Well, hello, all! I just wanted to give you an update on how Battle Song and other things have progressed during this past month.
As a reminder, I’m on hiatus until I finish Battle Song because I’ve decided that is the “one thing” for me to work on right now writing-wise. It’s been two months now since I officially left on hiatus, so here’s another update post!
I haven’t been writing as much this month as I did last month. And it’s mostly because I got a full-time job! Which is awesome, but it takes up a lot of time, so I haven’t had as much time to write.
Also, I feel like I’m always tired whenever I write, and so the writing is very first-draft-y. Which is okay…but sometimes it’s not very enjoyable to write that way: you know you’re at least writing, but it doesn’t really feel like you’re writing. If that makes sense.
Anyway, last post Battle Song was at 56,381 words. It is now at 72,683 words. So, I wrote 16,302 words this month. Which isn’t a lot (about half of what I wrote the month before), but at least it’s something!
I still think I’ll finish Battle Song in another month, or at least by the end of August. Why? Well, I think I finally finished the middle part of my outline, which was a little more fluid than the beginning/ending of the outline. Now I’m at the end of my novel, which is much more outlined. So I think I won’t have to worry about adding/rearranging any more scenes from here on out, which will hopefully help me write faster. (I say this as I add another scene idea to my outline…oops.)
Also, I made the decision to start reading better books that I can actually take something from, rather than cliche, run-of-the-mill books that distract me from my real life. I’m trying to read the LDS Institute selections from the Old Testament in 3 months. I want to read more capital-L Literature and more non-fiction books…I want to learn more!
Anyway, I know this is a short post, but when I come back I will hopefully have some good posts ready to bring to you!
Leave a comment below!
What have you been up to this month? Do you sometimes read books that you wish you hadn’t spent the time on? What books are you glad you spent the time on? And what’s your favorite classic novel or other piece of capital-L Literature?
The Music of Words 
(I saw the lunar eclipse! It was pretty epic! Crickets came out!!)
What have you been up to this month?:
Uggggh … let me see. I’ll be posting this Saturday with my dares? Check in then? If I can remember what I do this month. 😛 Seems like I didn’t do a ton! I can remember what I wrote, but what all else did I do? *confused* 😉
Okay, I think I wrote a lot and edited a lot and then my parents were out of town and the internet has been bad … *can’t think what else* I had my best friend over! I volunteered at the museum!
Do you sometimes read books that you wish you hadn’t spent the time on?:
Yeahhh, I think I do that a lot! I need to work more on my reading habits. Next year I’m hoping to read more, so maybe I’ll start chipping away at classics and whatnot.
What books are you glad you spent the time on?:
Oh, all the classics (except the bad ones) … and I’m usually happy when I help a friend out with beta-reading. Or if a book just makes me happy.
And what’s your favorite classic novel or other piece of capital-L Literature?:
Hmm … Austen? Bronte? Elizabeth Gouge? I adore Gene Stratton Porter, but I’m not sure if she’s capital-L. Probably not … but her books are fantastic! If a little weird sometimes. And occasionally somewhat racist because they were all written in the early 1900s. Okay, maybe they’re not so great … xD
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(Oooh, awesome!)
I will look forward to that post! And that sounds like a fun month! Writing is always good. 🙂
Yep, I need to read more classics also! Maybe we should read some at the same time. (Is that what buddy reading is? I see it all the time on goodreads, but I’m not really sure what it is.)
*agrees*
I’ve never heard of Elizabeth Gouge! What does she write?
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Yep, it was pretty fun! And yes, writing is always good. 🙂
Yes, we should do that! (Yes, I think so? I’ve never done it either though I see it around often.)
She writes … classic books? Haha. 😉 Basically, very wordy and lots of description but incredible emotions and mental images … and usually a pretty solid message. She wrote one called A Bird in the Tree which I personally loved though again … soooo much description! And then she wrote a children’s book or five, my favorite being The Little White Horse. It is SO good. And it’s not at all what you would expect! 😀
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Okay! What book should we read first?
Oooh! Not sure if I could get through all the description…depends on how it’s done. For example, I love the description in Anne of Green Gables because it’s just so beautiful! But in some books I just feel like the description gets in the way, haha. 😛 But that sounds cool!
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I don’t know! Why don’t you decide … xD I’m bad at decisions, haha.
That’s true! Sometimes it can be well done, sometimes not so much.
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Hmmm. Well, I’ve been told that I need to read something by Charles Dickens…either A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations. *shrugs* I know there are TONS of classics out there, though…I just don’t know which ones will be good!
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I’ve read Charles Dickens … he’s … hard to get through …? *cannot think of a fantastic classic to read* 😛 I wonder if Wuthering Heights or Anna Karenina or Frankenstein would be good … Middlemarch? The Count of Monte Cristo? *is literally just reading ’em off a list*
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A mid-hiatus update is such a great idea for such a long break!
Hi Lana! Congratulations on your full-time job! Is this your first? What is it? Besides ‘awesome’ and ‘time-consuming’, how do you feel about it?
And even if words are being put out painfully slowly, at least you’re getting more done on Battle Song than you would be if you were blogging regularly – which is the whole idea of your hiatus, right? Do you feel like it’s working that way?
When you say capital-L Literature, are you talking about the stuff that has been inspired by the Holy Spirit? Recently, I’ve been enjoying the Proverbs, which is a break from what I generally prefer, namely the New Testament epistles.
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Thank you! Yes, it’s my first official job (though I’ve done work for my parents and such before). I work at an assembly line doing manufacturing stuff, so the work itself doesn’t interest me all that much. But I enjoy being with my coworkers, the pay is good, and it’s nice to see finished products being made. 🙂
Yes, I think I’m writing more than I would be because I’m not worrying about writing. It’s working well, I think!
Actually, capital-L Literature is a term my AP Lit teacher used last year…normal fiction books and stuff are lowercase-l literature, but classic literature, like classic novels, plays, and poetry, he classified as capital-L Literature. I see the value in both types, but I need to read more Literature, I think!
And of course, the scriptures are the best form of Literature! What is your favorite scripture from Proverbs? My grandma’s favorite scripture is Proverbs 3:5-6, so that one has always held a place in my heart. 🙂
Thanks for the comment and for checking in!
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Working at an assembly line has never crossed my mind. What do you make? I imagine, though you’ll have to tell me if this is true or not for you, that it would make me look at everyday objects in a different way. It might help me to be more confident – if something stopped working – to try taking it apart to see what the problem might be.
Ooooh, I see. In that case, Pilgrim’s Progress would be considered Literature, and I really enjoyed that. What about you?
As for the Proverbs… I wish one of the verses from what I’ve been binge-reading would stand out so I could answer you. I don’t think I have an all-time favorite, but I remember that 11:23 caught my attention when I read it a couple of days ago. “The desire of the righteous ends only in good…” it reminds me of how the Lord shapes the desires of the righteous and works through them, not against them. ❤
It's my pleasure, Lana.
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Actually, what we’re making isn’t released to the public yet so I’m not allowed to say. 😛 But yes! I don’t know if I’m necessarily more confident that way, but I am more confident with basic tools and would probably be more comfortable assembling, say, a bookshelf or a table or something and using the necessary tools.
Hmmm…we read Hamlet in school, and I enjoyed that. I feel like I haven’t yet read a classic, though, that’s really struck me. I hope to read more though, so hopefully I will find something!
I like that! That’s a good verse. 🙂
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Wow, something confidential! That adds an element of intrigue and excitement. Pretty cool. X)
About reading classics… Lana do you like ebooks or hard copy only? Books that are in the public domain (the author’s rights to their intellectual property have expired) are legally free to read. I would definitely recommend reading this: https://ebookfriendly.com/free-public-domain-books-sources/
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