Skip to main content

I'm Back and Boy It Feels Good



Hello All,

It's time for another installment of the Insecure Writer's Group hosted by the illustrious Alex J. Cavanaugh.  It seems hard to believe that four months have passed since my last post. I have always been a supporter of the ISWG, but my life came to a point where I just  needed a break from the world of writing.

As many of you know, I had completed my novel and was in the middle of the querying process. A couple of agents showed interest in the project, and so did  an editor with one of the publishing houses.  That sounds great right--a new author getting that kind of attention? Well, as it turned out, it wasn't quite the attention I had hoped for. One of the agents and the editor suggested I make major changes to my project--cut whole sections, etc, and then send it back to them. It would have taken months, maybe a year to complete the work. I wasn't opposed to the rewrite, but the problem was neither one made any promises of publication. Nor did they even hint at it.

After five years of working on the book, I just didn't have anything left to give. Disillusioned and disappointed, I set the project aside. A large part of me wasn't sure if I wanted to pursue the craft anymore. If felt as if I'd lost my passion.

Then, one day while cleaning my office, I came across my ideas book.  As I thumbed through the pages, I suddenly realized just how much I'd missed writing. I seized the moment and began outlining my next novel.  Three weeks later, I'm finally on ACT III.  I  haven't felt this excited about a project in months. It's a YA Fantasy set in Montana.  I was a little concerned it might be derivative--share comment elements with another story--- a young girl moves to an Indian reservation. However, the plot is so different,  I decided, what the hell--write the book I want to write and let the chips fall where they will. Soooo, l guess what I'm trying to say here is, I'm back and boy it feels good. Until next month. Happy writing. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

You Never Fail Until You Stop Trying

Back in December, I learned about an unpublished novel contest that assessed the following criteria: characterization, setting, plot, dialogue, voice and writing skill.  In addition to all this, the MS would receive feedback from the judges. Not a bad deal, right?  Although my draft was far from complete, I decided to enter it anyway, reasoning that the critique would identify areas of weakness in my writing.  Well, needless to say, I finally heard back last week.  The first forty pages of my draft were returned with the following letter attached:   The judges had mixed reactions to this particular manuscript, with some feeling it was well-    paced and  another saying there was not enough plot movement! One questioned whether the dialogue fit the time/  year/culture, while others felt it did. They all agreed on liking the expository details and descriptions, but   wondered where the story was going.  Consider beginning with a scene that hooks the reader with   compelling acti

Logline #5...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and commented on my submission yesterday.  As many of you may know by now, Steena Holmes over at Chocolate Reality  is holding a logline contest.  Young Adult author, Michelle McLean will either critique the winner's query, or the first five to ten pages of their manuscript. This is a great opportunity for one of us to get some professional feedback on our work. If you get a couple of minutes, please stop by Steena's blog and check out some of the other loglines.  I've got some stiff competition. (:  After mulling over last night's comments, I revised my logline to include some of the issues that were addressed.  The fifth submission is the latest version of my logline.  I think it is the best one so far, but hey what do I know? (don't answer that).  Anywho, it would be helpful if I could get your thoughts on the piece. Thanks for your time.  I look forward to your feedback. Final one sentence version . After her father's

Anti-Procrastination Challenge/Giveaway

Hello Everyone and Welcome, Sorry for the delay in posting this thread, but I was busy grilling some shish kabobs for Karen G’s Labor Day barbeque at Coming Down the Mountain . Everyone’s invited so be sure and drop in for some mouth watering eats, and a friendly chat with your fellow bloggers. Hopefully interacting with other writer’s will motivate me to get cracking on my novel. I’ve been quite lax in my authorial duties lately. Yesterday, I headed to inspiration station to catch the Writing train. However, I got lost along the way and wound up at Procrastination place. I must have turned left when I should have gone right, because I wound up in a chat jam, and there was no end in sight. As I lumbered through the writing threads, I realized my plight, I lacked motivation and my mind was wound too tight. So I took another right and stopped for the night to think up a way to turn on my light. Okay, Okay, I’ll refrain from imposing anymore metaphors on you. I’m sure you get it. I’v