Tag: Writing

And the editing begins…

Published on by Amanda Tero4 Comments
First, thank you all who have “applied” (for lack of better word) to be beta readers. 🙂 I will be in contact and let you all know how things stand (when I have a little more time to organize my brain…).

Last week was a much better editing week than I thought I would have. There are seventeen chapters in Part 1 of Nat’s story, 39 chapters in the entire novel… I reached chapter 10. 😀 😀 😀







I really like this feature of Scrivener: I can see at a glance exactly where I left off!!!


Add to all of that excitement… 

Yep, you’re seeing correctly: those are “Union soldier” pictures for me to use. One of my former violin students agreed to be my “cover Nat” and sat patiently while I took several pictures of him. I was seriously throwing M&M confetti. 😉 I’m one step closer to completion!!

This coming week, I’m not going to be able to focus a ton of time on Nat’s story. It’s just a week where I feel like I need to be more available to my family and help out more because of tons of things that have piled up… but we’ll see. God has sometimes surprised me with some bonus time. I may be able to finish editing Part 1. 😉

Where are you in your projects this week? Any specific goals you’d like to accomplish?

Thinking About Beta Readers…

Published on by Amanda Tero3 Comments
After the big news of last week (finishing this draft of Nat’s story), the rest of the week was a relatively quiet writing week. One day, I did have time to sit down and work some on writing—mainly, adding a little meat to some of the last few chapters of the story. But I still need to do that major read-through and final touch-up on Nat’s story before I send it off to beta readers.

Speaking of beta readers… 

Do you have a polite, critical eye? I am looking for ten beta readers for Nat’s story. If you’re interested in applying, please sign up here.

One exciting thing that I’m hoping to do this week, if the Lord allows, is take pictures of my “Nat” (a friend named Seth) for the cover!! I have a general cover-idea in my mind, but I kind of need a picture of my guy before I can really work on the final cover. I’m super excited about that. If you think about it, pray that Thursday afternoon is clear and that I have the wisdom to know exactly which shots to get.

How can I pray for you this week?


Guess what!!

Published on by Amanda Tero11 Comments
Last week was busy…as in not-home-all-week busy. But, at the same time, God allowed me to get some random writing time in. Then yesterday: my first day home in a week and I was seriously dragging. However…I wrote two very exciting words yesterday.
That’s right. Amidst a crazy busy schedule for the past two months, God has allowed me to make small steps of progress and I have reached the end of draft two for Nat’s story! This draft has finished with 74,308 words. I still need to do a final read-through and some tweaking (particularly toward the end) but it’s almost ready to hand out to beta-readers! I’m super excited and grateful to the Lord for this progress!! I honestly had begun to think that it would be December before I’d see these two words, but God is good.
What progress are you celebrating this week?

If a Picture’s Worth 1,000 Words…

Published on by Amanda Tero3 Comments
Well, then, I shall fill this post of pictures. 😉 Because last week was not one of the word-heavy type. Now, before I complain too loudly, the Lord blessed me with an excellent start of the week. Last Monday, I loaded myself up and trekked out under the magnolia tree to do some writing.

In the nice, cool, quietness of Monday, I was able to add about 2,000 words to Nat.

I had to pull out my 18th Missouri book to get some details straight before I progressed in the story. Thanks to all who prayed last week. The ending is looking a little clearer. What do you think… cliff-hanger or sorts?? Not like a huge one, but… just a wee one? Do you like cliff-hangers for the end of a book?

Oh, oh, oh!!! Guess what I got in???

Yeah, no… it’s not going to be for me. 😉 Doesn’t quite fit. But! I’m working on getting things moving for a cover picture!! I can’t believe I’m actually thinking about this aspect of my book!
And one last thing: I’m really considering changing the series titles. You see, I have “Orphan Journeys” as the title under which I published “Journey to Love.” I have that convenient “Orphan Journeys novellas” and had considered that Nat’s story would be the first of the novel series. However, as it’s looking now, it looks like Nat (or people associated with him) will have a trilogy. And then I’ll have a completely different, disconnected series of individual novellas. Yeah. Just a little confusing. So… I’m considering changing the series title. Which, in turn, will mean that I’m changing the title from Journey of Choice to… well, that will have to wait. After all, I just have ideas. Nothing concrete yet. I’d really appreciate your honest thoughts on the series title change. Do you think it would be a world less confusing to have two different series entirely, even though they’re both about orphans?

I Want to be Writing…

Published on by Amanda Tero2 Comments
This has been my thought almost every day the last week. Truth be told, I’ve only had one day in which I even had time to write, between company for four days, teaching two days, a homeschool craft day at our house, and a bridal shower at our house (yep, all in a week’s time). So this post will be short, and not much of an update. 
In that time I was able to write, though, the Lord allowed me to finish editing the chapter I spliced in from rough draft, and I was able to get some brain-work done toward the ending (is it just me, or is half the battle figuring out in the brain what one must do?). I’m really praying that next week, Lord willing, I’ll be able to sit down and do some active writing.
As a side-note, on Instagram, I’m doing a “book cover” challenge (even if you’re not on Instagram, my account is public, so you can still see what covers I’ve had so far this month). One of the days, the word was “soldier.” Oh that got me all excited!! I pulled out just a few of my Civil War books because I couldn’t settle on just one cover. 😉

I haven’t read all of these yet (actually, I’ve read most of the non-fiction, but none of the fiction). My CW collection is currently my biggest era on my bookshelf. What about you? What era do you have the most books on (fiction or non-fiction)?

Just because this week was another not-so-great writing week for me (which, so far, this week looks better!), doesn’t mean you all were in the same boat. So comment and share! What were you able to work on in the past week? Any major breakthroughs in your writing?

Before I sign off, a quote from Journey of Choice WIP:

Quick question: how many of you know the gist of what Journey of Choice is about? I keep talking about it, but have I shared enough to where you know the general “back cover blurb” idea? I’m considering sharing that soon!

Visual Progress!

Published on by Amanda Tero10 Comments
This past week in writing was very similar to the week before in that I didn’t have a ton of writing time. However, in what time I did have, the Lord answered some prayers and allowed me to piece together some parts from the rough draft into this one, and look at the goal I just reached!
Yep. Journey of Choice is currently a 60,000 word novel. But the story isn’t finished yet! Which means I may be pushing 70-80,000 words (for the record, 60k is the longest piece I’ve ever written; the current longest published piece I have is “Journey to Love” which is around 25,700 words–historical fiction must be easier to add those words to than imagined fiction 😉 ). 
I still covet your prayers. I’m finding it challenging to piece together Nat’s story with the historical timeline of the Civil War. I know how I want the story to end, but with the events of the war, it means that I either have to skip years or end mid-war. I don’t know what is the best answer for that, so I’d appreciate prayers!
For fun, I totaled up my August word count. I have 6,485 on my calculator, but I think I forgot to journal a couple of days–plus, I did a lot of editing, so more than 6,000 words were added to the draft in August, just in editing form, not in new-word form.
This week, I had to look up an original newspaper for reference. Library of Congress is becoming one of my favorite go-to sources for original documents. You have to dig some, but they’re there and they’re free!
Anyway, back to my paper, I finally found the month I needed and scrolled in to read.
Uh… I don’t speak German (though I am toying with a story idea in which the characters speak a mix of German/English)!! So the search began again. This time, I found something in my language. 😉

Since I mainly write in the afternoons, I’ve taken to having coffee while writing. I’m actually not an obsessive coffee-drinker and must-have-that-caffeine person (because… caffeine really messes with my system [an odd family trait], so I drink primarily decaf), but I do like the flavor and having something less sugary to “snack” on while I write.

I’m currently trying out some new International Delights creamer flavors. This week was white chocolate mocha (which, wasn’t super impressive to me, though it’s decent).
Now, for some chatting! 
For Writers
– How many words did you write in August?
– Did you reach any significant goals?
– What is the longest piece you’ve ever written? (if it’s published, feel free to share links so I can hop by and ooh over your cover and all)
– What is your favorite writing tool?
For Everyone
– Are you a coffee drinker?
– Do you like International Delights creamers? If so, what is your favorite?
– What goal did you have for August (any project)? Did you reach it?

Getting Back into the Swing of Things (sorta…)

Published on by Amanda Tero10 Comments
This week, I decided to get back onto my old writing schedule (before the craze of summer made me forget it): 100 words a day. I know, one doesn’t make much progress with doing just 100 words, but it gets me on my project working—especially on teaching days like Tuesday where I teach almost solid 10:00-6:00. With “100 words” on my schedule, I added 834 words last week to Journey of Choice. How I see it, that’s 834 words more than if I hadn’t aimed for 100 words a day!
I think that I have worked through all of the backtracking to add some intensity to Nat’s life (since, you know, just being a soldier in the Civil War against his will isn’t enough, right?). This was one of the reasons my word count was so low—when I rewrite, I erase almost as many words as I add. But it’s all for the better and has enriched the story (in my opinion 😉 ). This week, I should get to move forward!
There’s my writing update. As for researching… GUESS WHAT!!!
I finished the massive 815-page Memoirs of Sherman this past week! I was teasing that after all of that reading, I should get an award, so my little sister decided to draw one for me (there’s a glimpse at my fun-loving, teasing family).
That felt like such a nice mile-marker, that I decided to finish reading Arms and Equipment too (actually, I had a Louisiana trip with four hours [one way] in the car). Two research books finished in a week! I’m on a roll! 😉 (and no, that’s not gonna happen this week)
From Social Media
Since I’m determined not to let you guys miss out any, here’s a book I found at an estate sale I went to. At $250, no, I didn’t get it. But it was super cool to look at!

 Also…

Bookmarks! I currently only have bookmarks featuring “Journey to Love” (which is about 1 1/2 years old now), but I’d love to share them! If you live in the United States or Canada, just drop me an email at amandaterobooks (at) gmail (dot) com with your address and I’ll send you 3-5 to keep and share.
Finally, my sister did some brain-storming for me. One of the things I’m trying to do is stay regular on social media. Like I say in the video, I’m horrible when it comes to social stuff, even on the computer (writing? Yes. Social promos? Nope! Zilch. Nada.). But her ideas? A lifesaver!!

Now… I have a whole passel of questions for you! 🙂 I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing from you all, even though I don’t regularly reply–I WILL reply, though, so if you’ve commented and not seen my reply, check back later!

  • Do you read any books for research? When was the last time you finished one?
  • If you’re active on social media, how do you come up with fresh ideas? (or if you’re just a blogger…?)
  • Does your family help with or support your business(es)?
  • Do you use bookmarks, dog-ear the page, memorize the page number, or just read straight through? 
  • Have you ever been to an estate sale?
  • Any progress on your projects this week?

An Agglomeration of Writing Tools | Wordquill

Published on by Amanda TeroLeave a comment
Today on Wordquill, I’m exploring some of my favorite writing tools!
– – – – –
While it’s true that “all you need to write is pen and paper,” there are many other tools available to the modern writer which helps make our job easier and more fluent. If you look at my writing tools today vs. even a year ago, you’ll see that they have changed. So instead of giving you a run-down of “what I use today,” I’ll just be mentioning some writing tools that have helped me throughout the years. After you read through mine, I’d love to hear what you’ve found helpful in the writing tool world!

Continue reading on Wordquill.

And Some Weeks, I Really Don’t Feel Like a Writer

Published on by Amanda Tero5 Comments
After last week’s fun blog post with an amazing update and all…
This week I began teaching piano/violin again! Which meant writing was out the door. Literally. And music was in the door. In full swing! I’m not complaining, because I love music and have had some fun with my students already (more on that tomorrow). But I have missed writing a little.
I did have an afternoon dedicated to writing. On Thursday, I hosted my first Writing Day with some local homeschool students.
There were five writers who joined us and from what they said, they all had a blast. Which makes me happy! We’re already growing our list of participants for next time!
As for how my writing went that day…
Yup. Honestly, those were the words I put in my manuscript (don’t worry–I deleted them). The words just would not flow! Which, isn’t unusual, as I had about a five-day writing break. I had hoped to get some writing done over the weekend, but for some reason, it felt like all I did was run the roads. Which is okay. That just means that (hopefully) I’m all caught up. 😉
BUT! I do feel like I made progress! I have made it further into the Arms and Equipment of the Civil War book (which is amazingly interesting!). I have shown some self-control in my reading. Some. 😉 On Friday night, this was my reading selection.
Like a good girl, I chose the Civil War book and… yeah, read the whole A Fool and His Monet (but that goes into reading posts, not writing posts–and I DID balance it with pages from Arms and Equipment). Back to CW, this one section stood out to me: 
Can’t you just envision a story right there?! I don’t know if I’ll do anything with that interesting piece of history, but it fascinated me.
Oh, and speaking of Civil War books… I got Hoopla (my library online reading database). I have a video of me scrolling through just some of their Civil War options (if it loaded; this is my first time trying to upload a video straight into Blogger). I’m like… 😮 😮 😮 😮 😮 
No, I won’t ever be able to read all of those. Mom said that sometime I need to stop reading and just write. 😉
And there you have it. My non-writing week. 😉 Thanks for listening to me jabber.
Before I leave, I challenged my followers in one area last week:

Who is the last author that you read?
What star value would you give the book?
Have you left a review? If you have not…then the challenge is to go and leave that review! 🙂

Until next week!