Still completing the first draft - I’m hoping it’ll be between 70-80k. Then the revision begins 🤞

It’s contemporary/upmarket - set while a family observes shiva. A new secret is revealed each night 👀

I hate adverbs in part bc I use them too much, so usually I do a find replace for “ly” - also I’ll search for words like “be able to,” “just,” “that,” “like,” all my usual suspects #momswritersclub

Hi! 👋 likewise! Life has been lifing hard this year, but I’m still out here trying 😅

I’m currently writing a romantic triangle and trying to decide if the main character goes for one or ultimately flies solo #momswritersclub

Not necessarily for books, but I listen to podcasts that review tv shows I like (Pop Culture Happy Hour is great from NPR). As far as my own work goes, first I need to publish a book 🤞

Both, but in general I over write and then go back, cut and rearrange #momswritersclib

Sometimes. I have noticed that Ill get a new idea as a means to procrastinating a different project 🤣 #momswritersclub

Right now I have two different critique groups who are reading excerpts and offering ideas. Printing things out and reading aloud helps too! #momswritersclub

I’m with Melanie 🤣

Hi! I’m Julia in San Jose, mama to 👦👧, magazine editor by day and fiction writer by…very early in the morning. About 60k into my novel project! #momswritersclub

Definitely character-driven (anything)! I want to understand how a character’s perception of their world informs the story #momswritersclub

I suppose the work I do doesn’t involve a ton of large-scale world building, but it helps that i set it in my hometown and have a clear map of where events take place #momswritersclub

I think a lot about “stage directions.” How do these characters move about their world, and am I capturing it well? #momswritersclub

I think world building is important, regardless of genre, because you need to fully inhabit the spaces you’re exploring. I write contemporary/upmarket, so world building may not be as explicit as other genres, but it’s still important. #momswritersclub

Hi! I’m Julia in NorCal. I am an editor, fiction writer and mama to two kiddos. Chipping away at a novel manuscript #momswritersclub

It just so happens that two separate groups of friends from grad school reached out independent of each other to exchange work! It’s been so fun. The third one is from my cohort at a writing conference.

Yes!

TBD 🤣 basically im unraveling the back story that led up to the story’s present

Oh that’s cool!

It’s just an excel spreadsheet 🤣 but it is weirdly satisfying!

I’ve been alternating back and forth

A little bit of both, but mostly online

Pretty sure she’d favor a dirty diana (double shot of espresso mixed with chai) #momswritersclub

My biggest win is staying on track with my goal to complete - and by keeping a word count journal! #momswritersclub

Absolutely. The characters I love most live entire lives before and after I meet them. I often think about where they will end up years after the central conflict resolves (or doesn’t) #momswritersclub

When starting a scene I like to think about setting insofar as it expresses conflict. Ie, describing how a room feels when an antagonist enters it #momswritersclub

This current project is divided into days (the present of the novel occurs over 8 days) with several flashback chapters interspersed throughout #momswritersclub

It’s been great so far because I’ve reconnected with three different writing groups and feel so inspired by the work they share. #momswritersclub

Hi 👋 I’m Julia in San Jose, mama to a 👧 and a 👦 who keep me on my toes when I’m not writing features for SJSU or fiction at 5 am. Currently 52k into a manuscript I hope to finish this year 🤞#momswritersclub