First Draft Completed...FINALLY!

I can't believe how long it's taken me to finish the last 3 chapters of the novel I wrote in November!!

I'm not sure if it's because I took such a long break and haven't written much during the month of December, but whatever the reason, the first draft is now complete!!

Now that that step is finished, the next task is to edit it. And I do have a deadline for this...

If I want my free hardcover copy from Lulu.com (and I DO) then I have to submit the prepared novel by Feb. 15, 2014. This will be a big task, but I am determined to achieve this goal. After all, I did write the majority of the novel in just 30 days and that was something I had never done before either!!

I'm sure you're curious, so I'm going to give you a sneak peek of the novel with a few excerpts:

How much people miss, Hillary thought as she watched people hurry along with their heads down. The sound of cars driving by mingled with the crunch of snow underfoot as people passed her on the sidewalk and she paused for a moment under the hazy yellow glow of a streetlight and closed her eyes, wondering what sights and sounds she might have noticed if she was part of the crowd approaching the city of Bethlehem for the census. As she approached the church, she recognized the melody of her favourite Christmas carol being played on the organ and she hurried up the steps. (Chapter 1)

He arrived at the street corner just as the bus arrived. Quickly stepping into the bus, he paid his fare and sat down next to the window. Peering through the frosty glass, Andre watched the people and cars passing by and wondered where they were headed this night…did they have families waiting for them at home, or were they feeling alone and searching for purpose like he was? About fifteen minutes later, he exited the bus and began to walk up the steps of the church. (Chapter 4)

“I know, dear,” replied Friedrich quietly. He felt the same worries and fears as his wife did. This was to be the last Christmas with their youngest son for at least a couple of years, because his future was very uncertain. Christmas had always been a big family celebration time, and they were both aware that this year would be very different. Friedrich had also been experiencing some difficulties in his business, and the stress of having to find a resolution to them was weighing heavily on his heart as well. (Chapter 13)

Jackson felt something brush against his leg and he jumped, startled. He heard a scratchy ‘meow’ and felt something moist brush against his hand and he realized it was just a stray cat. Heaving a sigh of relief, he pushed up from his sitting position and decided it was time to move on. Looking again at the church across the street, he hesitated for a moment. I do not belong in that place, he told himself, but he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that he should go inside. And then, like a sudden gust of wind, the thought occurred to him – at least there I would be safe. No one would dare look for me there. And inside it would likely be warmer than out on the streets. (Chapter 16)

“Yes, I did,” Elsa replied tenderly. “It is beautiful. Now come, we need to catch the bus so that we are not late.” Brushing the snow off his jacket and taking her grandson’s hand, they walked down the sidewalk to the bus stop together. As they waited for the bus to arrive, Justin eagerly pointed out everything that caught his attention…from the boys across the street who were throwing snowballs at each other, to the multi-coloured Christmas lights twinkling in house windows and the way the snowflakes melted when they landed on his nose and cheeks. (Chapter 25)

"Friends, that is one of my favourite songs to sing, especially during this special season. But why is it that we only sing this song for one month of the year? Yes, we are celebrating the the joyful truth that ‘the Lord has come,’ as the song proclaims, but Jesus didn’t just disappear after being born. His life on earth continued, and brought a life-changing message to everyone he came in contact with. If we truly understand that message, if we even catch a glimpse of what God is saying to us through His Son, then that should change the way we live during the other three hundred and sixty-four days of the year.” (Chapter 28)

The novel will be published in paperback as well as e-book format next year!

More information will be coming soon about ordering copies and distribution. This would make a great Christmas gift for friends and family members!!

What I've Learned and What's Coming Next

The writing frenzy of NaNoWriMo November is over -- phew! However, I have actually had to take a break from writing over the past few days for a couple of reasons:

• I need to take care of myself and get over this cold I have.
• I need to take care of some of the things I neglected during the past 30 days.

The endeavour WAS a success and I am VERY pleased with the results!! I did not completely finish the novel, but I DID reach the goal - actually surpassed it - and managed to write 51,476 words in one month! You can see my winner's certificate below:

So what did I gain from this experience? Let me tell you:

• Having a very detailed outline makes it possible to simply sit down and write. I don't have to sit there and think: Now where is the character going and what is going to happen next?
• I discovered that I write best late at night. This isn't what I would prefer, since I need my sleep and I actually became sick with a cold due to lack of sleep during NaNoWriMo.
• I learned that I can actually write in moments when I think I don't have enough time or when there are no specific ideas/inspirations. And if I set myself some goals, I will get more accomplished.
• I also realized that writing is more than a hobby -- it is an outlet for me and an essential part of my life, because it is a passion and gift that God has given to me and I have a desire to use it to minister to others.

What's coming next?

• Finish the writing of the novel and submit it for editing.
• I've been working on designing the covers for the books that I am planning to publish next year and am VERY happy with the results! You will have to wait, though, because I want them to be a surprise when the books come out.
• My editor has finished the edit of my first novel, but I haven't yet had time to review it and do a complete review of the novel following the edits and changes.
• I need to make preparations for publishing and start setting out some plans for marketing my books.
• Continue working on the other novels I have in progress.

Writing is very important to me, but it is secondary to my ministry involvement, so I have to make a schedule for myself in which I can still accomplish my other goals and yet continue to progress in becoming a published author.

Thank you for your interest and please stay posted for sneak previews...

Project Progress Update #1

It's time for an update!
I have not been focusing on my blog because I've been working so intently on my novel.

I WILL write 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo this year ... but the novel may not be written in its entirety by November 30th.

I certainly hope to finish it completely, but I am more than halfway to the total goal and I'm not even one-third of the way through the book! Here are my statistics for the project so far:

The continuous excitement I have for this book and the way the story continues to grow is proof to me that the inspiration is coming from outside of myself - namely, from God! I'm confident that it's going to be more than even I had expected when I began this project.

Another exciting development is the design of the book cover, which I have created myself because I know what I want it to show. I am SO thrilled with it, that I can't wait until NaNoWriMo is over - I have to share it with you now!!

That's all for now, folks!
Just remember as you are preparing for the Christmas season how much God loves you and be prepared to discover the unique ways He longs to show that to you!!

NaNoWriMo 2013 ... Here I Come!

This all started the other day...
I checked my email inbox and saw an email from Lulu.com, which is the site I have registered with to publish my books. The subject read, "Participating in NaNoWriMo this year?"

I have some other friends who like writing (although perhaps not quite as much as I do), so I knew what NaNoWriMo was. For those of you who don't know, it stands for National Novel Writing Month, and the objective is to write a 50,000-word novel between Nov. 1st and 30th. Depending on how many chapters you think you can write, that averages out to about 2000 words a day.

After browsing the message, I decided that the idea didn't really interest me -- I didn't know if I wanted to join this kind of contest, if I had the time, or even what I would write about -- so I sent it to trash.

Then, on the following day...
I was browsing Amazon.com for more free books I could download on my kindle and I saw a Christmas book. I don't remember what it was that caught my attention about it, but all of a sudden and idea came to me! Wouldn't it be neat to write a Christmas-themed book? And it would make a great Christmas gift for friends and family. I didn't know if I could write a Christmas novel by this Christmas, though.

Four years ago at Christmas, I wrote a poem about the true meaning and significance of the Christmas season and how it is so much more than just a one-day event. In those few short minutes, I realized that I could use the poem as the story's theme and the basis for each of the characters.

Then I remembered the email and I thought I would check it out once more. I discovered that a prize for completing the challenge - writing a 50,000-word novel in 30 days - was a free manuscript edit and one free hardcover copy of the book from Lulu.com! Well, if that isn't motivation, I don't know what is!

Consequently, I signed up for this event and began detailing the outline for the book and putting down the inspirations that were flooding my mind like a river in spring thaw. I have never even attempted to write an entire novel in 30 days before, so this will definitely be an adventure!

Here's what's going to take place:

1. By the end of October I will have a firm clear outline in place with as many details as possible so that I can just write, write, write! I will also have a plan of how many hours a day I can work on it, and what my goal is for each of those days, as it may vary a little.

2. At 12 midnight on November 1st I will begin work on my new novel.

3. Before 12 midnight on November 30th I need to have my entire 50,000-word manuscript uploaded to the website for official counting.

And now, for a quick preview...
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WHAT CHRISTMAS REALLY MEANS
A Novel by Darlene J. Koop

It’s Christmas Eve and despite the cold, many people have come to church for the annual candlelight service. For some, attendance is merely a tradition; for others, an event for which they have waited all year long. Many of them carry heavy burdens of pain and sorrow and think that they have been forgotten by God. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Pastor John’s message challenges everyone’s perspective about Christmas. And on this night, fifteen different people have a remarkable encounter with God, one that reaches into their hearts to meet their unspoken needs. They discover that they can help one another, and their lives are changed forever as they discover what Christmas really means.

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I will do my best to post at least a few updates throughout the month on how the writing process is going, but I need to focus my energies on completing the novel within the 30-day time limit. Looking forward to sharing the complete story with you when it is finished!!

One Step at a Time..

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do you prepare a book for publishing? One step at a time.

And the first step towards publishing is to get the book edited. People have been telling me this for years and I have finally taken the plunge. When I first began writing, I knew this would be required at some point, but I was nervous about it. I haven't always been good at accepting constructive criticism, and I didn't know what to expect in getting my writing published. I wanted to keep the integrity of what I had written.

So when I found a Christian editing company online I was thrilled! I want to be published, and not only to see my name on the cover of a "real" book, but because I want to share the gospel through my stories in a way that will encourage, inspire and even change someone else's life. I knew that a Christian editor would understand the message I was trying to communicate and would respect that.

When the sample edit was completed, I received some positive comments from my editor, and I started getting more excited about the process! A week ago, my editor sent the first section review back to me with his corrections, comments and suggestions for improvement. Minor grammatical changes, which I expected even though I know I have a strong grasp of grammar. But what really stood out to me were his suggested content changes -- I have read through my manuscript many times and I didn't see the things that he did. I needed a new perspective. So I removed some parts and rewrote and rearranged others, and as feel that my writing has been greatly improved!

Even a couple of years ago, I'm not sure that I would have been prepared to make such changes to my story, but now that I am determined to begin publishing my books, it has given me the impetus to take this giant step forward.

One step at a time...I'll keep moving ahead and I am excited to see how this will help me improve my writing as I continue with the sequel and the other projects I am working on.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you are in need of a good Christian editor with competitive rates, check out http://www.affordablechristianediting.com

How It All Began...

I have ALWAYS loved books!

This love was fostered by my parents as they read to us from the Bible and other books. Bedtime was greatly looked forward to because Mom would often sit in the hallway and read to us as we fell asleep - I especially remember the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis and the classic series of children's stories by Thornton Burgess.

I was reading books before I went to kindergarten...it was - and STILL IS - one of my favourite activities! I don't quite recall when I first decided that I wanted to be a writer, but I had been greatly influenced by the many books I read and knew that I wanted to share my love of stories in a way that would also impact others.

From a young age I had numerous short stories in my desk drawer as "works in progress." They were mostly unfinished, as I had not yet developed the discipline of sticking with one task until it was completed. I read many different books, including biographies of influential people, romance stories, adventure stories, children's books...basically anything I could. I discovered that I loved language and words and expressing myself in a unique way.

During my teenage years, I began writing poetry as a way to express my emotions and process my experiences. And then, in my senior year of high school at the age of 17, I decided I was going to start a novel. I don't remember what specifically precipitated that decision; I only know that from that moment on I was determined to be an author.

I had read somewhere that the best authors write from their own experiences and what they know, and so I decided to do exactly that. The book was about half-completed in 2002 when I began my studies at Bible college. Throughout the next 2 years, I had little time to write, so no progress was made. Finally, in 2006, I completed my first novel. I was elated! Now there was a new challenge...I wanted to try and get it published. I dreamed about seeing the book with my name emblazoned on the cover, and signing copies of it as they sold by the dozens! I didn't know then just how long and arduous this process would be, however, and after awhile it seemed like my dream might never be realized.

I began working on the sequel to my first book, and then a separate novel, which I completed in the winter of 2008. Now I had even more impetus to get published! But how would this be possible? I was still searching for what I was supposed to do with my life. In 2010 I began pursuing a missionary calling, which God had clearly laid on my heart, and the book publishing was set aside, since I knew that it would not likely be my life's work. I definitely still had a passion for writing and a desire to see my stories be an encouragement and inspiration to others, but when this would happen was an unknown.

Then, in 2012, a missionary friend showed me a small book she had self-published through a company in Ukraine several years ago. I began looking into it and discovered that not only was there an abundance of options for self-publishing, but it was relatively inexpensive and time-efficient.

So that brings me to where I am today...

One book just beginning the copy-editing process, which will be completed by spring/summer 2014. I plan to publish it next summer, and hopefully my second novel will be ready for publishing then as well. In addition to the print copies I will be selling, it will also be available in e-book format online.

Stay tuned for previews...and please share with anyone you know who may be interested.

I hope you enjoy coming along with me on this exciting journey!!