behind & beyond goal…

So, my goal word count for Curves & Courage was the same length as the first book in the Future Alpha’s series, Bold & Beautiful. However, as of right now, I’m past that word count and the end isn’t in sight. I hate when characters draw things out and send my goal up in flames. I simultaneously love it and squeal accordingly at the amazing number at the end. It does, however, wreak havoc on my schedule.

Just like with Two Times the Charm, I was not expecting Curves & Courage to take more words than pre-calculated. I was expecting to wrap it up with a pretty little red bow around that perfectly round number. I’ve always said characters write their own stories, I just type them up. Often, my initial story idea ends up a distant, faint memory by the end of a book. My intentions for and pre-conceived notions of how a story will and should flow are often demolished within the first few chapters. I don’t usually make a fuss about it. I’m accommodating; I’m willing to indulge my characters.

But when I’m indulging in gut-wrenching plot lines that destroy my emotional stability… I’m equally motivated to represent the characters well and depressed by the extension.

Writing is an emotional process. It’s a mental process. It plays with your heart and soul regularly. There isn’t a single character that I’ve written that I don’t love. By the end of their stories, they’re no longer fiction, but family. They are an extension of me, of my heart, of my soul.

Sometimes they open old wounds though. Writing their story is no longer a pleasurable journey at that point. It becomes a tough hike up a steep mountain. I’m determined to make it to the end, to the top, but every new step is harder than the last. It means that, while I know I will make it to the end, the last several yards will be a slow crawl. Not the word count input each day, but the progress of the characters will be drawn out and their challenges will be slower to resolution than I’d like.

With all that being said, Curves & Courage will take a bit longer before it’s finished. It will be a mad dash to the finish for Vigilante after that. I’m hoping I can still make my goal date for that one, but can’t promise anything. After all, characters write their own stories, and they don’t always write them at the pace I want. In the end, they write them the way they were meant to be read…hopefully.

I’ll keep you all posted on my progress

~ Christin

P.S. I apologize for the delay, but I am waiting for my editor on Two Times the Charm. Once I receive the edited copy back, I will work through the edits and do a final read through with last minute adjustments as quickly as I can. Thanks for your patience!

P.S.S. Don’t  forget about the Vamp Chronicles t-shirt campaigns. You can find the information and links HERE.