WOOP Grant

I’m thrilled to share that the opening chapters of DAMNATION have qualified for the WOOP Grant! This grant, offered to regional members of the global children’s writers and illustrators society SCBWI, must be used to further the creation of my manuscript—a challenge I’m more than ready to tackle.

To push myself even harder, I’ve picked up The 90-Day Novel: Unlock the Story Within by Alan Watt. This book focuses heavily on groundwork before diving into the actual writing. And by groundwork, I mean answering a ton of questions.

Over the years, I’ve passed on countless character sheets filled with questions like “What’s your character’s favorite color?” or “Do they prefer Coke or Pepsi?” Let’s be honest—those details rarely shape the heart of a story. But Watt’s questions? They dig much deeper. They’re designed to help me understand how my character ended up in her current predicament, creating a foundation for authentic storytelling.

As much as I resisted at first, I realized these questions are essential. And since I’m already investing so much energy into this prewriting process, why not share it with you? I’ll be posting some of my responses here to keep myself accountable and to invite you along for the journey.

Alan Watt’s method includes about five questions per day, but my schedule is a bit chaotic right now. Between adjusting to a hyper-anxious foster dog (we’re only a week in and still figuring each other out) and the nonstop barking of a neglected neighbor dog that’s testing every ounce of my patience, I’m not exactly the model student for this 90-day challenge. But excuses aside, I’ll be sharing the highlights of each week’s progress for the next two months.

Some posts might be insightful; others may feel like quick, jumbled thoughts (because that’s what they truly are!). Either way, I hope you’ll learn the value of this process—and maybe even fall in love with DAMNATION.

Here we go! Wish me luck.