November Wrap Up
Hi Friend,
It’s the end of the month (I can’t believe it) so it’s time to do my wrap up. November has been a huge month. Hit the 12,000 word mark for Pip and Lucy (working title), scrapped it, and wrote another 14,000 words of the story. This time they felt right.
I also read 14 books! So, basically all I have done is read and write, and I have no personal news to share. It’s really just been a month of hard work.
Reading
This month I had a splurge on Audible because I had a lot of credits left from the year (I get 24 annually), and got a bunch of romance books to listen to. I have been working on Pip and Lucy of course, which is a romance, so I decided to start reading more of the genre, and I had so much fun!
Tools of Engagement (Hot and Hammered #3) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 4 stars
It Happened One Summer (Bellinger Sisters #1) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 5 stars
Hook Line and Sinker (Bellinger Sisters #2) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 4 stars
Crashed Out (Made in Jersey #1) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 4 stars
Thrown Down (Made in Jersey #2) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 3 stars
Worked Up (Made in Jersey #3) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 4 stars
Wound Tight (Made in Jersey #4) by Tessa Bailey audiobook 3.5 stars
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne audiobook 5 stars (can I give it more please?)
Completely Normal (+ Other Lies) by Biffy James young adult paperback 5 stars
Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hays non-fiction paperback 4 stars
Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood young adult audiobook 4 stars
The Year The Maps Changed by Danielle Binks middle grade paperback 5 stars
Get A Life, Chloe Brown (The Brown Sisters #1) by Talia Hibbert audiobook 3.5 stars
Take A Hint, Dani Brown (The Brown Sisters #2) by Talia Hibbert audiobook 4 stars
I read too many books to go through and write about each one—I would bore you I’m sure, but I really enjoyed everything I read/listened to, and it was my best reading month this year, with no DNF’s and nothing under 3 stars!
Writing
As I mentioned, I have been working away at Pip and Lucy, my adult romance. I’m very much in love with the story and I’m very fond of my characters, particularly Lucy.
I’ve been writing around 1,000 words per day, seven day a week trying to get to the 20,000 word mark as soon as possible. I am pitching Love To Hate You (my young adult book) to an agent in December so I’d like to be able to say I’ve also go another project in the works. We’ll see.
I’ve been doing a lot of writing work in the lead up to pitching Love To Hate You, including writing the pitch and writing a synopsis—why is it so hard to do both of these things? I really had to force myself to do the work, even though I want this so badly. I think it’s nerves, and fear of rejection.
Listening
Well, you know I’ve been listening to audiobooks, but I haven’t listened to much music this month. I don’t think I’ve even put a record on. I’ll have to rectify that in December.
Watching
I took my teenage girls to see A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes at the cinema last week and wow! I loved the book and read it as soon as it came out, but the movie was brilliant too. It took me back to watching the original Hunger Games movies and how enthralled I was by the world Suzanne Collins had created. It was an amazing flashback to the dystopian books and movies I loved so much around 2012.
I’ve also been watching the Joyo Moyes Romance Writing Masterclass on BBC Maestro. They had a Black Friday sale and I decided to give the course a go. It’s really good so far—I’ve watched five videos. Learning about the craft of writing has always fascinated me.
I hope that November has been good to you! As always, thank you for taking the time to read :)
Steph