Writing Update: November 2025

There are 61 days left in the year. Including today, because I'm writing this at 6AM so I still have the whole day ahead of me.

Somehow, I can't believe it's already here. In January, I was a completely different person. And this year has been an absolute rollercoaster of life events, from making a commitment to finish writing 'my book' to experiencing a massive flare up of chronic illness to leaving my job (which I enjoyed before I had baby I but after she was born, and when AI became the #1 priority... ughhhhhhh. I won't digress here. That's another blog post), to completely overhauling my diet and starting a committed yoga practice and then writing one book, and then writing another...

2025 has been a big year.

And THERE ARE STILL 61 DAYS LEFT!!!

What can I accomplish in that time? Wow, I'm so excited to find out.

First of all, did you catch that little info drop?

I FINISHED WRITING THE FIRST DRAFT OF CAVE HOUSE!!!!

I originally started this post in October and then got busy and then was like, "Don't push it, do it when you have time." Well, the baby is sleeping and I have 'time' now, and it's November 1st and I think now is as good a time as ever. When I started this post in October, I wrote: "I am going to finish Project: Cave House by the end of October. I guarantee it."

CAVE HOUSE was finished on October 15th in a massive sprint of 6000+ words that I ejected while sitting at a coffee shop in Edgewater.

As with Glitter City, there are already 50+ things I know I'm going to change, but the first draft is DONE. It EXISTS. I DID IT!! (again)

This time, I cried. Like, immediately. Which I thought was interesting because Glitter City was objectively harder to write, but for some reason Cave House was just... more emotional. More personal, somehow?

Anyway, I started writing Cave House as part of the Wild Draft program, so let's start with an update there and then I'll share everything else that's going on right now AND my plan for the next 61 days of 2025. Yikes. lol.

Update #1: The Wild Draft

The Wild Draft is the second novel-writing program that I have participated in this year. Led by Kailey DelloRusso (yes, at least 50% of why I signed up is because we share the same name with the same spelling. It felt like a sign), The Wild Draft promises to help writers finish the first - perhaps the wildest - draft of their novel project. I was intrigued by this because I've always heard "don't try to make it perfect, just make it exist first" but I only had metaphorical experiences to compare it to. Nothing as complex, detailed, or personal as a whole novel. And I do love a wild experiment.

I think my favorite element of this program is the bi-weekly zoom calls. I can't speak for the other cohort participants, but showing my face to them and having to report back on where I was at in my draft, or whether I made any progress was a huge motivator for me. I absolutely could not show up without something written. I couldn't bear the embarrassment! During those zoom calls, we'd share updates and Kailey D would share a lesson to help us think about how to move the story forward, which helped me think specifically about this story I was writing.

There are still two or three weeks left of the program, but I finished my draft 2 weeks ago. I'm still planning to join the last two sessions and encourage and celebrate the other writers in this cohort, but I am already making progress on book 3 of this year!

Oh, also, I submitted the first 50 pages of my draft to Kailey for feedback. I have come to realize that I don't like sharing first drafts with people, but I thought her feedback was very helpful because it focused more on craft and overall storytelling ability, rather than specific details on this story or things like character development (since things will change so much in future drafts!) Here is some of her feedback:

"I think your overall structure of this chapter is working so well. The pacing and movement from one event to the next feel right on point for an opening chapter. You do a great job of weaving in action between dialogue and balancing Felicitiy’s inner monologue with what is going on in the scene. I also really enjoyed the tension between Felicity and Julio. That awkwardness was so palpable and you rendered their dynamic in such a realistic way."

"Your dialogue between Felicity and her mom is really great. So much is revealed about both of them in such a short conversation. I also enjoy how, thus far your chapter ends with that open door— something new that makes us need to turn the page!"

"Still really enjoying your pacing! You have a natural instinct for when to move the story along and I think it's working well in these early chapters."

Now that the draft is finished, it will sit while I draft The Mayor and undecided book #4. Better get on that...

Update #2: The Novelry

Because I am (potentially) a psychopath, I have also signed up for The Novelry's Big Write and The 90 Day Novel Class. Whee!

I did this because I want to write as many first drafts as I can this year. I may have mentioned that before somewhere, and if I haven't, it's probably because I was worried that I'd write zero first drafts this year. Well, now that I've written two I feel like I can do anything. Also, I really liked a few features of The Novelry's program:

• You get to meet with a writing coach who has written and published multiple books, including best sellers and prize-winning books

• There is a huge community of other writers, which I've learned is invaluable while writing a first draft, so that you know you're not alone!

• Some of those already-published, prize winning, bestselling authors are also writing new first drafts at the same time, which feels like a good way to experience residual first draft magic (lol)

Early in October, I submitted my "Plan" to my writing coach, Tara Conklin - actually, I submitted two plans but we agreed that The Mayor is the more 'commercially viable' story and more unique, making it a good option for querying when I get to that stage.

My favorite lesson from The Novelry so far? The 5 Fs: Flaw, Flight, False Hope, Fury, Facing It. It's a completely different way to look at the story and I prefer this to Save The Cat for these first drafts because it's really helping me figure out what the "change" in the character is. I've been reading short stories (and all other books) looking for the 5 F's which has been a fun, challenging exercise.

Current status: No idea what day we're on because I haven't really watched many of the videos or kept with the program since early October, but I am excited to dive back in. As for Project: The Mayor, I have crossed 25K words and am expecting this novel draft to come in around 80-85K. Which brings me to my next update...

Update #3: Four Manuscripts in 2025

What is wrong with me?

Please don't answer that.

I am attempting to write 4 first draft, novel-length manuscripts in 2025.

Here's where I stand with that challenge as of October 10, 2025

Project: Glitter City, DONE 113K words

Project: Cave House, DONE at 72 or 73K words

Project: Mayor, 25K words with ~45K left

Project: #4 ... IDK

I was considering writing Project: Claude next, but then I remembered that I have like 25K words of a different novel that I started in January already written, which means I only have to write 50K more... So, it seems like a good idea to work on that one. But I'm way more interested in Project: Claude... UGH

Here's the math. I typically have ~10K word weeks. I can sit at my computer and write for 2-3 hours, maybe more, 4-5 days per week and crank out around 2K words per session which gets me to the 10K.

I have 61 days, or 8.5 weeks left in 2025. If I stick to 10K word weeks, that does not bring me to 4 full novel first drafts.

However...

If I write the story I'm less interested in, I think I could do it, because really, I'd have around 90K words to write (total). If I write Project Claude, I'll have to bump up my word count to... (does a calculation that's probably incorrect because I'm a writer, not a math person) around 3K words per writing session, 15K per week.

After developing a good, solid writing routine and prioritizing writing over the past 6+ months, I have never had a 15K word writing week.

SO.... well, you've been here for it. I think the decision is that I'll write Project Honey, the book I started to write at the beginning of this year when I said to myself, I WILL finish writing my book this year.

And actually, that's kind of sweet. Heh. Pun not previously but now very much intended.

So... the FOURTH first draft I will write in 2025 is Project: Honey, a romance about a woman who's been jaded by a workplace romance in the past, only to fall head over heels for the hot chef at her uncle's new restaurant. More to come on that...

Update #4: Submissions & Short Stories

Since my last update, I can proudly admit that

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT OF MY SHORT STORIES WERE REJECTED!!!

Which sounds insane, perhaps masochistic to celebrate. But recently I heard a quote: you can't win the lottery if you don't buy the ticket, and I feel proud of myself for buying the ticket. Okay, it's not like gambling though, I promise. Also, I did pay for detailed feedback on one of my short stories to see what editors are really looking for and got some very helpful feedback that, once I stop writing these novels, I plan to apply to the story and resubmit it.

Outside of the short stories I wrote this summer and in September, I don't plan to write any more short stories this year. See: previous update where I do writer math about word counts. However, to prevent myself from going absolutely crazy in one novel next year, if I feel the need to scratch the "write something new" itch, I will write short stories.

Current Writing Routine

Usually, 1-2 days per week I wake up early and write from 6am-7am. Monday-Friday I write from around 8:30am until 11:30, and then I go work out (yoga M & F and tennis Thursday, and this past week I just started lifting weights again which, YAY!) and then I have lunch and from lunch on I do anything else that I need to do. Usually cooking, household chores, etc. When the baby takes her afternoon nap, I work on social media, which has been fun but has taken a lot of time.

Most days, because baby is home and because it's very hard to write when she's always asking to be held, I try to go to a coffee shop. However... I'm very much over the decision making required to go to a new coffee shop every day. My favorites have been PACKED lately so I haven't been able to find a seat or an outlet and also sometimes I just don't want to go anywhere... I just want to sit down and write.

My MIL is heading to San Francisco next Wednesday and she won't be coming back to this house, so I am planning to do a fun (cheap, mostly thrifted/already own these things) refresh of the office downstairs; mainly, get rid of the bed that takes up so much floor space, put in a sofa, a new rug, move my books downstairs, and turn that room into my cozy, permanent-for-six-to-seven-months (until we move into the new house next summer, which we haven't even started looking for so it could be longer!) office space.

Maybe having that space will help me reach 15K weeks???

My goals for November:

Finish writing Project: The Mayor & come up with a working title

Outline Project: Honey & add 15K words

A COUPLE OF FUN UPDATES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH WRITING

1. I have been going to tennis lessons/drills about once a week for a few months and I'm actually getting better which floors me because I was always told that it's harder to learn new things when you get older. Idk man I strongly disagree with that. I'm better at Tennis, a better writer, a better mom... and also, older.

2. Speaking of older, I turned 37 in October. Pretty sure I had the flu, so I spent most of my birthday in bed, but I did buy myself a giant pothos plant and wrote in pajamas pretty much all week, so it wasn't all bad :)

3. Husband and I celebrated out 4th wedding anniversary yesterday. Yes, we got married on Halloween in 2021. No, our friends didn't hate us for it because they still got to dress up in Pakistani /Desi clothes, which was super fun. Yes, I still love him madly and will absolutely be crediting him in every single book I write. Lucky man.

4. We went to a Halloween party last weekend that was 100% millennials and elder millennials which meant 1) the music was amazing and 2) we left at like midnight and still got a full night of sleep. We went as Emily (in Chicago, trying to look Parisian) and Gabriel. I made a nametag for him that said "Le Chef Hot" teehee. How cute??