Writing Update: One Goal Reached!
We did it! Seen & Unseen is now under 100k words and ready to be sent off for what will hopefully be the final manuscript critique before querying again.
Celebrating Wins
I am beyond proud of myself! If you’re not a writer, you may not be able to fully understand what a massive feat it’s been to get my 120k word manuscript down to under 100k. I’ve committed to celebrating my wins along the way, since all of it gets me closer to my big goal of having a published book, and this certainly counts as celebration-worthy to me!
Current word count: 99, 990!
Writing and preparing a manuscript for publication is no small process, that’s for sure. So I’m incredibly proud to have gotten this one to where it is, and that it’s now in a much more saleable word count range as a debut. To celebrate this accomplishment, I think I’ll dye my hair. Nothing crazy, but something fresh as we’re going into summer.
Overall Writing Vibes
I’d been on a bit of a writing hiatus the past several months, due to personal things going on in my family’s life. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing; just that it hasn’t been my primary focus. Actually, I’ve managed to continue writing consistently, whether that’s actually drafting/editing or simply thinking about and brainstorming my stories. But I’ve not completed a single new manuscript in 2025, and that’s highly unusual for me. For reference, I drafted three books in 2024 and five books in 2023. My word count in 2022 was over 1 million! So, despite the fact that I’ve brainstormed and even outlined a few projects, my pace has slowed significantly as I’ve tended to things at home.
It hasn’t been easy to maintain much beyond my critiques and beta reads for clients and writer friends, if I’m being honest, and somehow, I’ve been okay with that. In the past I may have criticized myself for not doing more, but this current version of myself seems to deeply understand the importance of listening to my body and staying present, even if dissociating and disappearing into my fantasy worlds might feel better sometimes. And I think, as the state of the world continues to weigh more and more heavily, I’ll endeavor to maintain this presence, even if it means diverting energy away from fast drafting.
That said, I’ve felt a swell of creative energy again these past few weeks, and I intend to ride that wave as long as it lasts, whenever I can. This has meant more active writing, and it feels good.
What’s Next
Seen & Unseen is now ready for the manuscript critique later this month, so I’ll be focusing on other projects again.
Project Hide and Seek
My daughter shared a story idea with me, and we had a fun brainstorming session about it the other day, so at the very least I’d like to pull up that braindump document and see if I can outline something with that world and those characters. The premise is amazing, I must say: The Village meets Bird Box, with some Nettle & Bone vibes? YES PLEASE. It’ll be my first real dive into speculative horror and I’m excited to give it a go. My daughter is hands-down one of the most creative people I know, and she’s given me permission to expand this idea into a novel. So, it’s first on my list of projects.
Other TMC Books
Seen & Unseen is part of a larger world I call The Manifold Chronicles (TMC), where I’ve already drafted three other books. They’re rough drafts, but they’re drafted. And I’ve outlined the book I’d like to see follow Seen & Unseen in a trilogy, if I can manage to sell it as a series. I don’t intend to draft subsequent books to continue the Seen & Unseen storylines until I’m more confident we can sell this first one. But book two is outlined, and I’ve written a chapter or two for fun so far. However, this magical solarpunk dystopian has infinite stories to tell, and I’m considering outlining a few of the others I’ve brainstormed. If one really starts to materialize in my mind, I’ll happily consider drafting that story.
When Stars Disappear
With my grandma’s recent death, WSD is back on my mind. I queried it last year, and got a great response from it, but ultimately didn’t sign with an agent. However, with the feelings so fresh, I’m wanting to pull that manuscript out and do a complete overhaul. When my grandma died, I was flooded with fresh perspective, and ideas for making this story more what I intended from the start, before I became so consumed with wanting to make it commercial. I think the story deserves another chance at being told, especially from this other angle.
Gratitude & Joy
So, while I’m celebrating the fact that I met my Seen & Unseen goal, I want to also celebrate this return to creative expression. I want to embrace creativity in all its forms, and one of the best ways I know to tend this spark is by acknowledging my gratitude and joy whenever possible. With everything going on in the world, and in my own personal life, this can be hard sometimes. I know that all too well. But I’m not going to let the chaos of the world or other people steal my empathy or hope. Not if I can help it.
May you all find moments of gratitude and joy, too.
With love,
Kyleen
