As some of you may have seen on my Instagram or Twitter accounts, I finally finished the rough draft of my WIP last Thursday!

The Runic Saga: Book One

When I originally started this summer challenge, I had hoped to reach 80,000 words in 10 weeks.

Instead I reached 99,641 words in 11 weeks and I am thrilled! I know that The Runic Saga has a TON of revision in it’s future, but I am so happy with how this draft turned out!

I have sent out my copy to two Beta-Readers who I trust entirely to give me feedback on general story and plot elements. After I receive their feedback, then the real battle begins with editing, revisions, query letters, and hopefully publishing! I’ll be sure to keep you updated along the journey.

Interested in The Runic Saga? Read a blurb here!

Happy Writing Everyone!

100,000 Word Count Challenge, My Writings

The Runic Saga #WIP #Pitch #ContemporaryFantasy

August 10, 2020August 10, 2020 kaylaannauthor

The Runic Saga

(working title)

It’s been five centuries since the collapse of the world as it was once known, ravaged by war, disease, and natural disasters. Larissa Daldóttir lives in the leftovers of a forgotten world, a small nation known as Evrópa which resides under the iron reign of the Diamante Empress. Larissa’s only desire is to live unnoticed, especally when it comes to Halla, her second-born sister who is technically illegal under the one-child policy.

When Halla oversteps her bounds, she triggers a series of events that unlock secrets from the past, secrets that the Empress is wiling to silence at any cost. Larissa must abandon everything she knows to protect Halla, but to do so, she must be willing to face the truth of her own history before it is too late.

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

© KaylaAnn and KaylaAnnAuthor.wordpress.com, 2020. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to KaylaAnn and KaylaAnnAuthor.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

80,000 Word Challenge

80,000 Word Count Challenge (Update #5)

August 7, 2020August 7, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Update #5

Ten weeks ago, I came up with the biggest writing challenge I have ever attempted. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) For my summer project, I would write 80,000 words in only 10 weeks. That meant that I was writing approximately 1,142 words a day for 70 days straight.

Most days I hit that mark if not beyond. Some days, I struggled with only a couple hundred words. Some days I missed all together. I have learned that keeping a consistent schedule and writing first thing in the morning does wonders for my writing capabilities. I also learned that being held accountable, in person and online, is a huge motivating factor for myself.

So, finally, after ten weeks of writing nearly every day, my goal word count was 80,000 words. As of today, I have a grand total of . . .

88,298 Words

To be more precise, I am in the middle of Chapter 22, on page 295, at 88,298 words.

With that in mind, I have NOT finished my book yet! It will probably require 1-2 more chapters to provide adequate resolution and still leave my readers on a cliffhanger. I’ll be sure to post up my FINAL UPDATE next week (hopefully!) A few of you have asked me for more details about my book, and I am happy to finally share more with you!

Working Title: The Runic Saga

This will be a three-to-five book series of YA contemporary fantasy with Nordic influences. On Monday, I will be posting my book blurb/pitch! I would absolutely LOVE your feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and any advice you might have for writing a blurb that catches the reader’s attention.

I look forward to hearing your feedback on Monday!

Happy Writing Everyone

Thank you to everyone who commented on these posts with encouragement. You are so appreciated!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

The Agency Games

WINNER of the GIVEAWAY and more . . .

August 5, 2020August 5, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Over the past month, I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet many new awesome bloggers, tweeters, instagrammers, facebookers, and authors. I want to start off by saying: THANK YOU.

Thank you to every single person who reads my posts, who reblogged the GIVEAWAY, and interact with me regularly through our social media sites. In just a moment, I am going to announce the winner of my Giveaway, but I have a second announcement that I hope you will stick around for…

Without further ado, the winner of Agency in the Hunger Games GIVEAWAY is:

Annette Rochelle Aben

Congratulations, Annette Rochelle Aben! Please go to my CONTACT page and send me an email including your mailing address so that I can ship this book to you as soon as possible!

For my second announcement, I want to thank the blogger who shared and reblogged my GIVEAWAY the most on various social media sites:

Eugi’s Causerie I

As a HUGE thank you, I would like to send you a copy of my book as well! Please send me an email and I will be sure to send out my book!

That’s all folks, thank you to everyone else who participated and reblogged!

*Also, in the near future, I am considering opening up “BOOK REVIEW LOTTERIES” where I will post a blog for twenty-four hours accepting submissions of books that people are wanting reviewed. At the end of that twenty-four hours, I will select one of the submitted books which I will later review and post on my blog.

Would you be interested in particpating? Let me know in the comments!

The Agency Games

LAST Chance to Enter GIVEAWAY

August 3, 2020July 13, 2020 kaylaannauthor

You have 48 hours left to enter the Agency in the Hunger Games FREE Giveaway! In the next 48 hours, every repost, reblog, etc., counts for DOUBLE the amount of entries!

Do you love the Hunger Games? Do you know someone who does? Do you simply love receiving new books in the mail?

Make sure to reblog the original GiveAway (click here!)

Rememeber, you can earn DOUBLE entries by sharing my Giveaway on WordPress, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just hastag #AgencyintheHungerGames

Already shared? That’s okay! You can reshare for more entries!

Every time that you share, I will award you a new entry (that means you can literally have countless entries by sharing and re-sharing!)

Thank you to everyone who have already shared; you guys are amazing!

See all the rules by clicking the link:

*Almost 3,000 WordPress Followers GIVEAWAY “Agency in the Hunger Games”

80,000 Word Challenge

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (4)

July 24, 2020July 23, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Update #4

I can’t believe it’s already been eight weeks into this challenge! About two months ago, I started my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!)

After eight weeks of writing nearly every day, my goal word count was 64,000 words. I currently have a grand total of . . .

64,368 Words

To be more precise, I am in the midst of Chapter 16. I have 216 pages and 64,368 words.

About two days ago, I was 1,500 words ahead of my daily writing goal. Then, the past two days happened, and they were not nearly as productive as I had hoped. Thanks to that extra buffering space, I still met my writing goal. It just goes to show that some days are going to be better writing days than others!

I can’t believe I only have TWO WEEKS LEFT! Supposedly in two weeks, I will hit 80,000 words and finish my contemporary fantasy fiction novel. I’ll be honest, I don’t think both of those things will happen. I have faith that I can finish strong and hit the word count goal, but my book has grown even more than I expected. It will need to go beyond the 80,000 word mark to give it the proper ending. As I head into the climax of my book, I am excited for what my characters will reveal and how this book will continue to unfold before me! Keep your eye out for the #pitch (in the coming weeks).

Happy Writing Everyone!

©KaylaAnnAuthor2020

80,000 Word Challenge

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (3)

July 10, 2020July 9, 2020 kaylaannauthor

It’s Time for Update #3!

I started this 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks challenge six weeks ago. (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) As of today, I have officially passed the half way point of my 2020 Summer Challenge.

After six weeks of writing every day, (okay okay, I actually missed one day due to illness) my goal word count was 48,000 words. I currently have a grand total of . . .

48,072 Words

To be more precise, I am in the midst of Chapter 12. I have 159 pages and 48,072words.

Looking at the above graph, I can see that I had a bit of an extra lead at my last update, but I lost that lead this last week after I needed to take a personal day. But hey, at least I hit my word count goal!

There were a couple of scenes over the past two weeks that I have been looking forward to writing since the start of this challenge and wow, they evolved into so much more than they were in the original draft! (PROOF that REWRITING, NOT revising, works! I’ll have more to say about that at a later date.)

Now that I have finished those fun scenes, I have to deal with the fallout, leaving me looking something like . . .

I know the next four weeks will be the toughest as I am completely changing the original ending of my first draft! I appreciate all the encouragement you have sent my way so far and hope that all of your writing adventures are going just as well!

May Your Ink Never Run Dry &

May Your Cups of Tea Always Remain Warm

Blogs / Life, The Agency Games

GIVEWAY! Working Toward 3,000 WordPress Followers!

July 6, 2020July 4, 2020 kaylaannauthor

You still have a chance to enter the Agency in the Hunger Games FREE Giveaway! Do you love the Hunger Games? Do you know someone who does? Do you simply love receiving new books in the mail?

Make sure to reblog the original GiveAway (click here!)

Rememeber, you can earn extra entries by sharing my Giveaway on WordPress, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Just hastag #AgencyintheHungerGames

Every time that you share, I will award you a new entry (that means you can literally have countless entries by sharing and re-sharing!)

Thank you to everyone who have already shared; you guys are amazing!

See all the rules by clicking the link:

*Almost 3,000 WordPress Followers GIVEAWAY “Agency in the Hunger Games”

80,000 Word Challenge, Blogs / Life

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (2)

June 26, 2020June 26, 2020 kaylaannauthor

It’s Time for Update #2!

Alright, so it has been one full month since I posted the start to my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge! (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) Today, I am here again keeping myself accountable!

After four weeks of writing every day, my goal word count was 32,000 words. I have a grand total of . . .

32,595 Words

To be more precise, I am at the beginning of Chapter 8. I have 107 pages and 32595 ,words.

Throughout this writing challenge, I have held to my technique of stopping after a certain point, even when I REALLY wanted to keep writing (which is why I am so close to my target goal). I really believe that this is part of the reason why I have been successful so far. I avoid burnout and block all at the same time! (You can read about how to do that HERE).

I have six weeks left of my writing challenge and I am feeling confident in reaching my goal. Part of that is because of my techniques and dedication, sure, but another part of that is the support I get in person and online! Thank you for joining me and supporting me in this challenge.

I would love to hear more about YOUR projects so that I can support you in return! In the comments below let me know what you’re working on or drop me a link to your latest project!

80,000 Word Challenge, Uncategorized

80,000 Word Count Challenge Update (1)

June 12, 2020June 11, 2020 kaylaannauthor

Hey Everyone!

Alright, so it has been two weeks since I posted the start to my 80,000 Word Count in 10 Weeks Challenge! (If you did not read that post, you can read it here!) Today, I am keeping myself accountable and letting you know how it’s going.

After two weeks of writing every day, (well, okay, ALMOST every day, I took one day off for my one year anniversary) my goal word count was 16,000 words. I have a grand total of . . .

16,160 Words

To be more precise, I am in my fourth chapter. I have 54 pages and 16,160 words.

I am pretty pleased with how I have been able to stay on track with this project. I sometimes believe the start of any new project/challenge is the easiest because we are filled with so much passion and energy. I can feel this ebbing as I head into my third week and I know that this project will only require more from me as I continue forward. I won’t lie, somedays, the words just flowed, and other days, well, other days I was Ron . . .

Thank you Hayley Cavanaugh for showing me this meme!

My goal is to be able to keep up this pace for the next eight weeks by continuing some tips and tricks I have been implementing along the way:

Keeping a notepad handy so that I can jot down any ideas
Try plotting out the next chapter ahead of time to refer to when I need direction
Creating character boards on Pinterest (for fun and to keep my creativity flowing!)
Stopping at a certain point (THIS ONE IS KEY)
- Once I hit my desired word count for that day, I wrap up my current thoughts and even if I have an idea for where I am going next, I jot down the general ideas (so I don’t forget them) but then I leave them for tomorrow. I’ll be explaining in an upcoming blog post why this tactic works!