*Shifts eyes* So, it’s been a while, y’all.

It’s been seven months since I last gave you guys an update on how my current WIP, The Dream (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #3) is going. And *laughs nervously*, I’m still not-so-thrilled about where the WIP currently is.

Check out past WIP Updates for The Dream (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #3) if you haven’t already:

• WIP Update: The Dream (Update #1)
• WIP Update: The Dream (Update #2)
• WIP Update: The Dream (Update #3)
• WIP Update: The Dream (Update #4)
• WIP Update: The Dream (Update #5)

July 2020 til Now (March 2021)

My last WIP update for The Dream was posted in August 2020, where I reported I met my desired word count of 10k for July. After that… well, let’s just say not only have I not met my word count goals since July, but I’ve only worked on the manuscript a combined (count them!) 9 days out of the last seven months.And no, it’s not because I’ve followed a plot bunny down a rabbit hole and started working on another manuscript. But Lord, I wish I had. Because now I’m a writer who barely writes anymore.

I’m not sure what this stagnant season of writing is all about. Part of me has become apathetic toward chasing this writing dream anymore, but I still have a strong desire, and an obligation, to write, edit, and release the remaining two books in this YA romance trilogy. I love the characters, and their stories, and writing this series has helped me through some of my own personal issues. But sometimes, I wonder if Emery’s struggles mirror my own a bit too much despite the vastly different scenarios. Sometimes, I feel like the blind leading the blind, because I’m trying to write scenes that solve her issues, when I’m going through similar things which I have no answers for.

And, while I love these darling little characters to death, their silence is irritating the crap out fo me. It’s been difficult to ignore the calls of characters from my WIPs that have been patiently waiting their turns for attention, while the trilogy’s characters have been my sole motivation for the past three years and have now decided not to give me anything to work with.

Then there’s the fact I’ve had little motivation to even type up the scenes I wrote last year (I write by hand) and find the total wordcount. As I write this, my typed document contains 30k words, with 14 days of remaining words still not typed up. I’ll be optimistic and say that once all those days are added, the manuscript will be at 40,000 words, which is where I expected to be according to my outline. That being said, though I’d love to finish the first draft at around 80k (lol yeah right), I know it’ll turn out to be somewhere between 55 and 60k, to be bulked up during edits just like book two, The Fall.

Finish Date Goal

When will the manuscript be finished? I had hoped for December 2020, but look how that turned out. Now, if I can get back to writing, I’m going to hope and pray that by the end of June, The Dream will become a reality. As in, I’ll finally be moved on to writing On the Flip Side, and Emery and her friends can just chill for a sec. Fi-nal-ly. But, we’ll see. We will see.

In the meantime, please pray that I’ll get back to writing. This has been one of the toughest seasons for writing I’ve ever endured with my mindset.

If you’d like to read the book that started it all, check out The Crush (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #1)

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

If you’re a writer, how is your current work in progress going? Tell us about your WIP in the comments!

If you’re a reader and you’ve read The Crush, I’m sorry for the wait on the remaining books.

Aim him, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀