. I’d rather bring them closer to the finish line than start another new project. I’ll keep you posted.

I’ve also been working on updating the site. If you’d like automatic updates on blog posts, or would just like to connect with me on Facebook, click on the new buttons on the right sidebar.

No, I did not finish my first revision of Narrator. No, I was not offered a publishing deal based on the enticing details provided on this blog (although that would be awesome).

I am officially employed.

I have a full time job. I have benefits. I have – wait for it – self-esteem. Or at least, more than I did yesterday.

For the curious, it’s in the publishing field. For the detail-maniacs, I’m a marketing assistant. For the jealous, fear not, for ye shall be next.

I am super excited, and can’t think of anything better to share with you today than my latest achievement!

A brief respite from Narrator to work on something new, my latest WIP The Gatekeepers, helped me get excited about revising again.

We’re coming down to the wire: all the main characters are in the same place at the same time! What will happen next? Only Pennington knows…

Now we’re coming down to it: the home stretch. In these last few chapters, we’ll see if Calder and the others can defeat the big bad Narrator. Good luck, fellas. You sorely need it.

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• Welcome

  

  Hi, I'm Jenn, new grad student and old YA fantasy writer. I've long dreamed of being a novelist, and I bet you have too. I hope you find my blog helpful, inspiring, and maybe just a little bit fun. (But not too much fun. Writing is serious business, you know.)

  You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook, or email me at:
  jennifer.a.johnson7 at gmail dot com

• Official Progress

  
  

  4/21 segments

  
  A narrator hijacks a cliche fantasy story, much to the chagrin of its characters.

  Status: Second revision

  
  
  

  1,639/70,000 words

  A young noblewoman with strange powers must choose: her king or her soul.

  Status: First draft

  
  
  

  1,087/70,000 words

  When a girl's heart is stolen, she's plunged into a world of magic and shadows - but can she get her heart back before she loses it completely?

  Status: First draft

  
  
  
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  All writing, unless otherwise specified, is the property of
  Jennifer Johnson © 2010
  
  
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