As I’ve previously rambled on about, last year was not a productive one for my personal writing. I set out to have a much better 2024, and so far I’m being successful.
My total word count for February was 24,441 bringing the year’s total to a very respectable 37,306 words.
Most of the month was spent on the first book of my new series, also known as Tessa Karras Book 1. The series is centered around a female exorcist, Tessa, and is jam packed with demons, monsters and mind-bending alternate realities. The first draft was written a couple of years ago, but it’s been sitting on the back burner since then.
One of the problems with the book was its length. It was too long. I had an epiphany at the beginning of February and decided to rip out the first 30,000 words and replace them with a new, shorter opening. The cut section makes up a good-sized novella in its own right, and that’s probably how I’ll use it.
I finished the new opening this week and it’s about half the length and ties more directly into the rest of the book. It’s also sets up Tessa’s character and the world much better.
While I was planning out the new chapters, I took the opportunity to revise the outline for the rest of the book. This new version is much clearer, brings in some really interesting supporting characters and cuts a couple of boring ones. It means there is a lot more work to get it finished, but it will be worth it.
Working on the novel has energized my writing, and I’m getting back into the rhythm of writing every day. It’s going to be a while before the book sees the light of day, but Tessa is a fun character to write and I can’t wait to get her in front of the world.
Until next time, stay safe.
