Hi! I’m back. I haven’t been able to post as often as I should. I had so many ups and downs when it comes to my full-time job (still doing lesson plans, observations, etc.) along with some sort of mysterious sickness going around that the doctors can’t quite put their finger on at the moment. At this time, I am still on the self-editing phrase of Courtney’s Redemption. Although I am trying my best to do this on my own, I am still struggling when it comes to seeing my own work through a different perspective (as an editor) and is still in that phase of ‘Oh my book just sucks’ category. I am now reading chapter eleven and will have two more chapters to go when it comes to taking notes on what I need to improve on in this story. Since it’s been a while since I relied on new self-help books in order to improve my writing skills, I thought it would be a nice opportunity for me to explore some new books when it came to me rewriting the novel. One of those books has been circulating around the internet for a while and it’s something that most indie authors swear by when it comes to writing the first (or tenth) novel.
So, lately I have been reading Save The Cat writes a Novel by Jessica Brody and I will admit that it’s quite interesting. They talk about the beat sheet and what elements you might need in a novel that would make the story more interesting to read. After reading a couple of chapters, I have decided that I am going to follow the instructions and exercises that are in this book and maybe do a blog and a video about the overall progress when it comes to doing the exercises in this book. I don’t know what the final result would be when it comes to this considering my books center on romance and sci-fi but it does give out some examples on the more popular genre books like Twilight and The fault in our Stars. She also goes on to do ‘beat sheets’ on certain books that talks about the beats you would need in your novel to make the reader want more.
I will be sure to keep you guys posted on my updates when it comes to my discovery when it comes to using the Save the Cat book on the fourth book of the Truson S.E.T. Series, Courtney’s Redemption. If you will excuse me, I think I will read and take notes on one more chapter before I call it a night.
Dominique Gibson
