Blog - my notes to myself

Reflections Blog Entry 11/9/2025

Reflections from the Writing Desk

Once a month, the little bookstore downtown turns into something special—a gathering place for writers. Our author support group has become a kind of creative anchor for me. We trade pages, laughter, and the occasional sympathetic groan when a plot refuses to behave. Having these voices around me has carried me through more than a few rough patches while working on The Saga, Book One.

There’s something magical about reading your own words aloud. Hearing them spoken gives them weight, breath, and sometimes even surprise. The group’s encouragement has been nothing short of phenomenal. Knowing they look forward to the next chapter keeps me pushing through late-night edits and tangled rewrites.

Right now, I’m on Chapter 30 of what will likely be a 33- or 34-chapter book—my third full polish and rewrite. When this round is done, I’ll take a short break before starting again, this time with my eye on continuity. A recent story shift changed more than I expected, and now I’m tracing those ripples back through earlier chapters to make sure every thread aligns.

I’m a methodical writer at heart. Scrivener is my lifeline—my map through the labyrinth. Without it, I’d be buried under notes and half-finished scenes. With it, I can see the shape of the whole story taking form, one chapter at a time.

Writing a novel is a long, winding road. But every month, when I sit among those familiar faces at the bookstore and share a few pages, it reminds me why I started. Stories connect us. They always have.

“If you’ve ever been stuck mid-draft, find your people.”