I have just gone through the first proofreading pass of the second book in the Kringle Chronicles, Kringle in the Dark. In the book, Brent Oberhauser, self-professed nerd, falls for Sunshine Rogers, who keeps the books for Yes, Virginia, a Christmas charity. Her boss, Jack Moore, receives blackmail letters in the mail and Sunshine finds significant mysteries in the paperwork buried under the category of “miscellaneous”. In a clash of wills, Sunshine and Brent break up to avoid heartbreak later. The two must find a way back together to try to stop the blackmailer and solve the puzzle of Yes, Virginia.
Right now, I rather like the book, being amazed that I could produce something that good in less than 30 days (aka NaNoWriMo project). But that’s just a stage in my writing. Here’s the stages of my writing:
- Beginning: Look how effortlessly I write!
- After a quarter of the way through the book: I’m just slinging words onto pages. This book is going to be a mess.
- Finishing the first draft: Thank goodness it’s done.
- Proofing the first draft: This book is actually good!
- Finishing the first draft: There has to be something wrong and I can’t wrap my head around it.
- Receiving document back from my in-house editor (i.e. husband): No, look it over again. What’s WRONG with it?
- Second draft: This book is a mess.
- Fast forward to book in hand: This is MY book. Don’t you hurt my little book!
Words Like Me 