Challenges, My Progress and Finding Our Way Through

At the beginning of this month, I'd posted about joining a Chapter Book Challenge. That was when I was all pumped about simply getting the words out.

Since then, in the chaos of life, I've had to redirect myself. Because I'm hoping to have this book out before summer, I found myself in a tangle of editing, rewriting and jumping around in the story until I had no idea what was going on. And I really hate having to go back and re-read the story over and over and over.

Don't get me wrong. I'm really liking this story. I think you will too. There's a lot of action and different things going on. But I simply couldn't keep up. So I had to make a decision. One I think many writers have to make when putting together a novel sized story.

The story is basically written. Except I needed to add in a couple of storylines. I created a story board, which I've shown pictures of in previous post. I have the story mapped out in Scrivener, which I love this program by the way!!

My basic problem was staying on track. Sound familiar? Yes, Alyra comes by it honestly. I find myself in a constant struggle to just stay focused and stay on course in the things I'm doing.

Am I the only one?

Needless to say, I had to ditch my hope of pumping out the words for putting out better work. So I've slowed down, and I work each chapter until I have it right, then move on. Yes, my progress is going slower, but in the long run, I think it'll all work out for the better. When I finish the rewrites and editing this time, I will only need to go back and read for typos and mistakes before I hand it over to someone to edit.

I'd say Alburnium is somewhere between Hogwarts and Narnia.

Finding Our Way
Here's the thing, no matter what we do, we each have to find our own way to do that thing we're trying to do. And there will always be people around who will want to tell you the best way to do it. There will be temptations to do it the quickest and easiest way. Or, there will be the temptation to brood and sweat as you seek for perfection.

My tip? Don't settle for good enough. But don't strive for perfection, either. There is no such thing. Honestly. Look around you, everything has a flaw. Everything, in one way or another will have some kind of flaw.

Take the middle road, friend. Work hard. The Bible encourages us to do everything as if we're doing it for the Lord and not men. That's a good standard to go by. Work hard. Do you best. And accept His grace and mercy for where you fall short. Be okay with not being perfect.

Most of all, have fun. Life is short. Seek to enjoy your days and make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.


Lastly, don't forget Illuminated is still on sale for .99cents until the end of March. Get your copy while you

can. So far, the book has received positive reviews from those who've read it. I'm grateful for all the comments people have given and am taking the constructive criticisms to heart as I write this next book.

And, I've started a board over at Pinterest. I was trying to share the widget link here, and I'm still working on that, but so far have been unsuccessful. However, you can click over to Pinterest and check it out yourself if you have an interest in seeing how I picture some of my characters and scenes from the books. The White Chronicles Board is a work in progress, so check back from time to time, or hit the follow button if you wish.

Be bless and happy reading!