*Throws confetti and passes out chocolate to everyone because I didn’t keep y’all waiting on an update for six months*

Whew, buddy, have I finally got some good writing-related news for y’all! I’m now six months into editing the second book in my YA Romance trilogy, The Ballad of Emery Brooks, and I’m at last able to see the light at the end of the tunnel now that I’m done with the tail-kicking, energy depleting, addition of an estimated 12k+ words to The Fall‘s manuscript. So, want some details on how things progressed since my last Editing Diaries entry?

Check out Episode 1 here if you missed it!

Round 2 of Edits

So… I kinda lied a little in Episode 1 when I said I was going to add *all* the new scenes in before round two of edits. Though I did add in one major scene, I mostly (out of fear, to be honest), just went back and altered the scenes flagged as “Altered/Bulk Up” to get them up to par. Then, because patience is a virtue I rarely possess, I jumped into round two with abandon and soon found out those scenes I needed to add last time didn’t magically write themselves. And there were so, so many in the middle chapters it was embarrassing.

So then, I did what all writers do and procrastinated on revising and adding scenes for a solid month, again, because I was scared. But then, when I wrote my last WIP Update for book three, The Dream, my guilty writer’s conscience said, “Yo, if you ever want to write those standalone books you’ve been Pinterest plotting for the past seven years, you need to finish this series sometime this decade.” And that, my friends, is why in March and April I’ve solely dedicated writing time to improving The Fall.

It Wasn’t as Bad as I Thought

Going back to adding scenes on The Fall was just like getting in a pool of frigid water: I knew if I cautiously dipped my toe in and tried to adjust the manuscript chronologically, that I’d be stuck on the same scene for another month. So, instead, I belly-flopped off the ladder and just picked a scene at random. It was slightly terrifying at first, but it wasn’t nearly as difficult as my anxiety worked it up to be. Words came faster and with a vigor I haven’t experienced since the Great 100k of 2019. It took me about a week of 20-minute sessions to get the first new scene done, but it added so much value to Emery’s character arc that it made me excited to jump on the next scene. It’s been a long time since I was last excited about writing, so mountains have been moved over the past couple months. I greatly appreciate your prayers!

What Does The Fall Look Like Now?

Now at 77,000+ words, The Fall reads less like a choppy, ill-focused dumpster fire of emotions and more like an actual book. More so, it now enhances how I feel about going back to finishing The Dream.

I know this is all kinda vague, but maybe, this little surprise will give you a better idea of what to expect! 😉

Synopsis: The Fall (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #2)

When you’ve lost all you’ve desperately sought to keep, why bother hoping for a second chance?

With her pent up faith in love unraveling, former hopeless romantic Emery Brooks is a shell of the girl who once craved a love story that mirrored her grandparents’ fifty-year marriage. Taking all efforts to guard her heart, she isolates herself from everything she’s ever loved, including her music and faith, now battling the same cynicism she worked so hard to protect Sawyer from.

When Emery is asked to post the video for the song she and Sawyer wrote online, her first instinct is to resist. No one understands their story. No one can relate to what they’ve gone through. Grief should not be publicized.

Resistance proves to be futile, as the video plunges Emery into a world of new possibilities. Will Emery succumb to her stubborn tendencies and avoid all risks, or learn to leap again into the comfort of God’s arms, despite uncertainty?

Nicholas Sparks meets contemporary YA in this tear-jerking continuation of The Ballad of Emery Brooks trilogy. Fans of A Walk to Remember will appreciate this throwback to timeless romance, along with the themes of overcoming hardships and learning the basis of faith.

If you’re excited to see where life will take Emery in The Fall, be sure to add it on Goodreads!

Read The Crush (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #1) if you haven’t already!

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

If you’re a writer, feel free to share what your WIP is about, and how it’s going! If you’re a reader, share the title of a book you’re anticipating this year!

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

-Allyson 😀