Sheri's August Newsletter
Join my Street Team!
Dear Reader,
The past few days have been cool and moody. I’m not quite ready to let go of summer, but I find myself flipping through my baking recipes and making pots of hot tea instead of iced. It’s like I can’t resist. :)
With our two oldest in school, the house is quieter during the day. They love it so much, and I do love the peacefulness during nap time. The schedule and rhythm has done wonders for my brain. I’ve started journaling in the mornings again. I’m surprised by how calming and helpful it is. I don’t know why I forgot, but I suppose we often forget things that are good for us. (Next year I’m doing it all summer. Please hold me to that.)
The next few weeks look big. I have writing, editing, and marketing deadlines crossing over each other. I think I can manage them all, but I’ll feel better about it once I get a few projects knocked out. Speaking of the projects, find the first one below:
In this newsletter you’ll find:
Join my Street Team!
Q & A
Writing update
Publishing update
Magic Forest Proofreading
Join my Street Team!
It’s time to plan a cover reveal for THE SELLER OF SECRETS! Woohoo! I am stunned all over again that I’ve reached this stage already. Things happened a little quicker than expected on the publishing end, so I’m going full speed ahead to build my street team and spread the word about this magical book of my heart. <3
I know you all are here because you support me and my stories, and I am deeply grateful. Even after all these years of writing and sending emails, I still can hardly believe you all want to read my books. :) I cannot wait for the day you get to hold THE SELLER in your hands.
If you’re interested in helping spread the word, click the button to apply!
Q & A
This newsletter is our space to get to know each other, and this is your chance to ask whatever you like!
Reply to this email with an questions you have, and I’ll answer as many as I can in my next newsletter.
Q: When you do sit down to write, do you have a routine that you follow or are you squeezing in time when you can?
A: For years, I thought the only way I could really write was to have one big chunk of time to “get in the flow.” Four kids and one publishing contract later, I realized that deadlines and traveling don’t work well together. My husband is a music teacher during the school year, and then works other jobs during the summer, and several of them require traveling. In order to meet my deadlines, I had to change my writing time ideals.
I have found that I still need to have an expectation of when I will write, but it doesn’t have to be long. During the summer, I wrote every night for 15-20 minutes before I went to bed. The kids were already sleeping, the house was quiet, I looked forward to it all day. Now that school has started again, I work on one project during my big writing days (four hours at once), and then I work on another project for 15-20 minutes every night before I go to bed. The nightly one is usually drafting or editing a rough manuscript because I benefit from frequent breaks to ponder plot issues, but I’m still engaged with the story every day.
Squeezing in time randomly throughout the day doesn’t work well for me. I end up feeling guilty for any free moment I have when I’m not writing. I am truly grateful our schedule allows me to have a big chunk once a week, and I know it’s not possible for many writing moms.
Did you find this helpful? Or do have a question you’d like to ask? Hit reply to this email and let me know!
Writing Update - PROJECT SPIRALDOWN
Send all the virtual (or real) pots of tea!
I confess I’m writing this newsletter right now because I’m PROCRASTINATING. I have one last plot hole to work out at the end of SPIRALDOWN and it is killing me. I keep changing my mind about extending my deadline to send it to my beta readers (thank you all who applied!). For now I’m keeping it August 30 so I remain focused and motivated(there are only so many newsletters to write, lol).
This season has been a shift for me. Never before have I worked on separate projects at the same time like this. It has been difficult, but satisfying. It’s a skill I want to develop because I know I’ll need it to build my career and grow as an author.
Now I’m going to stare at my Pinterest board and imagine all of you reading this to motivate myself. :)
Update: I did indeed weave the last plot holes shut and now I’m just fleshing out scenes and making it more readable. It’s a victory!
Publishing Update - THE SELLER OF SECRETS
Artwork: I got a look at the final cover! Seeing it made me gasp—it’s so pretty, and it makes it all feel more real. As I mentioned above, I’m planning a cover reveal in the next few weeks and I would love to have your help! If you’re interested, join my street team and I’ll get you all the info. Use the button below.
Manuscript: I’ve started on copy edits. These edits mostly involve punctuation. So many dashes and commas I missed, despite being a proofreader, lol. Actually, I don’t proofread my own novel length works for punctuation because I read through it so, so many times to check the story flow and overall atmosphere. If I was self publishing I would hire a proofreader (and all the editors). It’s just impossible for me to write the story and then edit and polish impartially.
My editor got it back to me earlier than expected so I have a whole month to work on these, and that is a gift.
Whether you're a writer or a small business owner, having a trained professional critique your work will save you from embarrassing and unprofessional errors, helping you present a polished product. As my newsletter subscribers, you get 50% off (up to $200) all proofreading jobs! Use the code NEWSLETTER50 when contacting me through my proofreading website or reply to this email. Follow @magicforestproofreading for writing quotes, fantastic vocabulary, and proofreading tips.
I now offer manuscript copyedits and query critiques!