Hello, all you lovely people!!! Isabelle Knight here again with a writing update!!! My first one of 2025, I think!!!! So hurray for that and all those wonderful things and let’s move onto the writing update!
So. I am working on my brand new project!!! Which is Island Keepers book two!!! Ta-da!!! Okay, so SOME of you may have heard about my project, Island Keepers, which is a middle-grade fantasy adventure that’s still a work in progress. And… surprise!!! I’m working on a book two.
Please note, though. THIS IS NOT DEFINITE. THERE IS A GREAT POSSBILITY ISABELLE KNIGHT SHALL CRUMBLE UNDER THE PRESSURE AND TOTALLY ABANDON THIS BOOK.
So uhhh…. heheheeeeee….
Okay, truth be told, I’m HOPING to make this a series (book one can be read as a standalone), BUT pressure destroys me. So I just want to try and write without any pressure and just have fun! Which involves me NOT going all, “Oh, but this character arc must be like this to be publishable,” and all that dreadful stuff. -_-
I just finished watching the sort of talk Shannon Messenger gave at her book signing for Nightfall on YT, and I have to say, it was hilarious. Would totally love to meet her someday, but anyway, I think I may have gotten a great writing tip from that video – treat your characters like they are real people.
Which is why I have just come back from talking with my main character, Ani, and it went something like this:
Me: Uhhh, hi, Ani!
Ani: Uh, hi, I guess?
Me: You know, you really shouldn’t be doing this alone.
Ani: Well, why not? They’re not going to listen, and I just… (sighs in exasperation) I need time to think! If I don’t find the Steeds before the Winter Solstice-
Me: It’s not gonna turn out well.
Ani: (blinks in confusion) What? (voice sharpens) What do you mean by that?
Me: (realizing you probs shouldn’t say this to your character… 0_0) You know, what it’s NOTHING! Absolutely NOTHING. You – You go ahead and do you.
Ani: (eyes me suspiciously)
Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
😅😅😅😅
Um.
So….
I guess you saw how that went lol. Probably really cringy but, eh, it’s out there now. My character conversations are sadly, not as interesting as Shannon Messenger’s. More like a pile of awkwardness and realizing you shouldn’t tell your characters that what they are about to do is gonna end up in flames. 🙂
Anyway, at the same time, I am also working on Enchantria: Book Four!!! Yay, revisions! (not really) If you guys know me, you know revising is my least favorite part. I just received word from my beta reader that Elenora sounded KIND OF whiny…
And then I realized, “Oh no, this is MG fantasy and all those writing tips on YouTube aren’t meant specifically for middle-grade and now this sounds like YA and not middle-grade.”
Apparently my book is too hopeless. Not in that sense of course!!! But just in the fact that it is indeed hopeless. As in the main character is just feeling hopeless and lost for nearly all the book. And while this MIGHT work in YA or adult novels, in middle-grade, I’m assuming it’s good for your main character to still have a spark of defiance and NOT be utterly moping and hopeless.
So.
Perhaps I have a lot more revising to slog through. And I must be careful! THIS IS THE LAST BOOK IN THE SERIES! THE FINALE!!!!
So… THAT gets tricky. Because I can’t just be a lazy writer and leave you guys with an awful ending. You’d hate me!!! Therefore, I must BATTLE ON AND BRAVE THE REVISION BEAST!!!!!! With the help of my amazing friends, of course, because oh my goodness, writing is so much easier when you have writing buddies!!!!
But on the other hand, in all our sprints, we spend more time chatting, less time writing.
Not great for productivity. But useful when you’re trying really hard to get out of a sticky situation in your book and your writing buddy pops in with one word. “Explosion!” Which by the way, that did happen. The result was a wonderful explosion!!!!!! Huge thank you to Journey Bloomfield for that! 🙂
Anyway, I am probably rambling right now. XD But I am around 44,000 words in with Island Keepers book two, and book one is around 78,000 words. Is it wrong to be trying to churn out a first draft in less than a month? Normally I would never do this, but…
Revisions will definitely take longer, though. However, in the first draft everything can be chaos!!!!
In revisions… Well, you gotta deal with all the nitty gritty stuff. (sighs) But it’s worth to make an amazing story for you guys!!!
And yeah, that is how my writing has been going recently!!! As for author business, oh my goodness, busy is the only word I can use to describe it!!! Author interviews, book marketing, YT channel, book reviewing, etc.
But yeah. Anyway, my wrist is a-tingling and I DO NOT want a repeat of carpal tunnel syndrome, therefore it is time for us to say farewell… Thank you guys so much for coming and I hope to see you again in the next blog post!!!
Isabelle
P.S. Sorry for having to post this so late!!! T.T You guys forgive me, right? 🙂
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