I completed my backstory on Saturday, and on Sunday heard back with approval from my beta-reader. The story answered her questions, so now I have the opportunity to weave the backstory into my novel in several tiny snippets. I finished up somewhere between 21,000 and 22,000 words, which is a lot of writing to never see publication. But at the same time, it’s invaluable to me, since it taught me so much about the characters and where each of them is coming from.
Of course, I’m not thinking about just ignoring those words. I’m considering the Writers of the Future contest, if I can tighten up the story enough to fit the word count. I think it’s possible, because I always write really long on my first drafts of anything. That’s probably a blessing, since I think it’s easier to cut words than the alternative.
In the meantime, I’m back to work on the actual novel, have sent chapter 11 to one of my beta-readers, and am excited about moving forward again. I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving!
