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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. 

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