adminWell, I heard back on one of the proposals I submitted in November, and it’s a Go! I will be writing for Radish, once I figure out how to actually do it. 🙂 I’m so excited to try a new form of storytelling. If you’re not familiar with Radish, they focus on mobile publishing (reading by phone) and everything is in short episode format for quick, easy consumption. I’ve got a good start on a new story, but need to get more episodes written. Yay! This is exciting.
I’ve been busy this month, getting back into the writing groove. I realize it’s November. The weather’s getting colder, and there are fewer outside distractions. I’ve been able to concentrate on putting words on paper, but I’ve been utterly oblivious that I’m doing all this while NaNoWriMo is going on!
If I had realized it, I probably would have put too much pressure on myself. As it is, I’ve had great results. I haven’t been tracking the number of words I’ve produced, but I have submitted two proposals to publishers. Count ’em, 2! Whoopee! I’ll have to stop now for Thanksgiving, but there’s one week left after that. Wonder what I could do?
Any suggestions?
If any of you are writers, I’m blogging for the Romance Author University over at Night Owl Romance today. The subject is “7 Reasons to Never Throw Away and Unpublished Manuscript,” and it’s appropriate for writers in any genre. It tells the story of Haunted Heart‘s long journey to the marketplace and offers ideas on other ways to use your unpublished work. I hope it helps!
I’m talking with my friend and fellow author, Jess Michaels, over at her podcast “Journeys of Romance.” We chat a lot about our creative processes, our long and winding careers in the writing business, and where to find the best steak ever. Check it out:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/journeys-of-romance/id1433212457
That’s where I am right now. I’ve been working on a story that I’ve had in various forms for years. Many, many years. I still believe there’s a good story in there somewhere, so for the past few months, I’ve been looking through the many versions I have and cobbling together the story I want to tell. Things were going well when I first started the project. I’d been away from it for long enough that I had a bird’s-eye view. I could read it as a reader and clearly see the strengths and the plot holes.
That time has passed. My bird’s-eye view is gone. I’m now on the ground, lost in the forest. Well, I don’t even know if I’m lost, really. I’ve finished with the story. I’ve gone through and edited it. But I’m too close to it to truly know how I feel about it.
Does that happen to you? What do you do when you get too deep into a project and can only see the details instead of the big picture? Got any suggestions on how to back away? I really don’t want to put this story down and let it sit for any longer. It’s time is here. It’s waited for its day long enough. So tell me… How can I clear the cobwebs out of my head?
I’ve finished the book, so what’s next? In this case, it’s a waiting game. The book I just finished is actually connected to a book that I’ve submitted to a publisher. Book 1 is still under consideration. I’ve let the editor know that Book 2 is waiting in the wings, so now there’s nothing I can do but wait. The next step will depend on the response. I really like both books. I’m hoping that readers will be able to read them soon.
For the past few days I’ve been getting caught up on all the other things that need my attention like yard work, a broken refrigerator, family birthdays, and I hear there’s an eclipse coming? It feels good to get back on top of things, but as I was weeding my flower garden, I really wished I was inside writing. (Mainly because I hate weeding, and not because a particular story was calling to me.) But a story will soon catch my attention, like they always do.
Until then, cross your fingers on my books’ submissions. Is there anyone else out there who hates waiting? How do you distract yourself to get through it? Any recommendations?
Did I mention I really do like how the book turned out? After all the ups and downs, I like how it came together. On final read-thru, I couldn’t even remember which parts gave me problems. I like the characters, and I like them as a couple. I’m ready to submit!
I finished!!!! The story has been proofread, and I revised the synopsis. That’s a 5-10 page summary of the story. In my case, I wrote it first before I ever got into the book. There was a plot twist that I added while writing the story, so it needed to be updated to match. I also wrote a story blurb, which is a condensed story description that authors use to “pitch” to publishers. It’s very much like the story description on the back cover of a book. So if you think about it, I have a one-paragraph description of the book, a five-page description of the book, and the book itself. Done, done, and done!
Total word count = 49,727
Goal 50,000
99.5% complete = Close enough = DONE!
I’ve finished editing the last chapter! Yaaaaaaaayyyyy! Now I just need to go through and proofread everything. The pressure is off. I’m so happy.
I wrote the first draft of the last chapter three days ago, but ohmygosh, I’ve slowed down to a crawl trying to edit it. I… just… wanna… finish!!!