As always, I’d like to begin this week’s progress report by thanking all of you awesome people who’ve followed, liked and/or commented on my blog!

Here are this week’s stats:

Word Count for Chapters Edited This Week: 5,776

Last Chapter of Third Draft Completed: 2

Chapters To Go (subject to change): 23

Days Until April 18th Goal Date: 61

Thoughts?

First off, let me say than self-editing is WAY easier and quicker than rewriting. I learned a lot during rewrite and I think I will implement it for future projects, but there is no doubt that traditional self-editing is much, much simpler. For one thing, I’m not rewriting my entire manuscript again, word for word. I copied the second draft doc and re-titled it as the third draft. From there, I’m going through my printed manuscript, marking changes/corrections in red, and then modifying the existing text.

Because of this, I moved through this week’s prescribed chapters with ease, which was a nice change of pace after how overwhelming the rewrite felt. This means I can breathe a little easier as I work through this draft, which is important because once the third draft is complete…IT GOES TO THE BETA-READERS! That’s right, I am working on the draft that will be read, in its entirety, by eyes other than my own. I’ve already proposed this project to the people I want to beta-read and thankfully, they’ve accepted. My sister, who’s an avid reader and part of my target audience, my best friend who is an English major and isn’t afraid to call me out, another friend who’s an English major and also part of my target audience, and another friend whose opinion is very important to me and through my incessant talking about my genre, m/m romance, is also part of my target audience. I feel like I’m incredibly lucky to have these four people doing this for me, not only for their varying qualifications and interest in the subject matter, but I also know these four people care enough about me and my potential success to be brutally honest with me.

All that said, even though traditional self-editing is easier and I know I’ll be placing this draft into trustworthy hands…I’m terrified. This isn’t just me talking about a dream anymore. This is me actually standing up, putting on my running shoes, and chasing it. This also means being able to take criticism. I know I’m capable of doing that. If my personal life experiences have taught me anything, it’s how to accept criticism. But this feels different. This book is so very personal to me. I know in order for me to move forward, I have to be able to let others read it, but I’m still scared. In fact, I’m a little afraid of all of it.

This past weekend, I sat down with a full 2018 calendar and mapped out my year for completing this book. Though I don’t anticipate releasing it until next spring, I do anticipate completing my book – beta-read, two rounds of professional editing, one round of proofreading, formatting, and applying for official copyright – by October 2018.

Why wait so long to publish, you may ask? Well, this year, I want to get my book all ironed out and ready, and then next year, beginning in January of 2019, I want to focus on marketing. Starting this blog was the first step, but there is so much more I want to do. I want to create an actual website. I want to create all of the necessary author profiles and pages. I want to build a newsletter. I want to do so much and in hopes that I won’t overwhelm myself, I want first to make sure the book is done and squared away.

In mapping out my writing year, I reached out to the editor and the proofreader I hope to work with and managed to pencil in my editing/proofreading schedule with each of them respectively.  I also took a big step and acquired my ISBN numbers this weekend, which was a bit unreal because when you buy them (if you’re self-publishing like I am), it lists your name as the publisher/publishing imprint. Talk about a surreal moment.

I know I won’t always feel so daunted or odd about all of these things, but right now, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I know I can do this. I know I’m meant to do it. But that doesn’t change the serious Impostor Syndrome that I feel setting in.

Goals For The Coming Week

According to my self-edit schedule, I need to complete Chapters 3,4 and 5 this week. Given how much simpler and quicker self-editing seems, I’m confident I will be able to do that.

I managed to finish Family Ties: A Bartlett Boys Novel by Poppy Dennison during my super productive weekend last weekend. This weekend, I intend to finish up Bite Me by Beth Bolden, which is due Monday.

Note to Self

Just because you’re feeling the beginnings of Impostor Syndrome set it, doesn’t mean you’re an impostor. You have done all of the work. You’ve written the book. You’ve scheduled what needs to be done to it. You’ve budgeted and spent your money to make this happen. Continue making it happen, Baisden. Keep going.