Dear Friend,

I have lots to say in this newsletter. But I’m sharing the good news first. Are you ready?

I FINISHED BOOK 2 OF THE SWAN SONG SERIES!!!

Can you believe it? The second book in Eliza’s journey to save her brothers from their curse is finally written. It was mostly written at the end of summer. But that draft was so bad I literally stopped several chapters before the official end and just started over. Last week, I wrote “The End” for it. And it felt SOOOOOOO good!

The first half of the book has actually already been edited several times. I’ve been sending it chapter by chapter to my critique group for feedback. (Which helped speed up the rewriting process; half the book didn’t need to be touched.) The last quarter is still rough, I’ll be honest. But the royal ball scene (which took me an entire week to write!) turned out beautifully. And that final chapter? It had me ready to swoon over my own characters!

As with every book, there’s lots of work left to do on this one. But I’ll leave that to the life updates to explain…

December is the month when we all start looking forward to the New Year, making plans, setting goals. And for writers this is the time of year when we start working on next year’s writing timeline. What books will I write? How and when will I rewrite and edit? What professionals do I need to book? (How do I fit all this around homeschool life with four kids?!)

I’ll confess, I LOVE a nice shiny plan/goal combo. Especially one that promises me a published book! However, like many other writers, I have the bad habit of planning for my ideals rather than my reality. The ideal looks so much more fun, and it would get me what I want so much faster. On paper, at least. In real life, not so much.

In fact, using this ideal as the bar for the goal has a tendency to make me hit burn out, then fall to pieces, then realize I can’t do it, and finally make the realistic goal after all.

This past Wednesday, I sat down to work on my writing and publishing timeline for 2026. I was really excited. I had my ideal set in my head. I was going to publish four books in one year’s time and it was going to be awesome! But…there was a little nudge in the back of my mind. A little anxiety. I ignored it. I really wanted this plan to work.

Then I was critiquing a devotional for busy moms (seriously, such a great devotional!). And I ran across a reminder that God doesn’t heal us so we can run right back into burnout. It hit me right where it hurts. And I started thinking. Was this the right plan? Was I going to burn out too quickly? Was my family going to feel neglected with how much I would have to work?

I set aside the plan, and I surrendered it to the Lord. I took two days and just played with my kids, cleaned the house, and prayed about the plan. Then, today I sat back down with the plan. I wrote out a list and made some calculations using my previous year’s work as a baseline. I figured out how long it would take me to finish all the books in this series.

That’s when reality slapped me right in the face.

And I’m grateful it did.

As much as I would love to write ALL the books this coming year (and publish all of them), I don’t want to wear myself out to do it. I don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the books to do it, either. So rather than guilt myself for not writing as fast as I wish that I could, I’m going to thank God for the stories He’s given me to write and be diligent to publish them in a way and time that honors Him, my creativity, my health, and my family.

So…

What IS the plan?

Book 2 is finished. I have a plan laid out for how to alternate the writing, editing, beta and editor reads, and publishing. For the rest of the month, I am going to enjoy myself. This is one of my very favorite times of year. And I don’t want to make it rush by. I’ll be making gingerbread houses with the kids, finishing decorating (only the tree is up right now), spending time with family and friends, and making lesson plans for next semester’s co-op classes. (Did I mention I’m teaching not one but two? Another reason to keep it slow and steady!)

Come January, I’ll be sharing the first quarter’s goals…AND POSSIBLY some sneak peeks at Beneath the Curse of Six! Stay tuned.

Until next month, friends,

Joanna

 Want to continue the conversation? Feel free to email me at joannagholden@gmail.com or DM me on Social Media (@authorjoannagholden).

Clean, wholesome Christian fantasy for preteen girls.

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