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…or, ‘Days with Indigo Update, part 3′. Either way, I’ve got the first draft completed (Finished at end of June and well before my July 4th deadline) and will be sending it off to an editor shortly! Although this is fabulous news, it is merely the first step of many in order to get the book to a completed state. But… WOO HOO!! I friggin’ finished a first draft before my deadline!! I just had to say that!

I have been struggling with finishing the first edit, only because I keep getting sucked back into the story! War-N keeps reminding me that this isn’t a bad thing. But, I find I’m still not truly letting go of the story and letting it manifest into its own entity. It still very much feels like a part of me, inside my head, heart and soul. It’s hard to just smack a “done” label on it and send it on its merry little way. This edit is only to provide “crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s” for the next fellow to see it in a not-so-sloppy manner. He may still find it to be a complete and utter mess! Who knows? But, I’m willing to give over a little control and see what he thinks. For some strange reason, I don’t think I’ll be disappointed. Am I scared? Absolutely! But, it’s a fear I want to have. If I live my life without putting anything of my own out there, what good is that? I know… I’ve done music for over ten years now, but that was a co-effort. I do work hard at the music, and I adore it! But, this writing thing is entirely my own. I’ve never had something that I wanted to put out there, as an actual “something”, that I’ve done entirely on my own. I find just the mere thought exhilarating and terrifying all at once. I can’t wait!!

So, this first draft wound up being roughly 110,000 words, or about 250+ printed book pages. Honestly, I thought it was going to be bigger than that. But, it reads well and you get a good sense of the characters and the story. But, that’s what a professional editor will tell me. Is it too long? Too short? Not enough details? Too many details? I’m very anxious to get notes back and see what a person in the book world actually thinks.

Then, there’s the publishing aspect. Do I self-publish? Do I hope for a book deal? What do I really want to do once this book is ready to find a home in the public eye? My music background says “Self-publish, you fool!” and the other side of me says “Let someone else help you make good decisions, help fund the pressing of the book and distribute in more places”. These two voices get along right now, as they don’t really see each other that much, but I will eventually have to decide. Either way, the plan is this. I’ll finish a great draft, write an awesome Query Letter (which is basically like a One Sheet in the music world.), send it off to a few book folks and then, depending on that, go from there. If nothing else, I’ll just self-publish on a smaller scale. Books are not cheap to print yourself!!!! At least, not the quality that I want to put out there. And, of course, I’d want to offer a non-paper edition as well. But, as a book reader myself, I just have to have an actual book or I don’t feel like I’m reading! So many options to think about. Oh my!

So, you see, I have a lot more work to do and a lot of decisions to make. But, the main story is enjoying its first incarnation as I mark it up with blue ink. My hope is to have a completed first edit to hand off by Friday! Here’s hoping

Well, that feels better. Now, maybe I can fall asleep. Yes. It’s one of “those” nights. My mind is so busy. But, I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have something to worry about. My idea of absolute calm usually only lasts for a day at the most. I don’t like sitting still for too long. The beauty is, I don’t have to.

If you have something you want to give to the world, find a way to give it! It’s worth every second of hard work!!

Take care,

Christa Belle