In 2023, I had two primary writing goals—to publish When Heart Shall Fail (preferably in the first quarter of the year) and to draft the next (and last) book in my series on the settlement of Oregon. I published When Heart Shall Fail, but not until around Memorial Day. I […]
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Liveries in the Mid-19th Century United States
Writers of historical fiction often chase down rabbit holes of research they do not anticipate. In my current work-in-progress, I need my male protagonist to have a business. He is interested in caring for animals, but veterinarians schooled in how to treat animals were not common in 1867. So, my […]
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SAFE THUS FAR Is Coming Soon!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that I had sent my novel to beta readers. Their feedback is now in (thank you, betas!), and I am busy polishing the text in response to their comments. In general, their feedback was positive, so I am on track to finish up […]
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Thoughts on Story and History and an Update on My Work-in-Progress
Longtime readers of this blog know that it started as a WordPress.com blog called “Story and History: One Writer’s Journey Through Life and Time.” I’ve kept the title “Story and History” even after I integrated the blog into my author website in 2017. And I also use the full title […]
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Summer of 1864 and the Overland Campaign
In 1864, after three bloody years of frequent battles and stalemates, the Civil War slowly turned in favor of the North. President Lincoln gave General Grant command of all the Union armies, and Grant assumed the role of general in chief in Washington, D.C., in March 1864. Only after Grant’s […]
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An Update on My Work-in-Progress, and a Peek at a Possible Cover Image
In my monthly newsletter, I usually update readers on the status of my work-in-progress, but I haven’t posted about it on this blog in several months. (So subscribe to my newsletter!) My story is progressing, albeit slowly. I drafted the whole story during NaNoWriMo last November, ending the month with […]
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Beta Reader Feedback Is In
I’ve now received all my beta readers’ feedback on the contemporary novel that is my work-in-progress. I have spent the past week or so reviewing their input and starting to make the changes I think appropriate. Most of their feedback is really helpful. A couple of my beta readers had […]
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Moving Toward Publication: Beta Readers and Book Design on My Work-in-Progress
It’s a scary time for me right now—I’ve sent my current manuscript out to the first people beyond my critique group. In writers’ parlance, these people are called beta readers. The book isn’t done—it can still be changed—but it’s far enough along that major revisions would be painful and, for […]
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My Work-In-Progress, and the Temptation to Edit As I Read
As I reported to readers of my newsletter last week, I completed the rough draft of my work-in-progress in mid-April. This first draft took just under six months to write—not fast, but also not the slowest first draft I’ve written. Because it’s a contemporary novel, I didn’t have to do […]
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Another Update on My Work-in-Progress
The silver lining in the pandemic crisis is that I have been writing diligently on my work-in-progress, a contemporary novel I intend to publish under a pseudonym. In Kansas City, the shut-down began in earnest about the weekend of March 14-15. At that point, I had around 70,000 words written […]
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