Yes, if you've been following my blog for the last year, you've seen me mention "Journey to Love" before (here and here). Well, the exciting time is coming when "Journey to Love" will be available to the public!
It has indeed been a journey! And, as I like "behind-the-scenes," I'm going to give you some!
~The original idea came in September 2014. I first thought that Marie would be sent to her mother's French friend in Louisiana. However, in Spring 2015, the Lord gave me the idea of creating an orphan train novella series. With a little adaptation, Marie's story fit in perfectly.
~The original titles for "Journey to Love" were Echoes of Mercy, Quest for Truth, and Journey to Love (as you can see, "Journey to Love" stuck)
~There was one quote in my original idea that just didn't fit into the new story. I kinda wish I could have put it somewhere, but hey--I can just share it here!
For a moment, Marie just wanted to throw her arms around Madame - just like she had always wanted to do so to Mama. But she held back. No; she would say nothing. It was an inward battle she had to fight; she could handle it on her own.
~I started writing this version of "Journey to Love" on March 17, 2015. It will be almost exactly a year later that it is released. I sure thought that a novella wouldn't take a year...but so it has! Continue reading to get a glimpse why.
~"Journey to Love" was written while I was helping my family building our house. Yep, I got many ideas while cutting wood or painting. ;)
~I thought that I had finished "Journey to Love" in July 2015. At that time, I emailed a couple of friends, saying, "I'm thinking that this really ought to be 'Journey to Truth' or 'Journey to Freedom!'" The next day, I visited my sister's church. Their Sunday school hour was on 1 John. During that lesson, I felt God impress in my heart, "No, Amanda, this novella WILL be 'Journey to Love.'" I went home and rewrote the ending.
~Again, I had thought that "Journey to Love" was finished by November 2015, but no. After one beta-reader's feedback and a phone conversation with a friend, I prayed about expanding the story. It went from 15 chapters (and 17,912 words) to 20 chapters (and 25,000+ words). I am so, so, so thankful for the friends who were kind in suggesting some pretty in-depth changes. "Journey to Love" would not be what it is today without their suggestions!
~The cover also went through a pretty drastic change...but, you're going to have to wait to see the full cover, as I've not yet taken pictures of my "Marie." But, here's a sneak-peak of what I'm pretty sure won't be changing:
Stay tuned...because in the next few weeks I'm going to be giving you a lot of glimpses into this novella!
Are any of you working on a big project?
Has God allowed a certain project to take longer than you anticipated? What lessons did you learn from it?
How exciting! I love how you shared behind-the-scenes and I can relate to so many of those things. I'm working on a rather big project at the moment, and I'm unsure whether or not it will be accomplished. Lots of studying of the American Revolution and so forth. One thing I've learned with writing projects is that God must be foremost behind my work. If He is not, then it is often I do not finish a story because there is not the meaning there that needs to be.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting! I can't wait to read your novella. I am currently working on my novel right now, or what I hope will be long enough to be a novel. It certainly is slow going. :)
ReplyDelete@ Olivia, So glad you enjoyed the behind-the-scenes. :) It was fun to write! Thanks for sharing about your work, and the lessons you've learned. So true!
ReplyDelete@ Allison, I'm sure looking forward to sharing my novella with everyone. :) It is definitely a lot of work to finish a work! Good luck on your novel though! :)
I'm looking forward to reading this story, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteRight now I'm trying to get my next book finished. It's a mystery and I have much more trouble writing those stories than any of my other books. But, with lots of prayer, it's coming along.
@ Rebekah,
ReplyDeleteThanks! Amen, God is so good to help when we ask Him! I'd like to hear more about your mystery sometime. :)
Congratulations, how exciting! My book took two years to write (and rewrite). Sometimes stuff just needs to simmer for awhile (as Louisa May Alcott would often say). Inviting the Spirit of God to lead you takes you to wonderful places. I look forward to hearing more about your novella!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan! Time is definitely key in writing--I know that sometimes I get "pushy" to get it done instead of waiting on God's timing and being sure to follow Him. Thanks for your encouraging comment! :)
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