It's been a hot minute since I've updated this page. My TikTok, Instagram, and Threads have been receiving most of my attention. Since the last time I wrote in my blog, I've nicknamed my work in progress "Project Dysterria". That is by no means its final title, just something that I can call it for the meantime. I do have a working title in my head, but I'm not ready to share that with the world quite yet.
Currently, I'm just over a quarter of the way through my 3rd draft of Project Dysterria (chapter 17 of 50 to be exact). I finished the 2nd draft in June of 2025. July through October were slow for me in the writing department. I let imposter syndrome get the best of me and let it sit for way too long. Some days it still creeps in on me whenever I see someone promote their book and it has any similarity to mine. I keep reminding myself that no story in the world is original and all ideas come from somewhere. Still, it's hard.
I'm going to push through the 3rd draft and hopefully have it completed by June. Then I will officially begin connecting with beta readers and possibly a developmental editor.
~ Allison Schlag
Hello, New Year! Ever since I finished my rough edits, I've been reworking the outline of the second draft to align more with Dan Wells' Seven Point Story Structure. After nearly a month of plotting and questioning my entire story, I finally started rewriting. The first two chapters are finished and I'm finally starting to get into a groove. I feel like every author approaches the second draft differently, but I opted for a shiny new document where I'll copy over the chapters from my first draft. I'll work on one chapter at a time, only moving forward when I feel confident in the previous one.
While I realize that my second draft still won't be perfect, I feel like I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself for it to be *amazing*. Well, at least better than the first draft. I'm dealing with loads of imposter syndrome and questioning if my story is even worth telling. Still, I continue to push forward because of all the what-ifs:
What if it becomes someone's favorite book? What if someone finds strength on its pages? What if someone creates beautiful fanart? What if I gather a fellowship of readers yearning for the second book?
I have to keep writing; for myself and my story. Someone has to tell it.
~ Allison Schlag
Around nine o'clock last night, I finished with the rough edits of my first draft! I was able to work diligently on marking spelling, grammar, and such. Reading through it all at once felt incredibly surreal and it's made me realize that most of it is solid. There's definitely things I'll be changing or improving in the second draft, but the bones are there. Before I start on the second draft, I want to take a look at pacing and ensure that my story follows the Seven Point Story Structure by Dan Wells.
The Seven Point Story Structure is used by authors and Hollywood alike to map tension-filled stories that keep the reader engaged. Those points are as follows:
Hook: This is the opening image that hooks readers and introduces them to the main character in their imperfect world.
First Plot Point (10%): Everything changes for the main character. They're forced out of their world and into the new world. Gives them a goal and sets the story into motion.
First Punch Point (25-35%): The main character is met with a huge obstacle that raises the stakes and tension.
Midpoint (50%): Here a big internal change happens for the main character. They go from reacting to the world around them to taking action and committing to their goal.
Second Pinch Point (65%): This is the greatest obstacle that the main character has faced and is their darkest moment. At this point, all hope is lost.
Second Plot Point (75%): The main character develops a new plan and is active in achieving their goal.
Resolution (90%): At this point, the main character achieves victory or completes their story arc.
My story follows most of this structure already, but could use some improvement towards the end. I honestly wish I knew about this structure before outlining my book because it probably would've saved me a lot of hassle. Either way, I'll be diving into pacing and this structure before even touching the second draft.
~ Allison Schlag
Now that the first draft of my fantasy book is complete (that still doesn't feel real yet), I'm eager to jump straight into the editing process. I'll be going somewhere to print the book early this week so that I can jot notes and corrections in it by hand. Maybe it's a little old school, but I think it'll really help with my thought process. Sometimes it's nice to just have some paper in front of you.
I'd also like to set a writing/editing goal for December. By the end of the month, I'd like to finish a rough edit of the first draft. What do I mean by this? Well, at the very least I'd like all spelling and grammar mistakes to be marked. Then, I'd like to start removing unnecessary adverbs/filler words. I'll also mark plot points I'd either like to erase, change, rewrite, or add.
If I could start January with writing my second draft, that would make me the happiest writer alive. I don't think I'll consider seeking alpha readers until the second draft is complete. In a perfect world, I'd love for the second draft to be done by May. But we live in a very imperfect world and life gets incredibly busy. As long as the process keeps moving along, I'll be satisfied.
~ Allison Schlag
At 2:25 AM this morning, I completed the first draft of my fantasy book! It's official stats are 133,911 words, 523 pages, and 50 chapters. After eight long years of world-building, character development, and life responsibilities, it's ready for editing! When I tell you that I was on such a natural high is no understatement! I was giggling and quivering with excitement by the end of it.
Earlier that night I started working on chapter 45 which, in of itself, was an accomplishment. Once the writing started flowing, there was no stopping me. By the time I finished chapter 46 around 11 PM, I mentally committed myself to finishing the draft that night. The last five chapters of the book built on each other so well that they were easy to write.
It felt so good to be on such a writing streak because ever since school started in September (I'm a high school Spanish teacher), I've been hard-pressed to find time and/or the energy to write. I've struggled with feelings of guilt that I should be writing even though some nights I'm mentally exhausted and have nothing left to give. I'm so glad that I've pushed myself because I really, really wanted to finish the first draft this year.
~ Allison Schlag
It's been a rough couple of months in terms of writing. As of today, my manuscript is at just over 110k words on chapter 38. That sounds like a lot, but to a writer desperately trying to finish their first draft - it's nothing. I definitely saw myself further along by now and that can be very frustrating.
I've been working to overcome writer's block which, any writer can tell you, is its own monster. Every writer has their own way of beating writer's block and my strategy depends on how bad it is. If I have a mild case of writer's block, I'll reread the last few chapters to get myself back in the flow. An intermediate case is cured by listening to music and reading the lore for my story. Severe cases call for coffee, music, and all of the above until I find a spark.
Sometimes it feels like I'm at war with myself. On one hand, I desperately want to continue my story because I'm excited! I'm so close to finishing the first draft. On the other, all I can do is stare at the document and question every sentence that I put down. There's no flow and the imposter syndrome holds me captive.
Today I finally feel like I was able to chip away at it slightly. My goal is to finish chapter 38 at the very least. Hopefully, I'll reach chapter 40 by the end of the week. Wish me luck and happy reading!
~ Allison Schlag
I'm officially 100,000 words into my draft! I hit this milestone on page 385 (which is also mind-boggling to me). Right now, I'm writing in the standard Microsoft Word format which means if it was formatted into an actual book, the page count would be much higher. That's the longest manuscript I've ever written to date!
Most fantasy novels range between 90,000 and 125,000 in word count. To put that into perspective, the standard romance novel is 70,000 to 90,000. I anticipate that the first draft will hit 120,000 words. It's crazy to think that my novel already hits the required word count for a fantasy novel.
I've been struggling lately to find time to write. Between work and other daily responsibilities, I'm lucky if I get an hour of uninterrupted writing time. But I'll take whatever I can get. I've also been battling writer's block which is the bane of my existence. I'll keep pushing through and hopefully shake it.
~ Allison Schlag
Today I finished Chapter 30. That means I only have 20 more chapters to write until I am done with my first draft! I've been pushing hard to write whenever I have a free minute because my goal is to finish the draft by the end of this year.
It's such a rush when all the pieces start falling into place and the story starts writing itself. Before I get too deep into writing a book, I like to plan everything out chapter by chapter. Maybe I'm a bit of a control freak, but it helps me process and avoid plot holes. It's also nice to know exactly what happens in each chapter if I need to go back and rework something.
For this fantasy series, I have four supporting documents other than the manuscript. I have a profile document which is my lifeline. It includes the main idea, end goal, characters, and chapter outline. The other three documents are for the world (maps, history, politics, religion, lore, etc.), language (two different languages that I've created), and a character sheet (mannerisms and sayings for main characters).
Also, I've created a Threads account which is connected to my Instagram (@allisonschlag).
~ Allison Schlag
I am thrilled to announce that I am officially halfway through my first draft! Chapter 25 marks the halfway point and I couldn't be more proud. I'd like to give a huge shoutout to my family for being so supportive throughout the years.
For those of us who write, we all know what a labor of love it is. Some days we're able to write 10,000 words while other days we can't finish a sentence. I myself have been a victim of writer's block, but I've come to the realization that no one's first draft is going to be perfect.
Writing a first draft is like filling a sandbox. Only once the sandbox is full can you mold and perfect it into a work of art. Now that I'm halfway through, I can finally see the end of the tunnel.
Out of every 1,000 writers, only 3% ever actually finish their book. Think about that for a moment. Even if you never go on to publish, finishing the first draft alone already sets you apart from the crowd.
My goal is to finish my first draft this year so that I can finally move on to the editing process. Eventually I'll need beta readers, but we'll worry about that when we get there.
~ Allison Schlag