The Wrap-Up: SEPTEMBER 2022
- Holly Brunnbauer
- Oct 4, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 28, 2023
Hello, lovely!
Let’s wrap things up for September.
Want to know what it’s like being a stay-at-home writer? Take a peek behind the curtain.
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My bookshelf
Want more? Find me on Instagram stories (@hollybrunnbauer) where I share old-school tunes daily. The 90s had the best music, didn’t it?
WRITING UPDATE
Delightful Mess
My first novel
I wish I could tell you it’s finished, but I’m still chugging away at draft 5. School holidays and snack b*tch duties got in the way.
With the finish line in sight, I’m gearing up to prepare this manuscript for submission. That means putting on my big girl pants (or in my case, activewear tights) and sending it out to literary agents. *Deep breaths*.
The Sexy Bucket List
My second novel
In August, I focussed on developing the characters and this month was plot. I want to know exactly what’s happening, when and why before I start writing. Hopefully this will save me from many, many structural edits. Won’t it?
I’ve gone balls deep with this. There’s even an elaborate spreadsheet.
I tried a few story structures (e.g. Save the Cat, Romancing the Beat etc.) but ultimately went with a three act structure I stumbled across on the interwebs (recommended below). It made sense to me in a way that the others didn’t.
RESOURCE RECOMMENDATIONS
Book coach & editor
Who says blogs are dead? Not me. I love trawling the internet for tips.
I was stoked to stumble across Savannah Gilbo's blog and podcast.
Writing a romance? This blog post can help - How to outline a romance novel that works.
Savannah outlines a three act structure specifically for lovey-dovey stories.
I loved it so much, I decided to use it to help shape my 2nd novel.
1-on-1 course offered at Romance Writers of Australia
To become a traditionally published author, I’ll need to submit my work to a literary agent or directly to a publisher and hope they fall in love with it.
It sounds super scary and from what I’ve heard, can take many years. Anywho, to give myself the best chance, I enrolled into Janet’s course.
I spent the month learning how to craft a query letter, synopsis and make my opening chapters shine. At the end of it, I also had the opportunity to talk Janet’s ear off on a Zoom chat.
Janet provided helpful feedback, which I’m so grateful for.
MY BOOKSHELF
I stuck with my theme of Australian authors and read Clare Fletcher’s debut novel, Five Bush Weddings. I saved the last chapter for a glorious spring day while I was chilling along the banks of the Murray River. It felt like the appropriate send off for a story I adored.
A friends-to-lovers, contemporary rural romance with a delicious Aussie bloke love interest.
Stevie’s gone bush to snap gorgeous weddings, but when’s it going to be her special day? Everywhere she looks people are falling in love and Stevie’s left in red dust.
Lovable larrikin, Johnno West strolls back into her life and he’s looking mighty fine. But they’re just mates. Always have been. So why can’t she stop thinking about him?
PERSONAL GOSS
Firstly, it was my birthday on the 6th September. Mark it in your calendar for next year. Go on, I’ll wait.
I made my usual request of Mexican Lasagna. Haven’t heard of it? You’re missing out, my friend. There was cake etc. but the rest was pretty low-key. Which is just how this introvert likes it.
On the school holidays we packed up the kids and pug (Mr Giuseppe) and legged it all the way to Mildura. It was basically 6 hours of “are we there yet?” We spent a week camping and visiting the in-laws. What about the 2nd week? I was up to my eyeballs in washing. Good times.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Seen what my novels are about? Here's a sneak peek.
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