The plotting board is a mess, my Notion tabs have multiplied overnight, and my playlist has more versions than I’d like to admit. In other words, it’s officially the middle of Preptober.

This is the part of the month where I start living in two creative worlds at once. My 2025 Christmas story (the one I wrote last year) is deep in edits and headed toward its December release. At the same time, I’m knee-deep in plotting next year’s Waldon Springs story. Holly and Layton’s forced-proximity snowstorm romance. It’s a little wild juggling both timelines, but honestly? I love it. Something is grounding about polishing one story while discovering another.

The Plotting Stage (a.k.a. Organized Chaos)

Right now, my desk looks like a snow globe exploded across it; sticky notes, scene cards, and random scribbles that might be dialogue or might just be coffee stains.

I’ve been working through the major beats:

Where Holly and Layton meet (and how fast that first spark flies)

What’s keeping them from getting home

The moment they realize the town might not be so bad after all

And, of course, the scene where everything goes beautifully wrong before it finally goes right

I always call this phase “controlled discovery.” I know where I’m heading, but I leave enough room for surprises. That’s where the magic happens, the moments you didn’t see coming that suddenly make the whole story click.

Building the Perfect Playlist

Every story I write gets its own playlist, and this one is turning into a cozy mix of heartache and hope. Think soft acoustic guitar, a little modern country, a dash of cinematic winter mood, and just enough Christmas to set the tone without turning it into a carol marathon.

A few songs currently on repeat while I plot:

“Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson

“Something in the Orange” by Zach Bryan

“Evergreen” by Switchfoot

“Officially Christmas by Dan + Shay

“The Christmas Song by Dan + Shay

Let it Snow by Oscar Peterson

Music helps me find the emotional rhythm of a story long before I write the words. I’ll usually play it quietly while I build my outline, letting the tone sink in until I can feel the world of the book.

Balancing Two Worlds

It’s funny, editing one Christmas story while plotting another has me thinking about how each project captures a different kind of hope. Last year’s book is about healing. This new one is about timing and trust.

I’ll spend my mornings editing and my nights plotting, bouncing between tidy redlines and chaotic storyboards. It shouldn’t work, but it does. Switching between creation and refinement keeps both parts of my brain happy and makes the coffee taste even better. Well, most of the time.

By next week, I’ll be tightening the outline, building my scene tracker, and prepping my Rough Draft Challenge goals for November. Because yes, I’m absolutely going for the full 50k again this year.

Next Entry: Preptober Diaries 2025, Entry #5 — Story Beats, Snowflakes, and Surviving the Mid-Month Slump

Coming soon: how I’m breaking down the story structure, keeping motivation high, and setting up my November writing plan (with plenty of caffeine and chaos). Of course, but you wouldn’t expect anything less from me…right?