I hope those of you who follow this blog have been reading and writing. I have been doing a lot of reading. My writing stalled for a while, but I’m starting to get back into the groove and feeling excited about my writing again.
About a month ago, I was approached by a small publisher who was interested in my work in progress (WIP). I sent my manuscript, though my edits weren’t complete. They said not to worry about it because if they decided they wanted to publish it, they would require a grueling edit anyway. Well, they really liked my manuscript and they offered me a contract. You would think I would be thrilled about that, right?
Well at first I was, but then I carefully read and studied the contract, and after prayer and careful consideration, I decided it wasn’t the right decision for me and my novel. However, that experience made it crystal clear to me that I will be an indie published writer, and I have lots of indie published writing friends who are encouraging me along that path and willing to offer tips and advice.
So, how soon will my first book be available, you might ask. It will be a while yet. I do need to finish edits, and under the advice of a friend, I have put the manuscript aside for a month or maybe six weeks and am focusing on writing something else. My friend said this would be a good thing to do because the I can return to my manuscript with fresh eyes.
What am I writing? A short story. I have a strong reason for writing it, but I don’t know what I’m going to do with it when it’s finished.
What’s new in your writing life?
Kelly F Barr 
Thanks for your updates, I look forward to your editing tips as they emerge. I want to catch as many mistakes as I can before I spend money on an actual editor. As for writing news, I also started writing short stories ( I usually write novels) so it’s been a fun exercise to boost my creative juices.
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Hello Scribbling Scribe! I’m glad you are looking forward to my editing tips as they emerge. I’m sorry they have been slow in coming.
That’s great that you started writing short stories. It’s always helpful to try something new and stretch ourselves.
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Hello Kelly,
I love reading your reviews and updates. Congratulations on going back to your own writing. It’s been a month since I published my debut novel, Misty Dreams, and I immediately started on my second book. I thought I had it all figured out. I was going to write a sequel, but after I got about 4,000 words down, I realized I wasn’t feeling it, so I started something fresh, a standalone novel. I got another 3,000 down and hit writer’s block. That’s when I decided I needed a break, so I set the book writing aside for a while. Right now I’m sprucing up my website.
Take care!
Josephine
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Hi Josephine,
Thank you so much! I’m glad you like reading my reviews and updates. I’m sorry you’re struggling with writer’s block. I never had a problem with writer’s block until Covid, but since March of 2020, I have had a period where I struggled with any kind of creativity, and I’ve had two periods of writer’s block. It feels good to be working on this short story right now. I hope you will be able to get back to your writing soon, and I wish you the best with your website. Mine needs some work too, but time is something I never seem to have enough of.
Blessings,
Kelly
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