Writing Update🌿Going on Submission, Starting my Fantasy Novel, Publications, etc!

[@rozitaaah]

so so excited for you and for honey vinegar and holding a ghost (holding a ghost specifically sounds so my shit it is unbelievable i may get to read it one day). i've been following since you had like 8k subs and it's been so cool watching your journey, as a writer and a prospective reader, and i will clock the hell in for whatever you choose to show us

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ahh thank you for supporting me for so long💕I hope you’ll get to read holding a ghost soon!!

[@african_chris]

You Know Where Your Body Is Buried is so beautifully written!😭❤️

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you!!

[@SteveJubs]

I’m somehow 35,000 words into discovering writing my first middle-grade novel (AKA my first novel ever after 15 years of writing only short fiction)! Always thought I was a plotter, and never thought I could do anything long form, until you helped me learn that I actually love the drafting process and the resulting drafts so much more if I allow myself some surprises along the way, and trust in my ability to edit. Fingers crossed for you on sub!

[@yonathanasefaw1202]

I am writing a middle-grade novel as well, what's it about?

[@Mxmilox]

So excited for you! Can’t wait to buy your books!! Also very excited about your fantasy project coming up because that’s my favorite genre and I’m drafting a fantasy right now so I can’t wait for your vlogs and videos on your progress!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I can't wait to get started on the project!!

[@o_o-lj1ym]

I read You know where your body is buried when it came out and I'm still thinking about to this day. That final scene with dominoes was a work of art.

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you so much!!

[@KristySchnabel]

Love the update. Wow. So much going on. Me? I'm a new creative fiction writer in my 60s. I've submitted six flash fictions to my community college literary magazine. Going crazy. Waiting to hear. Submittable angst. Just finished my first mystery novella. Kind of proud of myself. Thanks for the videos!

[@The_sassafrass]

My current writing project is for my screenwriting class. We’re doing our adaptation unit, so im actually working on a short film based on Hold Me Under Till I See the Light. It’s been tricky, but fun!

[@ShaelinWrites]

Omg I’m honoured!! I’d love to read it when you’re done💕

[@ladyursala]

I am finally querying my YA horror/historical after four years of writing it!! 😩

[@ShaelinWrites]

Ohh querying that's so exciting!! Good luck!

[@martellc1008]

Shaelin, you inspire me too write even more than I already want wishing you much more success. I can’t wait to read your novels!!

[@AdamFishkin]

Two Shaelin Bishop books a contract away from making it to shelves!! (flails Kermit arms) Yaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! That the edits have been quite puzzling for Animal Sense might be the ideal circumstance. It creates a motivation to take it through more drafts, to really explore what's happening. You've spoken plenty of times about the initial drafting phase being where you're most in your element. As someone who's the total opposite, a technique I sometimes use to make initial-drafting work the way my revisions do is to reverse-engineer my mindset, and draft a play as if I'm already in the process of revising it. Feel free to throw out this idea if it's stupid, but what if you were to edit Animal Sense with almost the same emotional messiness you brought to the drafting? make yourself angry, but in a way that experiments with replicating the conditions in a more controlled way? Who knows; by the time you read this comment it's likely you'll have a better plan already in action. Not sure what to say if the ball's not rolling with short stories, because those are another ballgame altogether. Congrats on "I Am a Wolf in Wolf's Clothing", which sat for years in your back catalog, right? Also congrats on the two poems. :D As for my own plans, successes, struggles .... right now that's a loaded topic and I don't expect to have an answer fit for public consumption until at least July. Suffice to say I'm hoping to untangle things and make my professional life less personal.

[@habibadokubo-asari211]

Shaelin content, it’s a good day

[@AJDunnReads]

Great update! I'm currently letting the thriller I was working on marinate for a few months before I get into editing it. It's pretty plot heavy. My current project is almost a complete 180, totally character driven told in vignettes. Like you, I am writing about character interactions in various situations/scenarios, but it all centers on one person.

[@nataliejaneshields]

Thank you for the updates! You have so much going on! I'm currently working on my romance novel, planning to finish that by the end of March so I can start something new for Camp NaNo April 😊

[@ZephyrWrites]

I just read You Know Where Your Body is Buried and it's so provoking! Your prose is beautiful. Honestly I went into it with a lot of questions but I came out of it with still a lot of questions lol

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you so much for reading!!

[@bloop7863]

I’m currently editing my own novel, on chapter 2, and I surprisingly don’t hate the draft as I’m reading it back, also a fantasy!

[@codywilliams3976]

I really hope HONEY VINEGAR and HOLDING A GHOST gets accepted and that we'll see it soon! I'm so happy for you! I'm still drafting my novel WHISPERWOOD. It's a southern gothic relationship saga with a ton of characters. I started drafting it in November of 2022 and it currently sits at just over 310,000 words. I see the end in sight and I'm hoping to wrap the thing up in May or June. If not, surely before school starts back (I'm a special education teacher for a public school district in Tennessee). In addition to that, I'm a staff writer for THE DAILY DOWNFORCE, an A-E Engine publication. It's an online sports magazine covering NASCAR racing. Being primarily a fiction writer, they commissioned me to write a story to coincide with their annual GROOVY HOLLOW charity iRacing event. The story is titled THE BALLAD OF TOMMIE JO SWANSON. I've always wanted to write a haunted racecar story and this project is a wedding between my idea and their mythology. I can't say too much about it but I sent the first 80 or so pages to my editor a couple of weeks ago. After I finish up WHISPERWOOD, I plan to focus on short stories for a while. I have a short story being published this December titled "The Phantom of the Christmas Concert". It's an old school gothic Christmas ghost story in the Victorian tradition. After my brief flirtation with short fiction, I plan to draft the next novel--a sequel to my novella published earlier in the year, THE FIFTH LINE. The sequel will be the second installment in a trilogy and will be called WHY NOT BE WONDERFUL?. Like the first, it will be a gothic crime/ghost mystery novel.

[@Lara_Ameen]

Ahh, good luck on sub! That’s so exciting! Two projects on sub! I love the title THE ANIMAL SENSE. It’s such a good title. I sent myself your Mudroom publication. Can’t wait to read it. I’m glad you’re so proud of it! And a fantasy romance! Yay! 😍 I haven’t written any short stories since 2022. I haven’t had the motivation or energy to write them, so I know what you mean about short fiction. Been mostly focusing on my novels and pilots. Waiting to hear back on some TV writing fellowships. Hoping to revise my PhD dissertation adult fantasy novel in March again (haven’t looked at it since I graduated in August) and query it by April, May, or June! Definitely sometime this year! I’m excited to query. I’ve queried my novellas in the past, so I know what to expect already (lots of rejections).

[@ShaelinWrites]

Thank you-- I'm hoping for the best!! I've just got one on sub right now, but the other is ready to go too so hopefully I'll have lots of book news over the next year! Ohh good luck with querying!!

[@shebreathesingold8043]

Would you ever take some of your published short stories and talk about the way beta feedback from your writing group helped you change and finalize your vision? Maybe a video per story, which would help with adding more content to the channel. I've never been lucky enough to be part of a writing group but I've always wanted to know about how outside feedback impacts other people's process. If that wouldn't be a big ask, I'd appreciate it. It would just be a video fo you talking about how the short story started, what you discovery-wrote, problems you had, feedback you were given, how that feedback improved things, how you finalized the story, etc. TY!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I have wanted to do videos where I break down some of my short stories and talk about what went into them/problems/feedback/how they evolved/techniques I was trying to implement/etc but wasn't sure there would be an interest! But if there is, it's for sure something I'll look to doing in the future!!

[@martellc1008]

That would be so awesome if you do and helpful 🎉

[@CircusStellaShow]

I love listening to your writing updates. You inspire me to write more. Thank you for all the videos. I write queer fantasy romance and I'm working on the third book in the series as well as a group project jokingly called Way Gay Fae Bae Giveaway (but now you pay). I will eventually have to think of a real title, lol. :) I'd love to hear your take on indie publishing someday. I know it's not the route you've chosen, but I can't be your only subscriber in the indie world.

[@ShaelinWrites]

"Way Gay Fae Bae Giveaway (but now you pay)" is quite literally the sentence ever put together

[@davidvickers-hm2xm]

Love your content Shaelin 😊

[@TheVioletWolf]

Putting all the good juju out there for you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@76kilosofshade81]

I just finished the second draft of my WIP (at 250K words so oops). Now I'm taking a breather on that and outlining for that novel's next in the series. And just having fun.

[@ChBrahm]

So cool to hear what you´ve been up to. I decided to participate in a writting contest. It is for a kids story (7-14 years old) so I´m completeñy out of my element in terms of what I generally write. Though I re-read The Little Prince to get into the zone. Am at about 4.000 words and aiming to about 12-15.000. Its been an unexpected yet nice change of pace actually

[@dmandrewsauthor]

I've been thinking more of short fiction recently. Enjoyed your videos on the same. Would you say that the advice for short stories also applies to the next level up - the novelette? Mine is likely to total about 10-11k words.

[@BlackHermit]

I would love to read the poem.

[@passantamreltarek9946]

I have a lil weird feeling that Holding a Ghost is the one on sub this time 👀 I'm so excited to read them both whenever they come out regardless & I LOVED You Know Where Your Body Is Buried!!

[@ShaelinWrites]

I will neither confirm nor deny👀But thank you!! So happy you enjoyed it!!

[@yonathanasefaw1202]

I am working on a novel called Entertain Me, Father and so far chapter 1 has been workshopped at my uni. I just hope when I finish this I can get representation for it.

[@rev6215]

The thumbnail on this video is elitee

[@sumayyahkhan8897]

@@rev6215 remember me😂

[@rev6215]

@@sumayyahkhan8897 ayyyyyyy.. yes sister I do

[@elvirbelardi]

I’m also on sub with my agent

[@courtenaywrites]

I'm working on a short story about avoidance and the British stiff-upper-lip attitude towards debilitating emotion.

[@african_chris]

Hey! 🙈 Where do we register to be the test readers?🙃🙈😅

[@alexelizondo7207]

So after your book sells, you still have to do more edits with an editor? I thought that was what a literary agent was for. Sounds like a complicated process

[@morganunraveled]

finding a literary agent is finding representation for your publication and author journey. the book isn’t sold, you have found someone to help represent your book in the best way possible and most time that involves edits and revisions before submitting to publishers.

[@writethepath8354]

💜

[@iiiiitsmagreta1240]

I paused at 12:58 to read the opening of "You Know Where Your Body is Buried" and got, like, a tightening fist feeling inside of me when I realized what the main character was doing. God _damn_ are your characters fucked up 😅❤

[@ShaelinWrites]

Idk where it comes from but ..they are😅😅

[@1ktales]

Let the pointless speculation on TBOE begin! I'll start with The Bandit of Eveltrin... well, that's a longshot.

[@dmandrewsauthor]

The Belt of Elasticity would make for a better longshot ;)