Come Write a Book with Me, or Two or Three…

I’ve thrown the dagger and set the challenge. Have I plunked an impossible goal at my feet? Possibly. But aren’t you curious if I can pull it off? Come write a book with me!

I have so many projects brewing and no time to focus on one single book at a time, so I’ve challenged myself to finish them ALL by December 2026!

Since this is my writing journey blog, it only made sense to take my readers along for the ride. That’s how this blog began, and so I’m continuing the trend! I have three steps to help me (hopefully) succeed. Set my stage, set my timer, and set my mindset.

But first, what needs to be done?

Goal List

Book three for my Keepers Trilogy – with the second book, Dream Keepers, released in 2025, I feel compelled to zip up this series as soon as possible. I can’t wait to have a completed series!
Life Song – a young adult fantasy story I started waaaaaaaaaaay back, but I’ve been derailed with other pressing projects to really dive in and finish. I have new inspiration to bring this story to fruition!
New Year’s Eve short story romance (for The Holiday Chronicles series) – This one is due in November and is set to release early December 2026, so I absolutely must finish this little rom-com, no matter what!

It’s a hefty goal to attempt all these stories at once, but here’s the reality. I’ve already done significant work on the two full length novels, and I’ve been thinking intentionally about the short story for a couple of months. Now, I simply need to light a fire under my heinie to stir up motivation and get me going. It helps that I’m a teacher and summer break has officially started. But that won’t last forever!

Thankfully, I have many of the critical scenes for my Keepers (book three) done, it’s really just putting it all together with transition scenes to have a fully finished first draft. With Life Song, it’s just been a long time since I’ve worked on this story. I’ve changed the beginning so many times, I now need to re-read and push through to finish a working draft. I know the ending, and many parts in the middle…I simply need to do the work! That’s the common thread in these two bigger novels. I have the mismatched parts, but I need to stitch them all together to create something smooth and cohesive.

As for the short story romance, I started writing this one last week, and I’m all in! It will take me a while to find my groove and to assure that the story is sound, but I’m feeling positive (today).

The Plan

Set the Stage: With so many projects at the same time, I’ve assigned background music for each story, as well as a color of Glassybaby candle votive to flicker. Whatever I can do to set the mood and get my mind into the thoughts of the character POV’s I’m writing from…I will do it.
Set the Timer: I have many other things pulling at my attention, so I don’t want to waste a minute. Setting timed writing sprints helps me stay focused and halts me from grabbing my phone or a book or anything that stops my forward progress. It also helps when I have life-plans that day. If I know I only have a specific amount of time to write, then setting my timer actually feels like a hug, NOT ticking anxiety. Maybe it’s because I’m the one choosing to time myself. Plus, they say (take that with a grain of salt) when you leave your writing in the middle of an idea, then you have something to come back to.
Set my Mind: I had to decide that I would push myself into this goal. It’s a big one, and I knew my eight weeks of summer wouldn’t be long enough. I will also need to manage my writing alongside the start of a new school year, this September. After that, my time is even more limited. But this is a goal and I want to finish these three projects with all my heart! This mindset will hopefully encourage me rather than cause me to feel overwhelmed…well, that’s the hope! To be fair, I’m working towards two completed first drafts of two YA Fantasy stories and one fully polished short story, ready for publication in December 2026.

Of course, completing this goal will lead to new resolutions in the new year—revising, editing, and polishing up the two full-length novels, but that’s what I’m hoping to do. Starting the new year in 2027 with two books almost ready to go will feel like a HUGE weight off my shoulders. And hopefully I’ll be celebrating the launch of my sweet New Year’s Romance too!

So, what do you say? Are you up to join me on this journey? Maybe you have a book or two to write as well! Let’s keep each other accountable. We’ve got this!

I promise to keep you posted on my progress, and I’ll also share any tips or tricks I learn along the way! I will finish my three projects – YES I CAN!

And you can too!

Happy Writing,

Celaine Charles, June 30, 2026

Bio:

Celaine Charles is a teacher by day and writer by night. She’s an award-winning, multi-genre author who strives to balance her dual life creating poetry, young adult fantasy, romance shorts, and a blog about her writing journey, Steps in Between. To thrive, Celaine enjoys walks through the enchanted forests of Washington State, reading at least fifteen minutes a day, and eating mounds of allergy-free chocolate. She is currently querying her children’s picture books about social emotional learning. Join her newsletter, as she loves connecting with writers and readers. Find her other published books and links on her website:https://celainecharlesauthor.com/

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