Thursday, November 3, 2011
Obsession.
I am currently obsessed with Downton Abbey. The writing is amazing, the scenery splendid, the costumes exquisite, the actors spot-on, the characters are compelling, and I just can't get this incredible series out of my head.
Book I started during last year's NaNoWriMo
Tell me what you think:
Jack Smith of the Lantern
and
the Devil that Made Him So
by
Andrea Moreau
It was the first night of Autumn that Jack wound his threadbare scarf around his neck and put up the collar on his tweed. As Jack stumbled toward home, he happened upon a dark figure in the road. Jack was not afraid of anyone or anything except maybe his Mum, but she was dead. So he approached it, fully intending to walk around it or even step over it. But curiosity, for once, overcame him. He approached the rumpled heap and hesitated briefly wanting to kick it. Hands in his trouser pockets, he clutched the silver cross he always kept on him. It was his Mum’s and she was a good God-fearing woman who went to church every day of her life. It wasn’t the fear and comfort of God he kept in his pocket but the memory of his dear ol’ Mum.
But at that moment, the heap moved. Jack heard laughing. The heap was laughing. The laugh was a deep, throaty, scratchy, maddening laugh. Jack’s sunken, slitty eyes reflected his abandoned curiosity for full out surprise and then squinted with irritation. Then the coughing came. The heap coughed. It coughed a horrible, wet, raspy cough that screamed disease and Jack turned to be moving on. Bloody bum. Jack had no time to fool with vagrants especially ones with tuberculosis.
“Oy, there!” The heap rasped. “Can ye spare a topper for a friend?”
Jack turned halfway so as not to fully face the impertinent beggar. A creature of habit and not one to chat easily with others, Jack was already put out enough. “Get on with yerself. I haven’t the time nor the money.” He added, “And get yerself off the street, would ya. It’s the middle of the night.”
“I meant no harm . . . Jack,” said the heap. Again, Jack’s eyes grew from wide and bulgy and back to little slits as he tried to size up the hobo.
“How is it I know ya? Show your face,” Jack said slowly and suspiciously, turning for a confrontation.
“Oh, I’ve known ya yer whole life, Jack,” said the heap, rising from its pile into the figure of a man. “I’ve known ye and watched ye and I know what kind of person ye are. I see yer headed home but I think you should join me in a drink and a bit o’ conversation.”
Jack considered this. Not because of the dubious person in front of him saying that he knew him and wanted to talk. He considered this because the heap-man wanted to drink. Jack was always up for a drink. It didn’t matter much that he’d already drunk his stout for the day. However, this man had referred to him by name; said he’d known him his whole life. What could he want? What was his scheme? I’ll teach him to scheme. No one pulls the wool over my eyes. I can see a trick coming a mile away. Jack couldn’t see the eyes of the heap-man. But he didn’t want to go closer to the man. He didn’t want to appear too curious either. Turn and go. “Jack.” Lucky guess.
“Off with ya. Don’t know ye. Name’s not Jack anyhow.”
“Oh, Jack. I think ya’d want ta come have a pint with me. What’s ta fear in a pub? Ya spend all yer days in the pub.”
Jack considered this once again. They were only around the corner from the Duck. Then he could find out what this crazy wanted from him. Maybe a loan. Maybe a big one. That’s what he wanted. This fellow must know my business and has spoken to someone at t’ pub. That’s how old Jack made his money and though this was not a conventional way of asking for a loan, he could listen and count his interest to himself while he listened to another sad story.
“A’right, then.” Jack said decidedly. “Come on and I don’t want to be out all night so let’s be getting’ on with it.”
They walked in silence down the cobblestone street of Devyn, one of the smallest villages in Ireland. Jack hunched his shoulders, as the chill was getting to him. He again felt the warmth of the cross in his trouser pocket and clutched it absentmindedly while he walked briskly, head down, not caring if his company was to the side of him or behind him or whether he was there anymore at all. Jack didn’t feel like making much conversation. He wasn’t a conversationalist by any means and was strictly about the business, whatever that may be, at hand. The sooner I get there, the sooner I can be getting’ home, he thought.
Jack grasped the handle of the short wooden door and felt the surprising warmth of the place as he ducked in. The stranger was indeed still behind him because he heard the door being pulled to. Jack looked around for a quiet table rather than sitting at the bar. He’d need a bit of privacy if he was to talk business with this man. He walked over to a table very near the fireplace and began removing his tattered scarf. As he sat, he looked up to the stranger and finally saw his face . . . and his eyes.
The man was quite well-dressed for these parts. He looked neither very old nor very young. It was difficult to put an age to him. He didn’t have a wrinkle but his skin looked rough like it had seen a lot of the sun. Baked really. Aged prematurely, maybe?
“Jack, what I have to say won’t take long. It’s time. You don’t have any more of it. And you have to come with me. Drink yer drink. It’s on me. It’ll be yer last though,” said the man heap.
“Yeah. Well, I don’t know what yer gettin’ at. How much of a loan do ya need? I don’t have all night to be playin’ games and tellin’ jokes. Just tell me what you need and I’ll tell you the terms,”said Jack at first a bit perturbed and then unflinchingly back to the business at hand.
The man shifted in his chair to lean forward a bit so he wouldn’t have to raise his voice. “Jack, listen to me. I’m not playin’ with ya. I have to tell you who I am. Take my arm.” The man offered his arm to Jack across the table.
“I don’t have time for this. I don’t know who you are or what you’re doin’ but I’m a businessman. If you don’t need a loan, off with ya. You want to play, look around,” Jack pushed his chair back and waved off the waitress. “There’s plenty of silly people in this town to play with. Good night.” Jack turned from the table and put the collar back up on his coat.
Stupid bum, a-wasting my time. I don’t need to be playing games. I need to rest. I’m too old for that nonsense. Jack didn’t bother acknowledging anyone in the bar on his way out though several people nodded in his direction. Everyone saw Jack as an old curmudgeon but not endearingly so. Jack was just sort of a staple in the town. Everyone knew him but no one really knew him.
Jack pulled the door to the pub closed, looked up at the night sky, and once again began his way home.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Hiya!
Shazam! Where does the time go?
I have little excuse, dear blog. Life happens and time flies. Those are my excuses. But DARN. I had really wanted to post the beginning of a potential novel/short story/novella/who knows that I started last year in honor of Halloween--my absolute favorite holiday! But I just remembered it's on my laptop so I'll get that for you tomorrow. It was a good one this year too. Had lots of fun with the neighbors and my kiddo aka Boba Fett.
No word back from the publisher on the children's sports book. It has now been a year since I first submitted a query. But my fortune cookie today say to "expect some long awaited good news." I hate a tease.
Anyone writing for NaNoWriMo? I am !!!!! I'm using it as inspiration to finish the novel I started this summer. I think I was half way this summer so my word count will go toward the last half. Wish me luck! Oh and one of my besties has been offering to read for me so I thought that would also encourage me to work on it. I'm bringing the manuscript thus far to her tomorrow. Yay! Progress! Check it out people! NaNoWriMo and my user name on the site is andreaemoreau so we can be writing buddies!
I have little excuse, dear blog. Life happens and time flies. Those are my excuses. But DARN. I had really wanted to post the beginning of a potential novel/short story/novella/who knows that I started last year in honor of Halloween--my absolute favorite holiday! But I just remembered it's on my laptop so I'll get that for you tomorrow. It was a good one this year too. Had lots of fun with the neighbors and my kiddo aka Boba Fett.
No word back from the publisher on the children's sports book. It has now been a year since I first submitted a query. But my fortune cookie today say to "expect some long awaited good news." I hate a tease.
Anyone writing for NaNoWriMo? I am !!!!! I'm using it as inspiration to finish the novel I started this summer. I think I was half way this summer so my word count will go toward the last half. Wish me luck! Oh and one of my besties has been offering to read for me so I thought that would also encourage me to work on it. I'm bringing the manuscript thus far to her tomorrow. Yay! Progress! Check it out people! NaNoWriMo and my user name on the site is andreaemoreau so we can be writing buddies!
Monday, September 5, 2011
August Sucked, Book Revision, Weird Storm, and Birthday Train.
The Mercury Retrograde thing really got me this time. Thank goodness that's over, I hope. My Aunt Jenneanne says that it takes about 10 days to get all the yuckiness of the retrograde off. But let me tell you about the past month or so (these are actual events which have occurred in my life though not necessarily in this order):
--My beloved dog of 13 years was killed. $300 for cremation.
--My husband's truck died. I got a flat which ended up costing over $300.
--Weeks later, my car battery died--got a new one of those.
--I had a horrible, horrible ear infection (which I've never had before in my life) which lasted a week, was very painful, and cost me over $150.
--My husband hurt his already bad knee even more severely so he is very debilitated and has been for weeks now.
--I was driving my mother's car with my Mom, son, and niece on board on our way out to eat one night when the brakes completely went out. With every bit of strength I had in my two legs, I was somehow able to stop it. We were later told that the brake booster went out and the mechanic was surprised that I could even stop the car myself and he said we were pretty "lucky."
--Our brand new only a year old A/C went out and it took a week to get the parts in and it fixed. The only bright spot was that it was under warranty and so we ONLY had to pay some labor.
--My rental house did not get rented in August so we've been utterly broke due to that and all the other mishaps.
--Then, we go to "freshen it up" for the new renters and patch what we thought would be a small crack in the ceiling paint in the master bedroom. My husband went to scrape it and the entire ceiling of popcorn paint came down in sheets. Of course that was another $300.
--The damn thing is rented now but the new tenants, who I wasn't too sure about to begin with, begged me for a deal so that they could pay the deposits in October instead of now and then they shorted me $100 on the first month's rent because they said they didn't know it was going to cost so much to move.
Please let it all be over.
I was on the phone, sitting outside one night on my patio, complaining to my mother about the craziness that is my August and while I'm complaining, a bright light flashed and I hear a pop and my outside flood light went out. Of course, that's up twenty feet and my husband can't exactly go up ladders right now. It's really not a big deal but I had such an odd feeling when it happened. It was like the Universe laughing at me; mocking me for the complaining. It was truly eerie.
I know my husband thinks I'm crazy (well, that's a given), even crazier than usual, because I was having a mini breakdown last night about the feng shui of our bedroom. Our bed faces the door. This is a classic feng shui no-no. I knew this when we arranged the furniture initially but our bedroom set is so big, it was our only option. Our energy is running right out the door though. I am convinced that we are so drained (financially, emotionally, physically, etc.) because of this feng shui. I'm still trying to convince him to lose the bedroom set in favor of something smaller and more conducive to our feng shui needs. I'm not holding my breath though.
In other news, I am very proud of myself because today I finished the revision of my book for Pelican Publishing Co. Coincidentally, I read my horoscope today. It said that projects begun during the first week of September following the new moon were very likely to be successful this year. It also said that there is luck in publishing for Virgos, too. It had a bunch of negative hooey in there too, but hey, I'm used to it now. Anyway, so I'm mailing the revision off tomorrow. I did exactly what the editor said to do. I hope, I hope, I hope they like it. Please, please, Universe! Cut me a break this once! So stay tuned for that.
Last week, a weird storm popped up in the Gulf, strengthened into a Tropical Storm named Lee, and decided to sit over the Gulf South for almost 4 days. I think everyone around here is okay. Minimal wind issues, minor flooding and stuff. But, as it left, it sucked a cold front behind it! So all day it was extremely breezy and at times, even, dare I say? chilly??? What is up, Universe? Tomorrow the high is 79. Say what? And in the low 80s all week. That's just crazy talk. But it's soooooo needed right now. I can tolerate anything as long as the weather's nice. In fact, I can be downright frisky and in a good mood if the weather is nice. My co-workers might actually like me this week!
My birthday is coming. I hear it off in the distance like a freight train on a still night, miles and miles away. Chugging, chugging closer and closer. This errant North wind is all that calms me, soothes me, allowing me to breathe. But I know it's out there, coming for me. All forty train cars heaving, pressing, and roaring in the distance. In less than two weeks, I won't have any choice. I'll be standing in the middle of the tracks awaiting the heavy, loud, unforgiving, colossal power to overcome me. The blinding light, the shrill metallic shriek, and then the strike.
Not that I'm being dramatic or anything. More later.
--My beloved dog of 13 years was killed. $300 for cremation.
--My husband's truck died. I got a flat which ended up costing over $300.
--Weeks later, my car battery died--got a new one of those.
--I had a horrible, horrible ear infection (which I've never had before in my life) which lasted a week, was very painful, and cost me over $150.
--My husband hurt his already bad knee even more severely so he is very debilitated and has been for weeks now.
--I was driving my mother's car with my Mom, son, and niece on board on our way out to eat one night when the brakes completely went out. With every bit of strength I had in my two legs, I was somehow able to stop it. We were later told that the brake booster went out and the mechanic was surprised that I could even stop the car myself and he said we were pretty "lucky."
--Our brand new only a year old A/C went out and it took a week to get the parts in and it fixed. The only bright spot was that it was under warranty and so we ONLY had to pay some labor.
--My rental house did not get rented in August so we've been utterly broke due to that and all the other mishaps.
--Then, we go to "freshen it up" for the new renters and patch what we thought would be a small crack in the ceiling paint in the master bedroom. My husband went to scrape it and the entire ceiling of popcorn paint came down in sheets. Of course that was another $300.
--The damn thing is rented now but the new tenants, who I wasn't too sure about to begin with, begged me for a deal so that they could pay the deposits in October instead of now and then they shorted me $100 on the first month's rent because they said they didn't know it was going to cost so much to move.
Please let it all be over.
I was on the phone, sitting outside one night on my patio, complaining to my mother about the craziness that is my August and while I'm complaining, a bright light flashed and I hear a pop and my outside flood light went out. Of course, that's up twenty feet and my husband can't exactly go up ladders right now. It's really not a big deal but I had such an odd feeling when it happened. It was like the Universe laughing at me; mocking me for the complaining. It was truly eerie.
I know my husband thinks I'm crazy (well, that's a given), even crazier than usual, because I was having a mini breakdown last night about the feng shui of our bedroom. Our bed faces the door. This is a classic feng shui no-no. I knew this when we arranged the furniture initially but our bedroom set is so big, it was our only option. Our energy is running right out the door though. I am convinced that we are so drained (financially, emotionally, physically, etc.) because of this feng shui. I'm still trying to convince him to lose the bedroom set in favor of something smaller and more conducive to our feng shui needs. I'm not holding my breath though.
In other news, I am very proud of myself because today I finished the revision of my book for Pelican Publishing Co. Coincidentally, I read my horoscope today. It said that projects begun during the first week of September following the new moon were very likely to be successful this year. It also said that there is luck in publishing for Virgos, too. It had a bunch of negative hooey in there too, but hey, I'm used to it now. Anyway, so I'm mailing the revision off tomorrow. I did exactly what the editor said to do. I hope, I hope, I hope they like it. Please, please, Universe! Cut me a break this once! So stay tuned for that.
Last week, a weird storm popped up in the Gulf, strengthened into a Tropical Storm named Lee, and decided to sit over the Gulf South for almost 4 days. I think everyone around here is okay. Minimal wind issues, minor flooding and stuff. But, as it left, it sucked a cold front behind it! So all day it was extremely breezy and at times, even, dare I say? chilly??? What is up, Universe? Tomorrow the high is 79. Say what? And in the low 80s all week. That's just crazy talk. But it's soooooo needed right now. I can tolerate anything as long as the weather's nice. In fact, I can be downright frisky and in a good mood if the weather is nice. My co-workers might actually like me this week!
My birthday is coming. I hear it off in the distance like a freight train on a still night, miles and miles away. Chugging, chugging closer and closer. This errant North wind is all that calms me, soothes me, allowing me to breathe. But I know it's out there, coming for me. All forty train cars heaving, pressing, and roaring in the distance. In less than two weeks, I won't have any choice. I'll be standing in the middle of the tracks awaiting the heavy, loud, unforgiving, colossal power to overcome me. The blinding light, the shrill metallic shriek, and then the strike.
Not that I'm being dramatic or anything. More later.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Been awhile . . .
Sorry I have neglected you, sweet blog! Life happens. And laziness helps, too. Let's catch up!
So, school has just begun. As of today, we are three days in. New administration and a few new teachers and way too many students! We need more teachers! I am busily adding new students into my library database and preparing for library classes next week. I have a LOT of new ideas, new books, etc. to share with students this year. Can't wait! New favorite children's book: Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes. Can't wait to read and sing this book to students. They're going to love it and there's the follow up also, Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes. So fun!
On the subject of books, I had promised to share some favs. So here's a list of my favorite books I've read in the last year. Oh, keep in mind that some of these are "indie" published books. I got my nook September 14, 2010 for my birthday and I think everything I've read since then has been on there so I got to take advantage of lower priced indie ebooks. As a result, I found some awesome authors in the fantasy, paranormal romance type genres.
Favorite, of course, is Amanda Hocking, author of the Trylle Trilogy. Many kudos to her for signing recently with a house and the masses will soon be able to enjoy her books beyond epub. My other favorite of hers in Hollowland. Now this book is about a post-apocalyptic zombie US. I wasn't excited to read it at first because I had never read a zombie book. But I loved it. Give it a try. At 2.99 you really can't go wrong, right!? She's written a bunch of others, but the above are my favorites and she's got a funny, interesting, personal blog. I'm thinking 9th grade and up, appropriate, but some may argue younger okay.
Close second favorite author is H.P.Mallory. Her books are about paranormal characters too. Currently she has out several installments of two series, the Dulcie O'Neil series and the Jolie Wilkins series. Both excellent. Fairies, vampires, weres, all that good stuff. Her books are a little more sexy, so think upper high school to adult. But again, some may argue younger. Mallory's main characters are sarcastic and funny and get themselves into all sorts of predicaments unintentionally and meet up with unforgettable characters. You will fly through them and then be mad at yourself for reading them so fast when you're finished. You won't want them to end. At least I didn't.
Historical Romance. Now I haven't visited this genre in years but suddenly craved it over my lazy summer. I happened to find Anne Stuart. I thoroughly enjoyed the House of Rohan books and The Devil's Waltz. I thought they were well written, not sappy, with fully developed unrepentant bad guy/love interests. The heroines are witty and strong with multi-faceted emotions and reactions and I like that they author draws them as not your typical classically beautiful damsels. The books have just enough detail and highly satisfying resolutions.
You must read Ally Condie's Matched and now Crossed has just come out. I love these post-apocalyptic, new world type books.
Great new take on werewolves: Read Shiver and the next two books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. Haven't read the 3rd yet. Maybe I'll get it for my birthday, hint, hint.
In between all of these I've read several others and maybe I'll mention them later but these are my favorites.
I simply cannot wait until the Hunger Games movie comes out! And I'm still reeling from the exceptional conclusion to the Harry Potter movies. Well done and very gratifying. J.K.Rowling is just pure genius as are everyone who made the books come to life.
That's all for now . . .
So, school has just begun. As of today, we are three days in. New administration and a few new teachers and way too many students! We need more teachers! I am busily adding new students into my library database and preparing for library classes next week. I have a LOT of new ideas, new books, etc. to share with students this year. Can't wait! New favorite children's book: Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes. Can't wait to read and sing this book to students. They're going to love it and there's the follow up also, Pete the Cat: Rocking in my School Shoes. So fun!
On the subject of books, I had promised to share some favs. So here's a list of my favorite books I've read in the last year. Oh, keep in mind that some of these are "indie" published books. I got my nook September 14, 2010 for my birthday and I think everything I've read since then has been on there so I got to take advantage of lower priced indie ebooks. As a result, I found some awesome authors in the fantasy, paranormal romance type genres.
Favorite, of course, is Amanda Hocking, author of the Trylle Trilogy. Many kudos to her for signing recently with a house and the masses will soon be able to enjoy her books beyond epub. My other favorite of hers in Hollowland. Now this book is about a post-apocalyptic zombie US. I wasn't excited to read it at first because I had never read a zombie book. But I loved it. Give it a try. At 2.99 you really can't go wrong, right!? She's written a bunch of others, but the above are my favorites and she's got a funny, interesting, personal blog. I'm thinking 9th grade and up, appropriate, but some may argue younger okay.
Close second favorite author is H.P.Mallory. Her books are about paranormal characters too. Currently she has out several installments of two series, the Dulcie O'Neil series and the Jolie Wilkins series. Both excellent. Fairies, vampires, weres, all that good stuff. Her books are a little more sexy, so think upper high school to adult. But again, some may argue younger. Mallory's main characters are sarcastic and funny and get themselves into all sorts of predicaments unintentionally and meet up with unforgettable characters. You will fly through them and then be mad at yourself for reading them so fast when you're finished. You won't want them to end. At least I didn't.
Historical Romance. Now I haven't visited this genre in years but suddenly craved it over my lazy summer. I happened to find Anne Stuart. I thoroughly enjoyed the House of Rohan books and The Devil's Waltz. I thought they were well written, not sappy, with fully developed unrepentant bad guy/love interests. The heroines are witty and strong with multi-faceted emotions and reactions and I like that they author draws them as not your typical classically beautiful damsels. The books have just enough detail and highly satisfying resolutions.
You must read Ally Condie's Matched and now Crossed has just come out. I love these post-apocalyptic, new world type books.
Great new take on werewolves: Read Shiver and the next two books in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. Haven't read the 3rd yet. Maybe I'll get it for my birthday, hint, hint.
In between all of these I've read several others and maybe I'll mention them later but these are my favorites.
I simply cannot wait until the Hunger Games movie comes out! And I'm still reeling from the exceptional conclusion to the Harry Potter movies. Well done and very gratifying. J.K.Rowling is just pure genius as are everyone who made the books come to life.
That's all for now . . .
Thursday, July 14, 2011
No News Was Good News--sorta
I got an email back from the editor in chief at the publisher where my children's book ms has been sitting for over 7 months. Finally.
The good news is she didn't say no. The bad news is she didn't say yes either. The neither good nor bad news is it needs revision. The good news is she told me exactly what needs to go. The bad news is I'm just not quite sure how to fix the couple other things she told me about. This particular book also requires the permission of an NFL football team and the NFL itself. So, I guess I'll have to research that. Bottom line though, she didn't say no. So, it's feedback. The criticism was not negative in any way. AND, she said that they editorial board all agreed that it is a "book that will sell." Of course, I knew that when I wrote it.
However, even though the feedback wasn't negatively critical and they thought the book would sell, I just kinda thought I'd get a little more help than that. I know I'm a newbie to the publishing world but if they think the book will sell, why didn't she say, "Ok, we're in. Let's sit down and talk and make this as good as it can be" and then really work with me. I know they don't have a lot of time. But if she tells me the book will sell then why wouldn't they want to invest in its perfecting? I guess maybe it could be because it's a small publisher. Don't know. So, in considering all that, it's just sort of left me in kind of a funk.
At first, I wanted to run to my computer and begin working on it immediately. But then, I felt like what's the point--I'm not even sure if I can fix some of the parts. And approaching an entity like the NFL seems a bit overwhelming. I don't know. Maybe it's not all that bad.
I'm not giving up. But for some reason I'm just not in a hurry. Maybe I should be. Maybe I'll have a sudden surge of devotion toward the manuscript again. I know I sound wishy-washy. I bet I probably sound ungrateful too. I mean how often does a writer query a publisher (the first one I've ever queried) and a month later, they actually asked to see the manuscript? That's like unheard of. Even with small publishers.
Okay, okay. I can actually hear you yelling at me to stop whining and get to work.
I'll keep you posted on that.
So anyway, I thanked her--the editor, of course, and told her I appreciated the helpful remarks and that I would work on it and get back to her. So I told her that and I have to do it. Because when I tell somebody something, I follow through.
I have two other children's books and now I'm free to query this same publisher about one of them (you can only query about one at a time and only submit one manuscript at a time with any publisher). Or, I can query another publisher about this book--which I definitely won't do. Just wouldn't feel right about it and this book is perfect for this publisher. But, I may play around with submitting queries on the others. I might even query agents. What the heck? Nothing to lose and all kinds of experience and criticism to gain, right?
About the novel I'm currently working on:
I'm at 28,757 words and 93 pages. Which I think is about half way. My goal was to finish it this summer before I went back to work. What? It could happen! Yeah, I know. I've been so lazy about writing. Maybe I need encouragement. Maybe I need tough love. Like, "NO chocolate until you give me 5,000 words!" You know? I think that would work. I'll have to talk my husband into threatening me with stuff like that. More later . . .
The good news is she didn't say no. The bad news is she didn't say yes either. The neither good nor bad news is it needs revision. The good news is she told me exactly what needs to go. The bad news is I'm just not quite sure how to fix the couple other things she told me about. This particular book also requires the permission of an NFL football team and the NFL itself. So, I guess I'll have to research that. Bottom line though, she didn't say no. So, it's feedback. The criticism was not negative in any way. AND, she said that they editorial board all agreed that it is a "book that will sell." Of course, I knew that when I wrote it.
However, even though the feedback wasn't negatively critical and they thought the book would sell, I just kinda thought I'd get a little more help than that. I know I'm a newbie to the publishing world but if they think the book will sell, why didn't she say, "Ok, we're in. Let's sit down and talk and make this as good as it can be" and then really work with me. I know they don't have a lot of time. But if she tells me the book will sell then why wouldn't they want to invest in its perfecting? I guess maybe it could be because it's a small publisher. Don't know. So, in considering all that, it's just sort of left me in kind of a funk.
At first, I wanted to run to my computer and begin working on it immediately. But then, I felt like what's the point--I'm not even sure if I can fix some of the parts. And approaching an entity like the NFL seems a bit overwhelming. I don't know. Maybe it's not all that bad.
I'm not giving up. But for some reason I'm just not in a hurry. Maybe I should be. Maybe I'll have a sudden surge of devotion toward the manuscript again. I know I sound wishy-washy. I bet I probably sound ungrateful too. I mean how often does a writer query a publisher (the first one I've ever queried) and a month later, they actually asked to see the manuscript? That's like unheard of. Even with small publishers.
Okay, okay. I can actually hear you yelling at me to stop whining and get to work.
I'll keep you posted on that.
So anyway, I thanked her--the editor, of course, and told her I appreciated the helpful remarks and that I would work on it and get back to her. So I told her that and I have to do it. Because when I tell somebody something, I follow through.
I have two other children's books and now I'm free to query this same publisher about one of them (you can only query about one at a time and only submit one manuscript at a time with any publisher). Or, I can query another publisher about this book--which I definitely won't do. Just wouldn't feel right about it and this book is perfect for this publisher. But, I may play around with submitting queries on the others. I might even query agents. What the heck? Nothing to lose and all kinds of experience and criticism to gain, right?
About the novel I'm currently working on:
I'm at 28,757 words and 93 pages. Which I think is about half way. My goal was to finish it this summer before I went back to work. What? It could happen! Yeah, I know. I've been so lazy about writing. Maybe I need encouragement. Maybe I need tough love. Like, "NO chocolate until you give me 5,000 words!" You know? I think that would work. I'll have to talk my husband into threatening me with stuff like that. More later . . .
Friday, July 1, 2011
No love yet. Maybe just a little like.
So I hate my book a little less. I've written maybe another thousand words or more since my last post and I'm feeling a lot better about it. I think if I flesh out a few scenes in outline and give myself a little more direction, I won't feel as overwhelmed. I was just getting really bogged down in it. I know there are things I want to change but I don't feel like going back and working them out right now. But that means there's going to be a helluva lot of work in the rewrite/edit stage.
Right now, I'm counting on myself to feel more productive. Just let me get it all out and then going back and perfecting it should be much simpler. It's kinda painful. Intellectually painful. So for the record, I'm at 28, 324 words which is equal to 91 pages double-spaced in Word.
Right now, I'm counting on myself to feel more productive. Just let me get it all out and then going back and perfecting it should be much simpler. It's kinda painful. Intellectually painful. So for the record, I'm at 28, 324 words which is equal to 91 pages double-spaced in Word.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I Hate My Book
I know this is a normal feeling writers have. I don't care. My book really does suck. I'm hating it because of what I know it's going to take to fix it. But right now, I can't even read it. I'm sick of it. It's becoming increasingly difficult to get it from scene to scene. There are choices I made or actually they seemed to just happen that I'm not sure I want to keep. I hate my main character's name. I even hate my working title. I want to edit it so badly. But I'm only 27,636 words into it. I just printed out all 88 pages of it and sat down to read it and make some changes. And I'm exhausted and bored already. Maybe if I were drunk? No, I think I'd just probably fall asleep. Maybe that's what I need. But see, that's just it--I keep procrastinating and diverting my own attention elsewhere so I don't have to deal with it but I NEED to deal with it. I must finish this stupid thing if for no other reason than to just say I finished it. Then, I know, I can do whatever I want with it. Maybe the edits will be easier then, knowing that at least it has a beginning, middle, and an end.
Okay, I'll go with that. But I'm still hating it.
Okay, I'll go with that. But I'm still hating it.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Being a writer, ALAcon, and my goal and stuff.
Found out that I'm a writer after all. Well, whatdya know?
My last day of internship at The Sea Coast Echo was Friday. While speaking with the editor, I thanked him for his assistance and for allowing me to write so much for the paper last week. I think I had 6 or 7 articles published. He said that I did an "excellent" job and that "it helped that you were already a writer." I was floored. That was THE first and ONLY time anyone had ever referred to me or called me a writer.
Honestly, I thought I aspired to be a writer. I wanted to write but never thought that what I produced was worthy of the author being referred to as a "writer." So now, I will refer to myself as a writer. But only because I was referred by one who knows writers as a writer. So there.
Now, I am just an aspiring author. And since I have not written anything on my book in weeks, it is likely that I will remain an aspiring author. I also have not heard from the publisher about my children's book either and the 30th of June looms. Funny how "loom" rhymes with "doom."
Anyway, I jaunted down to New Orleans over the weekend and visited the American Library Association's annual convention. It was just an orgy of books, publishers, writers, libraries, and all things deliciously bookish. If you didn't care one way or the other about authors and books, it would have been insanely boring for sure but for me, a bibliophile, it was decadent. It was the rock concert of librarianship. And just about every Book God/Goddess I could think of was there. I didn't get any autographs but it was just something still to even walk by Kate DiCamillo and Mo Willems as they signed their tomes. I really was upset that I did not get to hear Orson Scott Card speak. Missed that by an hour and didn't realize it.
Overheard that someone stole the 300 galley proofs of part two of Ally Condie's Matched which is entitled Crossed. Bummer. They were giving away 300 of those and it looked like there were 500 in line so I didn't stand in that line either. I preferred to peruse, overhear, and shuffle from exhibit to exhibit.
Even the Ayn Rand Institute representatives were there. I mean, what? She like my frickin' hero. Well, ideologically, not so much in the writing. Overall, ALAcon was just so impressive. Google ALA 2011 to see a list of authors. So awesome. See, don't I sound like a teenager that just came from her favorite rock concert? Got lots of cool swag, too. I was lucky that this was the 2nd time I was able to go. It probably won't be back in New Orleans for years and years. If you ever get the chance to go, do.
So, 5 weeks left of summer break. Time to seriously buckle down and get some writing done. My original goal was to be finished by the end of June. However, life happens. So, I'm setting the more than reasonable goal of 4 weeks from today. Let's see where I'll be then!
My last day of internship at The Sea Coast Echo was Friday. While speaking with the editor, I thanked him for his assistance and for allowing me to write so much for the paper last week. I think I had 6 or 7 articles published. He said that I did an "excellent" job and that "it helped that you were already a writer." I was floored. That was THE first and ONLY time anyone had ever referred to me or called me a writer.
Honestly, I thought I aspired to be a writer. I wanted to write but never thought that what I produced was worthy of the author being referred to as a "writer." So now, I will refer to myself as a writer. But only because I was referred by one who knows writers as a writer. So there.
Now, I am just an aspiring author. And since I have not written anything on my book in weeks, it is likely that I will remain an aspiring author. I also have not heard from the publisher about my children's book either and the 30th of June looms. Funny how "loom" rhymes with "doom."
Anyway, I jaunted down to New Orleans over the weekend and visited the American Library Association's annual convention. It was just an orgy of books, publishers, writers, libraries, and all things deliciously bookish. If you didn't care one way or the other about authors and books, it would have been insanely boring for sure but for me, a bibliophile, it was decadent. It was the rock concert of librarianship. And just about every Book God/Goddess I could think of was there. I didn't get any autographs but it was just something still to even walk by Kate DiCamillo and Mo Willems as they signed their tomes. I really was upset that I did not get to hear Orson Scott Card speak. Missed that by an hour and didn't realize it.
Overheard that someone stole the 300 galley proofs of part two of Ally Condie's Matched which is entitled Crossed. Bummer. They were giving away 300 of those and it looked like there were 500 in line so I didn't stand in that line either. I preferred to peruse, overhear, and shuffle from exhibit to exhibit.
Even the Ayn Rand Institute representatives were there. I mean, what? She like my frickin' hero. Well, ideologically, not so much in the writing. Overall, ALAcon was just so impressive. Google ALA 2011 to see a list of authors. So awesome. See, don't I sound like a teenager that just came from her favorite rock concert? Got lots of cool swag, too. I was lucky that this was the 2nd time I was able to go. It probably won't be back in New Orleans for years and years. If you ever get the chance to go, do.
So, 5 weeks left of summer break. Time to seriously buckle down and get some writing done. My original goal was to be finished by the end of June. However, life happens. So, I'm setting the more than reasonable goal of 4 weeks from today. Let's see where I'll be then!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Just call me Lois Lane . . .
I started my internship at the Sea Coast Echo newspaper today. The Sea Coast Echo is a smaller community paper that focuses mainly on Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Kiln, Pass Christian and Diamondhead communities in southeast Mississippi. It was totally awesome. I love being able to write and contribute! So here are some things I did not know about writing for a newspaper and news biz:
--journalists don't get paid much (I actually never thought much about it before)
--sometimes there's a lot of sitting around and waiting when you're all caught up on your stories
--everything, everything is done on a Mac (I'm a PC but it's cool)
--the writers smoke a lot (okay by me)
--they all love what they do because they certainly don't do it for the money!
The editor, Geoff, has been soooooo nice in showing me around and teaching me how everything is done from the writing to layout to printing. It's all so interesting and I think will be hugely impressive to my students! I'm taking lots of pics.
Now I'm used to writing "academically" when I write non-fiction. Having never taken a journalism course (which is actually surprising since I think I've taken every other course possible when I used to be a professional student), I didn't know about the "inverted pyramid." This means the story is written by starting out with an attention grabbing sentence and load the first few sentences down with the important info. The fluff and nonessential extras go at the end since the average newspaper reader skims and scans and only reads the first few sentences anyway. Did not know that! But makes sense.
I worked on three different articles today. Two had to do with education and local school events and one was about a local woman who was recently appointed by the governor to be the director of the Office of State Public Defender. I had to call her, interview her, get quotable comments, and ask for a photo! I also had to get some commentary for one of the other articles, too. So cool because I'd never done this before and I love, love, love getting the opportunity! Finally, I'm also working on a year in review for all of the local area schools for an annual publication that will come out next week. I'm so excited!
I so want a fedora with a little PRESS paper sticking out of the band.
--journalists don't get paid much (I actually never thought much about it before)
--sometimes there's a lot of sitting around and waiting when you're all caught up on your stories
--everything, everything is done on a Mac (I'm a PC but it's cool)
--the writers smoke a lot (okay by me)
--they all love what they do because they certainly don't do it for the money!
The editor, Geoff, has been soooooo nice in showing me around and teaching me how everything is done from the writing to layout to printing. It's all so interesting and I think will be hugely impressive to my students! I'm taking lots of pics.
Now I'm used to writing "academically" when I write non-fiction. Having never taken a journalism course (which is actually surprising since I think I've taken every other course possible when I used to be a professional student), I didn't know about the "inverted pyramid." This means the story is written by starting out with an attention grabbing sentence and load the first few sentences down with the important info. The fluff and nonessential extras go at the end since the average newspaper reader skims and scans and only reads the first few sentences anyway. Did not know that! But makes sense.
I worked on three different articles today. Two had to do with education and local school events and one was about a local woman who was recently appointed by the governor to be the director of the Office of State Public Defender. I had to call her, interview her, get quotable comments, and ask for a photo! I also had to get some commentary for one of the other articles, too. So cool because I'd never done this before and I love, love, love getting the opportunity! Finally, I'm also working on a year in review for all of the local area schools for an annual publication that will come out next week. I'm so excited!
I so want a fedora with a little PRESS paper sticking out of the band.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Writing and Reading
I'm excited to be starting an internship next week at my local newspaper, The Sea Coast Echo. This internship is a partnership between our local community college and my school district so that teachers can earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) that go toward their teaching license. So I'm thrilled to be working where I can WRITE! So excited.
Other topic: I'm currently completely engrossed in the book by Susan Beth Pfeiffer, Life As We Knew It.
Set in Pennsylvania, the book is in the form of the diary or journal of teenage Miranda and as it begins she and her family and friends are gearing up for a seemingly benign lunar event, an asteroid is scheduled to hit the moon. What no one seemed to be prepared for was that the asteroid had far more mass than originally projected. The moon is knocked out of its current orbit and travels very close to the earth. This sets off a series of cataclysmic geological and meteorological events that affect every living being on the earth. We read what Miranda writes as she describes life following the event. Tsunamis and altered ocean levels drown coastal cities. People die. Oil production ceases. Prices skyrocket. Volcanoes explode around the globe bathing the earth in toxic darkness. Temperatures plummet in July and we wonder if Miranda and her family are going to make it.
The writing is simple for the most part. Occasionally there's a word or phrase that I doubt "Miranda" would know which throws me out of my alternate reality of reading trance. There's a lot about life that Miranda doesn't describe which has me perplexed because it would definitely be stuff that I would think a teenager would care greatly about. However, I'm almost finished and I'm thinking about the book when I'm not reading it, wondering what's going to happen. So that's a great book to me. I read for several hours straight last night but just couldn't stay awake to finish it off. Definitely tonight. It's a good, easy read that I recommend so far. I'll post more about other great books I've read lately.
Other topic: I'm currently completely engrossed in the book by Susan Beth Pfeiffer, Life As We Knew It.
Set in Pennsylvania, the book is in the form of the diary or journal of teenage Miranda and as it begins she and her family and friends are gearing up for a seemingly benign lunar event, an asteroid is scheduled to hit the moon. What no one seemed to be prepared for was that the asteroid had far more mass than originally projected. The moon is knocked out of its current orbit and travels very close to the earth. This sets off a series of cataclysmic geological and meteorological events that affect every living being on the earth. We read what Miranda writes as she describes life following the event. Tsunamis and altered ocean levels drown coastal cities. People die. Oil production ceases. Prices skyrocket. Volcanoes explode around the globe bathing the earth in toxic darkness. Temperatures plummet in July and we wonder if Miranda and her family are going to make it.
The writing is simple for the most part. Occasionally there's a word or phrase that I doubt "Miranda" would know which throws me out of my alternate reality of reading trance. There's a lot about life that Miranda doesn't describe which has me perplexed because it would definitely be stuff that I would think a teenager would care greatly about. However, I'm almost finished and I'm thinking about the book when I'm not reading it, wondering what's going to happen. So that's a great book to me. I read for several hours straight last night but just couldn't stay awake to finish it off. Definitely tonight. It's a good, easy read that I recommend so far. I'll post more about other great books I've read lately.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
The zombies are keeping me from writing.
So I don't so much believe in "writer's block." I do, however, believe in "writer's procrastination." Right now I think I am the Queen of Procrastination Country. I do all sorts of things, stupid, useless, waste-of-time things completely on purpose instead of writing which is the thing I want most to be doing.
The quote, "How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives," which I think is by Dickinson, haunts me daily. I will clean anything and everything, I will play Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies for hours, or Facebook myself to death before I will sit down and write. It's really disgusting. I end up having such guilt when I count the hours wasted and think of how many words could have been written in that time. So why do I torture myself with the guilt and self-loathing when I alone can just have some discipline and self-respect to not waste the time and get down to the business of writing?
Well, I think about this while I keep telling myself just one more load of laundry or just one more round of Angry Birds (those clever little pigs). There are many reasons why I do this and I'm sure I'm not alone. First, writing for me is like sculpting. I get this image in my head of what it is I'm creating and when it might not be looking like I first intended, I walk away, get some perspective. My writing so far, I've been pleasantly surprised, has taken on a life of it's own. Ideas start popping while I'm writing and it's going in different directions and developing more layers. It's getting kind of intense and I'm juggling more balls than I originally imagined. Plus, I'm developing this emotional attachment to my creation. I'm starting to think of it as a whole and what this creation will be and mean when it's complete. What if it's not good? After all, I'm not just writing it for the sake of writing. I want something in return from it, whether it be monetary or a sense of accomplishment or something I can be proud of or something I can hold and say that I met a goal I set for myself and on and on. It has to be good. How do I distance myself from this creation and look at it with objective eyes and say, yeah, this is good or decent or it totally sucks?
Anyway, so I spend my days thinking about my book more than writing it. However, I'm writing it all the time, re-writing it, editing it constantly, all while I'm blowing up zombies with potato bombs. It's working itself out. I think I shouldn't beat myself up too much about doing the things that aren't physically writing because it's still, in a way, writing. It's just in my head.
Anyway, so that's what I was thinking about today. Now, I'm gonna go write. Really!
The quote, "How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives," which I think is by Dickinson, haunts me daily. I will clean anything and everything, I will play Angry Birds and Plants vs. Zombies for hours, or Facebook myself to death before I will sit down and write. It's really disgusting. I end up having such guilt when I count the hours wasted and think of how many words could have been written in that time. So why do I torture myself with the guilt and self-loathing when I alone can just have some discipline and self-respect to not waste the time and get down to the business of writing?
Well, I think about this while I keep telling myself just one more load of laundry or just one more round of Angry Birds (those clever little pigs). There are many reasons why I do this and I'm sure I'm not alone. First, writing for me is like sculpting. I get this image in my head of what it is I'm creating and when it might not be looking like I first intended, I walk away, get some perspective. My writing so far, I've been pleasantly surprised, has taken on a life of it's own. Ideas start popping while I'm writing and it's going in different directions and developing more layers. It's getting kind of intense and I'm juggling more balls than I originally imagined. Plus, I'm developing this emotional attachment to my creation. I'm starting to think of it as a whole and what this creation will be and mean when it's complete. What if it's not good? After all, I'm not just writing it for the sake of writing. I want something in return from it, whether it be monetary or a sense of accomplishment or something I can be proud of or something I can hold and say that I met a goal I set for myself and on and on. It has to be good. How do I distance myself from this creation and look at it with objective eyes and say, yeah, this is good or decent or it totally sucks?
Anyway, so I spend my days thinking about my book more than writing it. However, I'm writing it all the time, re-writing it, editing it constantly, all while I'm blowing up zombies with potato bombs. It's working itself out. I think I shouldn't beat myself up too much about doing the things that aren't physically writing because it's still, in a way, writing. It's just in my head.
Anyway, so that's what I was thinking about today. Now, I'm gonna go write. Really!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
A Magical Gift
Today I received an unexpected gift. My mother gave me a necklace. It is two silver feather quill pens joined together in the shape of a heart on a long, thin black cord. I loved it instantly. It reminds me of how supportive my mother is of my writing and of how much she believes in me. It also reminded me of an essay I wrote about 3 years ago that I'll share here:
Magic
I have a Harry Potter scar. Well, nothing as jazzy and obvious as his lightning bolt, but a scar nonetheless, right smack-dab in the middle of my forehead.
"Does my scar make me special like Harry's scar does?", I think to myself at the other end of a sleepless night. No, not special. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, unlike Harry's, my scar doesn't alert me to nearing evil with searing and blinding pain. I hardly notice it's there when I look in the mirror. But sometimes, when I'm deep in thought or worrying, my fingers slide across my forehead, and perceive the slightest crevice, marring my otherwise smooth forehead skin. Underneath the surface of the skin I feel scar tissue leaving a raised bump beneath the scar which, thankfully, is visually imperceptible but feels yucky.
As my fingers trail the tiny line which has surreptitiously folded within my occasionally furrowed brow, the memory of its origin comes rushing back.
I was 4 or 5 maybe, and we lived on the second floor of a yellow house on Willow Street in New Orleans. The house faced an empty though grassy lot across the street. Facing ten o'clock, you could see the lights of the K&B parking lot on the other side of the block through a great oak tree at night.
I only know that it was day time and I was excitedly running from my mother's company in the kitchen through the dining room and into the living room. I was abruptly thrown face forward from whatever I tripped on down into the exact right angle of the wooden coffee table. I can still see the ornate burnished brass décor on the corners of that coffee table.
I am certain, though I do not exactly remember, that at this time I shrieked in pain and shock, as the sickening sound of the 'thunk' echoed in my head. I remember that I felt like I cracked my head open like a pumpkin. My forehead felt cool and open and then warm, very warm. Next, I seem to remember a towel and perhaps some ice? And my mother's urgency bordering on hysteria. But for a moment, forget the blood and the 'thunk' and the screaming. Because what I remember most was my mother's decided control over the situation. Sometimes her control sounded a little like hysteria from a distance. But most assuredly, I can tell you, my mother was always so great in situations like these. It seemed so instinctual, whatever she did. She said, "Okay, now it's alright. Everything's going to be alright." But her voice took on this silken wrapped velvet quality that suddenly made me close my eyes and imagine I was floating on a cloud. She would maintain her tone with confidence, so I never doubted that I was okay and that soon everything else would be okay too.
The trip to the hospital was probably awful for my mother because her focus had to be somewhat on the driving even though I know she looked at me more than the road. Her hand never left me, my head, the towel, as I struggled to see and understand what was happening to me through the blinding mix of tears and blood. I'm sure my screams were so unnerving to my mother. I remember her saying over and over, "Shhhhh, it's gonna be alright." And though the pain was unbearable and my fear of the hospital was beginning to override the pain, I knew she was right not just because she was my mother and because mothers knew these things but because her calming, comforting voice convinced me of it.
In the ER several nurses had to hold me down. I felt scared almost as if I'd done something wrong. All of this because I ran and fell. And now my pumpkin head must be falling in chunks everywhere because everyone is so loud and telling me what to do and I didn't know where my mother was. Maybe she was there. I guess I was in restraints at some point and finally a craftily conducted injection of a sedative kicked in. Or did it? It must have. I can still see all of the eyes peering down at me, the injections coming so close to my eyes to dull the wound site, the cat gut pinching and pulling my skin to close the wound, and my funhouse reflection in the stainless steel brightness of the lamp leaving spots in my vision. The result? Six neat little knotted stitches tickled and itched my small forehead like drunkenly strewn costume fake eyelashes. And somehow, no doubt, my mother and grandmother, took them out ten days later. I remember nothing more of the event.
But sometimes, on nights like tonight, when all are tucked tight and the world is still and alone with only itself and I have been stroking my brow, I think of my mother. I am much older now than she was then. I let my fingers caress the tiny indentation. I think of my 4-year-old and all of his bo-bos, bumps, and bruises and stitches yet to come. I feel him in my arms and I stroke and soothe him. My mother's words come, so sweetly, so reassuringly, and he and I both know that "everything is going to be alright."
Does my scar make me special, magical? No. Not me. My scar reminds me of how special and magical a mother's love can be.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Thanks Oprah.
So schoooooooooool's out for Summah! I'm excited because that means now I have time to write. Today was my first full day off and I've already been researching over the weekend, re-reading what I've already written, and written another thousand words or so.
My goal is to complete the book, editing and all, by the end of the summer and then figure out what I'm going to do with it. I'm already leaning toward self-publishing but specifically e-publishing. It's the quickest, cheapest, easiest way to get my book "out there" and see what happens. I have no delusions of grandeur but I am hopeful that people will like it.
I want to write. I like to write. I like storytelling. And it would be totally cool if I could make a little money doing that.
So Oprah's last show is tomorrow and while I've never felt one way or the other about Oprah, I've begun to get surprisingly sentimental about her "leaving." I mean, yeah, she has her own network so she's not really going anywhere but on the shows this season people have said what an impact her show has made on them and how she's been such a staple or fixture for TV for 25 years. I had to agree. I guess since my high school days she was always there on TV when I got home and then all through college. She's been there, doing her thing more than half my life. She's done some pretty amazing things and inspired a lot of people. It's truly impressive and amazing to see how many lives she's touched and changed. But what's been most resounding in my life and one of the many things she's always professed along her "journey," is that one needs to always be his or her own true "authentic self." So that's all I'm trying to do with my writing. I feel a need to write.
I've read that some writers feel "most at home" when they're writing or feel like they have something to say and need to write because of that or they want to make a difference or make people feel stuff or think differently. I have none of those lofty aspirations. I think I write to entertain myself and I think it would be awesome if I could actually entertain someone else with my writing too. I do not feel "most at home" when I'm writing at all! It's hard! It's challenging. Sometimes I'm hating what I'm writing. And I so can be Queen of Procrastination! I want to write but sometimes I'm totally lazy about it. Most of the time I'm totally lazy about it. Since I've begun this book, it's like I try to find other things to do purposely so that I don't go write. I'll clean, sleep, watch very stupid reality TV, play mindless games on the iPad or Facebook instead of doing the thing I most want to do and be good at. It's quite possible that I'm afraid of not being good at it. But I hate cowards. And I certainly don't want to be one so I must press on, come what may. Right?
Anyway, what I'm saying is my writing will likely not have major impact in anyone's life. And that's okay. This is just me being my authentic self! When I write, I'm writing from the authentically "me" part of me. When I'm writing, I am authentically me. And, quite honestly, it's taken me a long time to realize that this is what I really want to do "when I grow up"!
My goal is to complete the book, editing and all, by the end of the summer and then figure out what I'm going to do with it. I'm already leaning toward self-publishing but specifically e-publishing. It's the quickest, cheapest, easiest way to get my book "out there" and see what happens. I have no delusions of grandeur but I am hopeful that people will like it.
I want to write. I like to write. I like storytelling. And it would be totally cool if I could make a little money doing that.
So Oprah's last show is tomorrow and while I've never felt one way or the other about Oprah, I've begun to get surprisingly sentimental about her "leaving." I mean, yeah, she has her own network so she's not really going anywhere but on the shows this season people have said what an impact her show has made on them and how she's been such a staple or fixture for TV for 25 years. I had to agree. I guess since my high school days she was always there on TV when I got home and then all through college. She's been there, doing her thing more than half my life. She's done some pretty amazing things and inspired a lot of people. It's truly impressive and amazing to see how many lives she's touched and changed. But what's been most resounding in my life and one of the many things she's always professed along her "journey," is that one needs to always be his or her own true "authentic self." So that's all I'm trying to do with my writing. I feel a need to write.
I've read that some writers feel "most at home" when they're writing or feel like they have something to say and need to write because of that or they want to make a difference or make people feel stuff or think differently. I have none of those lofty aspirations. I think I write to entertain myself and I think it would be awesome if I could actually entertain someone else with my writing too. I do not feel "most at home" when I'm writing at all! It's hard! It's challenging. Sometimes I'm hating what I'm writing. And I so can be Queen of Procrastination! I want to write but sometimes I'm totally lazy about it. Most of the time I'm totally lazy about it. Since I've begun this book, it's like I try to find other things to do purposely so that I don't go write. I'll clean, sleep, watch very stupid reality TV, play mindless games on the iPad or Facebook instead of doing the thing I most want to do and be good at. It's quite possible that I'm afraid of not being good at it. But I hate cowards. And I certainly don't want to be one so I must press on, come what may. Right?
Anyway, what I'm saying is my writing will likely not have major impact in anyone's life. And that's okay. This is just me being my authentic self! When I write, I'm writing from the authentically "me" part of me. When I'm writing, I am authentically me. And, quite honestly, it's taken me a long time to realize that this is what I really want to do "when I grow up"!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Where I am Now
I have always written. For a long time it was just poetry. I don't have that poetry any more because I was in a rush to leave to evacuate for Katrina. I had evacuated for hurricanes several times before and nothing much happened. Obviously, that time, something pretty big happened and my house swallowed 5 feet of water as well as my hard drive. So, I'm missing about 10 years of my writing and the first year and a half of my son's baby pictures. Still pisses me off. I digress.
Writing must be in my blood and my pores and I'm not sure how it got there because no one else in my family has the bug. But I constantly feel called to do so. Problem is, as with most wannabe writers like me, we start and don't finish. But dammit, I'm finishing this time! Currently, I'm working on a YA paranormal romance type thing or urban fantasy or whatever you want to call it. I can't stop reading it and characters and scenes keep popping into my brain so I just have to write it! I have about 20,000 words. I started in March and laid it all out. April was a busy month. The end of May and June are looking better. I hope to bang it out and have it done this summer.
I will definitely e-publish. Not even going to bother with a regular publisher. I'm just going to put it out there and see what happens. I've done tons of research and think I know how to go about this. I'm learning so much from other non-traditional published authors such as Amanda Hocking and H.P. Mallory among others.
I have a book with a publisher right now. It's a non-fiction children's book and I queried a small local publisher. I sent off the query in October 2010. They asked for the manuscript in November. The last week of December the editor said I would know something by March. When I didn't hear anything by the first week in April, I took a chance on bugging the editor. She was very nice and said that the "board" did not meet as planned in March but they will meet in June 2011. I don't know how to feel about that. Some days I think, "Of course they'll publish that book!" and other days I think, "Oh, that is such crap. Who am I kidding?" Anyway, it's out of my hands and we'll see what happens. I will definitely post a blog as soon as I know something!
In the meantime, I will write my paranormal romance and blog. That's where I am.
Thanks for reading.
Writing must be in my blood and my pores and I'm not sure how it got there because no one else in my family has the bug. But I constantly feel called to do so. Problem is, as with most wannabe writers like me, we start and don't finish. But dammit, I'm finishing this time! Currently, I'm working on a YA paranormal romance type thing or urban fantasy or whatever you want to call it. I can't stop reading it and characters and scenes keep popping into my brain so I just have to write it! I have about 20,000 words. I started in March and laid it all out. April was a busy month. The end of May and June are looking better. I hope to bang it out and have it done this summer.
I will definitely e-publish. Not even going to bother with a regular publisher. I'm just going to put it out there and see what happens. I've done tons of research and think I know how to go about this. I'm learning so much from other non-traditional published authors such as Amanda Hocking and H.P. Mallory among others.
I have a book with a publisher right now. It's a non-fiction children's book and I queried a small local publisher. I sent off the query in October 2010. They asked for the manuscript in November. The last week of December the editor said I would know something by March. When I didn't hear anything by the first week in April, I took a chance on bugging the editor. She was very nice and said that the "board" did not meet as planned in March but they will meet in June 2011. I don't know how to feel about that. Some days I think, "Of course they'll publish that book!" and other days I think, "Oh, that is such crap. Who am I kidding?" Anyway, it's out of my hands and we'll see what happens. I will definitely post a blog as soon as I know something!
In the meantime, I will write my paranormal romance and blog. That's where I am.
Thanks for reading.
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