Happy Octember. Or Novober.

Take your pick. October and November linked arms and broke the sound barrier on their way out the door, so I think it’s only fair that we combine them.

You may remember how, in my September newsletter, I blithely mentioned that round two of Thief edits were going well, and that I planned to wrap them up quickly.

What a fool I was.

As it turned out, all the little changes I was making along the way added up to one very large existential crisis where I realized I was going to have to completely rewrite the ending. Again.

However, the October residency was looming, and I needed to focus on my students and my lesson plans, so I allowed myself one brief gaze into the abyss of writerly despair before setting my manuscript aside and focusing on the intensive.

And, as it turned out, that little break was exactly what I needed.

After a week stuffed with lectures and workshops and brainstorming novel ideas and reveling in the glory of the written word (all my favorite things), I was ready to revisit my manuscript and tackle the ending.

What I’m Working On:

I sent my revised manuscript off to my agent to the sound of angels singing, and now I’m turning my attention back to a daunting pile of MFA work. Once I dig myself out from underneath the assignments I so foolishly assigned, I’m hoping to give The Prince Under Greystone (my Welsh fairytale) another edit.

I intended Prince to be a read-aloud, so as I wrote each chapter, I would read it to my kids, and they were all big fans (except for the one child who wanted the antagonist to be good, but we don’t always get what we want). My middle child informed me that this is her favorite story I’ve written so far and demanded that it be published immediately, so who am I to ignore the demands of the youth?

What I’m Reading:

I’m sadly failing my Goodreads reading challenge, BUT I did read and enjoy The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (very twisty, very murdery, a little confusing but overall really unique and fun). I also blazed through the final two books in the Chaos Walking trilogy because I wanted to see how it ended. AND, I had the great pleasure of reading my friend Gwen Newell’s fantastic debut Forbidden Child in record time because it was so gripping.

For audiobook, I’m almost finished with Dandelion Wine which I could not get into in print form but am loving as an audiobook. This is more a series of vignettes than a novel, but some of the chapters are incredibly moving. His reflections on the transience of life and the sweetness and sorrows of small-town life and boyhood were really fantastic.

Writing Tip:

One of the non-negotiable parts of a novel is mood. Mood is not as tangible as plot, but it’s also far harder to change once you’ve written the story. This is why, when I’m drafting a story, I start with mood.

We have all had these conversations, yes? What friend two is trying to put her finger on is mood. How the movie will make her feel. What vibes she can expect when she presses play. And mood is equally important in a novel. Different books make you feel different ways. Often, when a reader says they didn’t like a book, it’s less of a critique of the work on an intellectual level and more that they weren’t in the mood for it.

This, incidentally, is why I love Pinterest. When I’m searching for my next book’s mood, I love to scroll through images and save the ones that look like how I want my book to feel. You can see some of the inspiration for my books here. It’s very important to get that mood dialed in early so that, as you’re making decisions about your manuscript, you can always return to the mood and what choices would best serve it.

I am writing this harbinger from a table at Woosters, the best pizza place in Moscow, and an army of students from the local high-school are descending like a wolf on the fold for lunch, so I’m signing off now. Until next time!

Christine