Beyond The Manuscript
By Samantha Osei | April 29, 2024

😎Happy Monday! Word count: 441 - 3.4 min read

Thank you for your support with my writing projects and other endeavors.

Wednesday is May 1st and that brings May flowers out here in Ohio. It’s been nearly one year since moving and I recognize this is the best time. The trees get their green; the birds chirp; and the sun shines without too much heat and humidity. This morning, I sat outside my apartment complex, took off my shoes and buried my toes in the grass and absorbed that beautiful vitamin D from the sun.

If it’s been a while since you’ve stepped on the earth with your bare feet, take a moment. Like me, perhaps it will bring your soul back to the core of nature, and remind you what the important things in life are.

Project Tristin remains on standby as I focus my energy on Project Kwame, with its scheduled edit at the end of June. In between edit sessions, I’ve narrowed in on dialogue, using techniques from the book “Dialogue” by Robert McKee, which improved my writing within the first 10 pages of reading.

After creating a summary outline of my draft, I’ve reviewed the missing aspects of its core structure and plot. Decisions are in process. What do I want this book to be about, the romance or the mystery? Neither choice is better than another, though it determines how much additional work I’ll need to put in prior to sending it to the editor. Stay tuned.

In the months of May and June, Melissa Peters and I are digging into our already purchased and yet to read list. There are many great choices on my infamous “TBR” (To Be Read) list. This month, I’ve moved into the realm of science fiction. Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary is May’s Book of the Month.

Ryaland Grace wakes up to discover he is a million miles from Earth. On a small ship in the middle of space with two corpses as his companions, he must pull the pieces of his memory together to remember his mission in order to resolve an extinction-level threat to humanity.

Join us as we chat about this science fiction thriller on Tues. May 28, 2024 6pm CST/8pm EDT.