my process

the hero in Love Notes owns a donut shop, so technically this counts as research, right?

so, this past week i’ve been working on the first read through of my newly finished manuscript, LOVE NOTES. basically, i print the entire thing out and read through the story from start to finish for the first time. as i read, i make lots of notes on sticky notes throughout the manuscript, as well as in my project notebook. the notes contain everything from new scenes i need to include (and where) to small details like word usage or sensory details that need to be incorporated. it’s the time to spot all the big stuff that will need corrected in the first revision. this is when i look for plot holes and feel my characters out—are they developed well enough or do they feel flat? are the stakes high enough?

i’m currently on chapter twenty of thirty three, so more than half way there and i’m super excited to go back into the document on my laptop and start actually making all the changes i’m spotting while reading. it’s such a magical feeling, watching the story come to life.

then, after several rounds of revisions/editing (each time focusing on a different aspect of the manuscript), i’ll be submitting it! normally, you submit to several agents/publishers (depending which route you take) but there is one publisher out there that i’ve had my eye on for awhile. they’re newer and still small but, in my opinion, they’re like the all-star team of romantic women’s fiction and i really, really want to sign with them! there are several other amazing publisher options that this story would fit well with, but i’m praying that i get my first choice! 💖 there’s a part of my brain that is shouting, “don’t submit it to them yet! test the waters with other publishers first!” and I know, technically, it’s good to do that and gather feedback before sending it to your number one buuuut… i’m too much of a “go big or go home” kind of girl, i guess.

am i being a bit foolhardy? perhaps. but i’m a dreamer through and through and i’m not afraid to chase those dreams. that’s not to say it’s not scary! it totally is but i’m more afraid of not getting what i want without really giving it a shot. also, so many authors i’ve spoken to have told me stories about how they signed with agents/publishers that didn’t really fit them but they were afraid they wouldn’t have other options, so they just went with them. i don’t want to do that—and i won’t do that. because i feel like my first choice is suuuuch a good fit, like the perfect fit you guys, i’m going to take the risk of submitting to them first and then say my prayers. if it doesn’t work out, that’s okay, not all books will be a good fit for all publishers and maybe one of the other projects in my queue will be a better match. in the meantime, i’ll be patient and figure out what feels right for my next move with this particular book.

the goal right now is to get it revised and polished and to submit it by the end of next month. we’ll see how it goes! 🙏🏼 i’ll keep you all posted! i can’t wait to share more about this story with you!!

xoxo