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: 9,331

Last Chapter of Fourth Draft Completed: 18

Chapters To Go (subject to change): 7

Days Until July 15th Goal Date: 23

Thoughts?

This round of self-editing is still going very well. I just crossed the 50,000-word mark for this draft, which feels amazing considering all I’ve had to do in addition to working on my book since beginning the fourth draft. I have to give my past self a lot of the credit for how smoothly this has gone. When I created my chapter-completion schedule for this draft, I took into account my trip in May and my mom’s surgery earlier this month. I planned to not be able to work for certain days/weeks in order to accommodate those things and it has worked wonders not only for keeping on track with getting it completed, but also for helping me maintain a good balance in my life.

All of that said, I can’t believe I’m almost to the professional-edit phase. I can remember back in February when I sat down and planned everything out and it still felt so far away. I remember panicking because in thinking of how long it was until editing, I began thinking of all of the ways things could go wrong. How many obstacles could get in my way, how many things could come up at any given time to derail everything. There were tears and there was definitely stress eating. Sometimes I wish I could go back and hug my past selves and tell them, just keep paddling along and you’ll get there.

All of that said, I’m incredibly nervous. This is the biggest (and most expensive) step in the process so far. I can remember a very scared girl looking wide-eyed (and teary-eyed) at the cost of professional editing. I can remember almost giving up and letting go. And yet somehow, as expressed above, here I am. Living, breathing, writing, working towards a goal I always thought was impossible. Just like losing 110 pounds, just like going vegan, just like running a mile, let alone 5, just like everything else I’ve done in the past 2+ years that I didn’t believe I could, big and small.

Goals For The Coming Week

I’m scheduled to self-edit Chapters 19, 20 and 21. I’d also like to complete the two ARCS on my Kindle as we speak, Heroes for Ghosts by Jackie North and Radical Hearts by A.E. Ryecart.

Note To Self

It can be done and because of that, it will be done. Now go do it, Baisden.