Thanks Renee! Ahhh there's so many to pick from. Right now I'm concurrently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Schwab) and Neverwhere (Gaiman). I also want to dig into The Bandit Queens (Shroff) and have been curious to check out Esme Waijun Wang's book The Collected Schizophrenias. That's not quite a direct answer to your question but as you can see I can't pick, lol.
Thank you Jamie, and happy birthday to you as well! Are you doing anything fun to celebrate?! I'm having an adults-only birthday part this Saturday (for the first time since my son was born). Excited to drink and play board games with my friends without kids running around.
I had a lovely day today, which wrapped up with a nice walk around town with my beau (and a chai latte as a treat). We'll go out to dinner Saturday night to a favorite restaurant that has the BEST sweet potato fries. And then on Sunday, we'll join my parents at their place for a cookout and apple pie. (I'm not a big cake person.) So ... yes, lots of fun things stretched out over the next few days. Oh! And I'm really hoping I can manage to get to the movie theater to see "Wild Robot," which looks amazing.
Congratulations!!! I'm just writing my first post about being an aspiring author, and reading your post filled me with such energy and motivation. Thanks for sharing! (Also, happy birthday🎈)
Ah that's so wonderful, this is why I share my experiences, with the hope that it can be useful to others. I always get so excited to meet other authors--what are you planning to write about? I'm really excited for your writing journey.
Thanks, Noor! I have both fiction and non-fiction writing dreams—or goals haha. That may or may not help me get over either finish line! I also work full-time in a day job. So, I’m jealous of your decision to take a leap into full-time writing 🙌
It feels wonderful. But I'll be honest--it also feels daunting. I now have to turn 100k words of occasional setting mixed with occasional dialogue mixed with occasional interiority into good writing. This is why I'm taking a short break. When I've recovered I'll be read to chip away at those clunky words.
I think taking a break is a wise move. Come back to it with fresh eyes and some space, because I know if it were me, I would be temporarily over it at this point. 😅
Thank you! I'm glad you're here on this journey with me. I see you're a mom too--there's so much wisdom to be gained from navigating life while raising small kids!
Thanks so much Shayne! The Next Novel has been so important for this journey, I really can't express how glad I am that you spent some of your precious writing hours documenting your own novel-writing journey. I'm stoked for your book to come out, I love your writing.
Someday we are going to have to schedule an IRL hang so we can happy dance together! It's been so fun sharing this with our substack group, I'm so glad I lucked into having a space each week to share my progress (and anxieties).
Thanks Adam! I am having so much fun meeting other writers here on Substack. I've been craving a community of other novelists to relate with and I'm so glad our paths crossed. Looking forward to learning more about you and your writing.
Congrats, Noor! Such a huge accomplishment. Good plan on taking a break to see with fresh eyes before editing.
What’s the first book you plan to read?
Thanks Renee! Ahhh there's so many to pick from. Right now I'm concurrently reading The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Schwab) and Neverwhere (Gaiman). I also want to dig into The Bandit Queens (Shroff) and have been curious to check out Esme Waijun Wang's book The Collected Schizophrenias. That's not quite a direct answer to your question but as you can see I can't pick, lol.
That cleared it up 😉 In this case I’d try the 5 page rule. Read the first 5 pages of a few of them to see which one grabs you at that moment.
Woohoo! What a great way to enter a new year! 🥳🥳
Thanks Diana! Looking forward to hanging out and celebrating on Saturday :D
Congrats and happy birthday!
Virtual hi-five from me too. Well done Noor.
That’s fantastic, well done :-)
Good on ya, Noor. That is quite an accomplishment.
Jeanne Anne
Thank you Jeanne!
This is amazing, Noor! HUGE congratulations. That is no small feat.
Also - we are birthday twins. 🥳 🥳 So, I'm sending extra happy best wishes to you!
Enjoy your much-deserved break.💜
Thank you Jamie, and happy birthday to you as well! Are you doing anything fun to celebrate?! I'm having an adults-only birthday part this Saturday (for the first time since my son was born). Excited to drink and play board games with my friends without kids running around.
That sounds like so much fun!
I had a lovely day today, which wrapped up with a nice walk around town with my beau (and a chai latte as a treat). We'll go out to dinner Saturday night to a favorite restaurant that has the BEST sweet potato fries. And then on Sunday, we'll join my parents at their place for a cookout and apple pie. (I'm not a big cake person.) So ... yes, lots of fun things stretched out over the next few days. Oh! And I'm really hoping I can manage to get to the movie theater to see "Wild Robot," which looks amazing.
Enjoy your grown-up party!!
Sounds really fun, enjoy!
Congratulations!!! I'm just writing my first post about being an aspiring author, and reading your post filled me with such energy and motivation. Thanks for sharing! (Also, happy birthday🎈)
Ah that's so wonderful, this is why I share my experiences, with the hope that it can be useful to others. I always get so excited to meet other authors--what are you planning to write about? I'm really excited for your writing journey.
Thanks, Noor! I have both fiction and non-fiction writing dreams—or goals haha. That may or may not help me get over either finish line! I also work full-time in a day job. So, I’m jealous of your decision to take a leap into full-time writing 🙌
So, so proud of you. What a way to celebrate your birthday! You rock!
Thank you mom! Having your support has been so important. I don't say it enough--I'm so lucky to have you as my MIL.
You did it!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉
How does it feel to have an entire story in front of you??
It feels wonderful. But I'll be honest--it also feels daunting. I now have to turn 100k words of occasional setting mixed with occasional dialogue mixed with occasional interiority into good writing. This is why I'm taking a short break. When I've recovered I'll be read to chip away at those clunky words.
I think taking a break is a wise move. Come back to it with fresh eyes and some space, because I know if it were me, I would be temporarily over it at this point. 😅
Congrats Noor! What an exciting accomplishment!
Thank you! I'm glad you're here on this journey with me. I see you're a mom too--there's so much wisdom to be gained from navigating life while raising small kids!
Ahhhhh! You did it! The first draft is the hardest part — now the fun begins! 🙌 Congratulations! 🎈
Thanks so much Shayne! The Next Novel has been so important for this journey, I really can't express how glad I am that you spent some of your precious writing hours documenting your own novel-writing journey. I'm stoked for your book to come out, I love your writing.
Congrats Noor! I am so happy for you. I wish we could "happy dance" together!!!!!!
Someday we are going to have to schedule an IRL hang so we can happy dance together! It's been so fun sharing this with our substack group, I'm so glad I lucked into having a space each week to share my progress (and anxieties).
When we hold another women (or man) up, we lift everyone up.
Congrats Noor!!! 🎉 Also Happy Birthday!!
Thanks Adam! I am having so much fun meeting other writers here on Substack. I've been craving a community of other novelists to relate with and I'm so glad our paths crossed. Looking forward to learning more about you and your writing.
Congrats Noor! That's awesome and amazing!! Good for you for reaching your goal! Enjoy your break and have fun!
Thanks so much for being part of this journey with me!
My pleasure!