What a busy couple of weeks it has been! With all the weddings and events I have coming up, it’s only going to get busier. I miss the days when I could write all day and go to class at night.

It can be really hard to make time to write when you come home from a 9-5, but it makes it all the more worth it when the story makes progress! Thankfully, that is where I am currently at- making gratifying progress!

After finishing my first draft of my Young Adult novel years ago, putting it in the “drawer”, and bringing it back out to revise, I am thrilled to say that I am making strong headway on the revision. My original manuscript came in at 55,000 words. The revision process is one of the hardest parts of the writing process for me. I get so excited to write a story, get it out on paper, and give the characters life, that when the first draft is finished, I get lost in the editing process.

I like to make a revision calendar to hold myself accountable. It doesn’t have to be exact, but giving myself a goal for editing 5, 10, 15 chapters, is a huge help! In the last few months, I’m happy to say that I have revised the first 20,000 words! I’ve re-written, perfected, fact checked, and edited close to half of my novel, which feels amazing.

In sticking with my calendar and my planned timeline, my debut novel should be completed by the end of the summer. No matter how slow you go, progress is progress, and finding that balance has definitely been a journey for me. I’m so excited to see where it takes me!

xx
​-TS

It may have taken me nearly the whole time- but I finished the race! And most importantly to me, I ran the WHOLE thing. I'll back track a little: Sunday, May 6th was the annual Broad Street Run, and for the first time ever, I was a runner!

Last year, my boyfriend, Dan, decided to train for the Broad Street Run, the largest 10 miler in the country that takes place right here in Philadelphia. I was so proud and happy for him when he crossed that finish line, that I said, "Tiff- put down the mimosa, and do this next year."

To my surprise (I've never been a runner), with the support of my family and friends, I began to train for the race in mid February, 2018. I began my training journey with what seemed like the best idea- putting my jacket over the treadmill screen and running until I needed to stop. When I removed my jacket I was at 2 miles! For me, this was a victory in itself.

After this initial run, I began to go for runs at least 4 times a week, practicing in hilly parts of the city to prep me for a flat Broad Street. In mid March, I completed my first 5 miles, and in the second week of April, I ran my first 8.25 miles in under 2 hours. I was thrilled. Knowing I could do the distance without stopping was the biggest relief. I was asked about my training plan, which, in my case, was listening to my body and running almost every day. Even if I came home from work exhausted, I pushed myself to do at least one mile to keep conditioning.

The day of the race, I was amazed at how training with hills had paid off. The flatness of the route was much easier than I had anticipated and allowed me to comfortable jog the first 4 miles. Around mile 7 I felt the tiredness kick in, but I stayed hydrated, and of course, motivated by those lining the streets to cheer us on.

My favorite part of the whole entire race, was mile 9, when I saw my mother, brother, and his girlfriend cheering me on and waving as I ran by. When I finally crossed that desired finish line, I felt accomplishment, pride, and was grateful. Until next year, Broad Street!