Category: Writing Process
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A Rough Start
The transition from 2024 into 2025 has not gone as smoothly as I’d hoped. Right before Christmas I contracted E. coli poisoning. I’m not kidding when I say it was the sickest I’ve ever been. It took a solid two weeks to recover during which I missed most of the…
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A New Proof
A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away… I had a proof of my very first ever draft of Awakening privately printed. At that point in time, it didn’t have a title but was simplify known as First Draft. (Riveting, I know.) The story was terrible. No,…
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A Subjective Business
Being rather new to the querying scene, I have become painfully aware that I have a lot to learn about the process. I always wondered why writers referred to querying as being “in the trenches.” Now, I get it. The term trench conjures up mental images of high muddy walls…
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The Importance of Free Writing the First Draft
I don’t know if there’s an actual term out there for when writers sit down and write their first draft, but I’ve started referring to it as “free writing”. To explain how I came up with that term, I need to go back many years ago to when I wrote…
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The Inside Scoop on Outlines
One of my younglings came to me this morning to show me the outline they had written for a book report I had assigned to them. While very neatly written, the content was basically an outline of an outline. It carefully detailed the steps one would take to write an…
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A Story Within a Story
I’ll admit it, querying a novel is a difficult path to tread. It’s not because of the possible rejections or so much the waiting for a response, but due to the fact that I’m left with a feeling of incompletion. In my mind, Awakening won’t feel complete until it’s printed…
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New Site Launch
I have finally managed to get my own website up and running again! It’s been a long time coming, and I appreciate everyone’s patience during the process. This new site will be where I post about my writing, gardening, and geekiness. All news and updates regarding my epic fantasy book…
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New Voices
Now that Awakening is being queried and I’m in the thick of waiting for the perfect agent to come along, fall in love with my manuscript, and send me an offer, I’ve turned my attention back on Book II. I had paused on the first draft close to the 25%…
Arwen McCain 