WHOA! If January felt like it dragged on, then February FLEW BY. How is it already March? February is usually a slow and gross month for me – mainly due to the lack of sunshine – but to my surprise, I got a hell of a lot done. So this is a longer blog than normal, but keep reading to hear about some great books you should add to your list AND some tools that I’ve used to enhance my writing.

What I Read

GRAND TOTAL: 5

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black 

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah 

Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict 

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Honeymoon by James Patterson and Howard Roughan

What I Wrote

I accomplished a lot this month, although I am still sticking to my mantra of “slow and steady wins the race” with this WIP. I have rushed projects in the past, and I think you can tell by the story. So this time I am taking my time and letting things come organically.

However, I am still taking steps forward, getting organized and honing my craft while tiny bolts of inspiration hit.

I started this month off with James Patterson’s Master Class, an online course that the master himself teaches on all things writing – from inspiration to outlining to publishing. Now I have taken several writing classes in my time, so I will say that I haven’t learned anything particularly new. But the odd nugget of wisdom and the free outline example made it worth it. I haven’t finished yet – gotta have my own outline ready – but I look forward to the second half of the course.

I also self-taught myself a little something by rereading an old favorite novel – A Court of Thorns and Roses. I’ve always been in awe of Sarah J. Maas’ style and pacing, so by studying when the big events occur and how she moved the story forward, I hope to emulate the same in my new novel. You can learn more about how reading can help you as a writer with my new series.

The third big thing I did was finally cave and download Scrivener. If you haven’t heard of this phenomenal writing application, check it out. I am hooked already. It’s the perfect way to store all your research, character sketches, locations and pictures while also letting you organize and write the story itself.

These three activities did wonders for my storytelling, and I am thrilled to announce that Act 1 of my new novel is PLOTTED and ready to write! I’m loving it so far.

Coming Up

So exciting news: this afternoon I am leaving for France for two weeks!!!

Which means that there will be no new blog posts – and less activity on social media – until I get back. I’ll be too busy eating croissants, drinking wine, and following in the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. But I promise to take lots of picture and give full update when I return.

That being said, I am going to try to continue work on my new WIP by either outlining Act 2 or developing some of the secondary characters. It’s going to be a busy month, so we’ll see.

The trip will give me ample time to read (gotta love nine hour flights), so here’s by TBR list for March:

• Circe by Madeleine Miller (almost finished!)
• Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
• Sunburn by Laura Lippman
• Furyborn by Claire Legrand
• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

What do you have coming up this month? Can you believe March is already here?