Beautiful Books || Bethany's Writing Goals

1) What were your writing achievements last year?

    Well...... I did not finish my rough draft of Mithras and Myrrh, but I got quite a ways into, plus wrote a short story for a contest (it didn't win 😞 but if anyone is interested in reading it, I could post it), and wrote out a few more book ideas. Just what I need, right? 

2) What’s on your writerly “to-do list” for 2017?

   Finish Mithras and Myrrh. And get it typed out onto the computer. Right now it looks like this.

Getting close to the end of the notebook!

3) Tell us about your top-priority writing projects for this year!

     You've been able to hear quite a bit about M & M this year, so I won't be redundant. 

4) How do you hope to improve as a writer? Where do you see yourself at the end of 2017?

    I'd like to make writing more of a habit, and to be less critical of my first drafts. 

5) Describe your general editing process.

    Haha, ask me again when I get to that point. Otherwise it's mainly "Becca! Can you come read this?"

6) On a scale of 1-10, how do you think this draft turned out?

    Well, I'll give it a 7, since it's about 70% done :) 

7) What aspect of your draft needs the most work?

     Plot, characters, pacing, just about everything :) 

8) What do you like the most about your draft?

    Could this be an opportunity to share snippets? Well, don't mind if I do :) 

    "Tell me what was going on," Quintus said as the other soldier make a hasty retreat up the stairs.

    "We were listening to the bishop. Opelious and Tellus were curious about him after hearing Antonius and I speaking."

     "Speaking of what?"

     "The God of the bishop, the Christos."

      "And?"

     Marcellus' dark eyes stared back at him, unblinking. "If the bishop speaks the truth about his God."

     "What do you think?"

      "I believe he does."

      Quintus began to laugh, a cheerless laugh that echoed back with menace from the dim prison corridor. "And does the Christos promise more then the gods of Rome? More then Mithras? How have you been seduced by such foolishness? You were better then this."

     "I am better then no one," Marcellus said with a shake of his head. "Mithras asks his followers to prove themselves in strength, courage, and honor, but how can any man meet the standards of a god? I, a worthless mortal, know I will come short, very short indeed. If I can so easily fall out of favor with men, how can I ever imagine to find favor with the gods?" Marcellus's eyes shifted in the direction of Domnius's cell. "The bishop told me of a God who holds the highest standard of all- perfection. The entire pantheon doesn't claim that for themselves, even they fight for lusts and pleasures. But this perfect God knew this impossible barrier separated us, and so He sent the Christos, His only Son, to meet that standard and pay for our endless failings."

    Quintus only felt anger, He had heard this before, and it still made no sense. Why would a god do such a thing?

    "So the others tonight, they believe this too?"

     Marcellus hesitated. " I don't know for sure. Some find it hard to accept such a gift."

     "It's a gift that could cost them their lives."

     They were halfway through stitching the man up when a little parade entered. Athenia took the lead, lugging a sniffling Oratious. Linus's other two children, Diana and Lucas, followed.

    5 year old Diana, with hair as red and wild as her father's, stopped aghast at the sight of the man on the table.

   "Is he dead?" she whispered.

    "Not yet," Linus said, biting his lip. There were just a few small arteries to cauterize before closing the flesh.

    Lucus, brown haired, grim faced, and only a little younger then Athenia, asked, "Where did Mother go?"

    "Had to help with a birth, nothing out of the ordinary. Milo, wipe that blood away, will you? Why aren't you all in bed?"

     "There was too much shouting," Diana said, "Even Hermes couldn't sleep."

     Milo glanced over to see something furry tucked in the crook of the little girl's arm.

     "Father, tell her it's not right to name a dormouse after a deity," Athenia moaned, letting Oratious slip to the floor.

    "I'm more concerned at the hospitality she's showing rodents. You all need to go back upstairs to bed, this is a surgery room right now."

9) What are your plans for this novel once you finish editing? More edits? Finding beta readers? Querying? Self-publishing? Hiding it in a dark hole forever?
    Edits, getting feed back, more edits, then delving into researching publishing options.

10) What’s your top piece of advice for those just finished writing a first draft?
      Give yourself a break from it. It's easier to see changes that need to be made when you can come at it with fresh eyes.