What a Revision Looks Like

As most writers learn, drafting a book is not the same as writing one.  To write a finished story is to enter the world of rewriting, of editing; of revision.

Some people dread the revision process, but I really love it.  For me, a first draft is like prepping all the ingredients for a lovely meal.  It's necessary and it is a start, but it's not something I'd want to sit down and eat.  Where it all comes together for me is in revision.

I recently completed a soup-to-nuts (to push the food metaphor. . . ) revision of a novel I initially wrote in 2005-06 called "MindBlind."  A thriller that started as a series of what ifs (as most of my stories do):  What if there were individuals so empathic that, in essence, they could read the emotional states of others?  What if that 'hyper-empathy' was often so overwhelming to children that the state was classified as a disorder?  What if the adults that "passed" as neurotypical felt they had to live closeted lives or be subject to radical treatment?

From there, came the central premise of MindBlind:

A lifetime of 'passing' as a mindblind has saved Isabel Jepsen from the treatment for hyper empathy that left her older sister Kathryn self-centered and emotionally stunted. When Kathryn becomes an unwilling subject in a government sanctioned medical experiment, Isabel must reveal the truth of her hidden nature to the man she loves and ally herself with the psychiatrist who pioneered the treatment she has been avoiding all her life. Isabel risks far more than her anonymity in the race to save Kathryn. If the man who took her sister discovers Isabel is also an empath, she fears she will become his next test subject.

My first few iterations of MindBlind was as a near future SF story.  When I pulled it from the trunk this year to give to some of my crit buddies, their feedback made it clear that in the intervening years, time had caught up with my Science Fiction and the story sat well in contemporary time.

But that wasn't the heart and soul of what needed to be done in the revision.  I knew there were pacing issues.  I knew the ending wasn't strong enough.  I knew some of the characters didn't shine.  So I committed myself to solving the novel's problems.  And for that, I needed some new tools.

One of the tools I used for this revision was Larry Brooks' "Story Engineering" book.  I started out looking at what I saw as the flaws and did this brainstorming:

My very messy handwriting, first thoughts

Then came more thoughts about how to strengthen my protagonist, Isabel:

There is something about yellow legal pads that says 'editing' to me.

Added to the 5 pages of handwritten notes (I'll spare you more of my chicken scratch),  I also dug into the story's structure with Brooks' template.  I wrote my own version of his basic design of looking at the story in quartiles and used it as a worksheet.

What I discovered in my initial look at the quartiles was that my ending 25% of the story was more like 10-15%.  It was too short.  That's where my intuition about pacing came in.  There were some places earlier where the story dragged out as well.  Ultimately, I put it all together: enhance the characterization, sharpen the stakes, make each scene advance the plot cleanly, make the hero the primary mover/shaker of the conclusion for a net addition of 6K on the story.

That brought the balance essentially in line with Brooks' four part structure.

What did I learn from this?

1--that my structure instincts are essentially sound.  For the most part, what I wrote through my first few drafts wasn't critically far off from the ideal structure.

2--that structure isn't confining; it's freeing.  Once I was able to look at the architectural underpinnings of the story as a separate thing from the story itself, I could make changes easily, without feeling like I was tearing out the heart of the novel.

3--Having a lens to examine revision was extremely helpful to me. It helped keep me from getting caught up in sentence level tweaking, which, although part of the overall process, was a different mindset from structural work.

4--that revision is what can make a good story a better one.

Why Revision Makes me Fall in Love Again

I may be an oddity among writers: I love the revision process. It is not unusual for me to revise a poem dozens of times and still not consider it finished. (Yes, I know there is a danger in getting in an endless revision loop and work hard to avoid that trap.)

This seems to have been the year for revisions. Since January, I have substantially revised 2 of my novels and am considering diving into a 3rd. The project I am currently working on, I initially wrote in 2005/6, revised in 2008, and then put away until a few months ago. It's been fascinating to look at this novel--the writer's version of an archeology dig--and see how my process and my writing has evolved.

The bones of the story are sound; the story needed work. At the time, I didn't have the resources to do the kind of revision required. Now, I believe I do. And I believe I can do justice to the story.

I'm really excited about it. And the tools I needed came in the mail last week. I read through Blake Snyder's "Save the Cat," and am currently working my way through Larry Brooks' "Story Engineering."

(Inevitable digression: I have an addiction to craft books. I figure it's like a chef's need to collect recipes.)

I think if I had read these books as a fledgling writer, I wouldn't have gotten so much out of them. Reading them now, I can apply them to the specifics of my own work and you know what? It's so cool! I have 5 pages of handwritten notes with a plan for sharpening theme, character, stakes, and pacing. At the end of this process, I will have a story that rocks the house.

2009--A Writer's Year in Review

I've taken the opportunity to look back at the year in writing each December.  Previous posts are here:  2008, 2007, 2006

When I look back several years to when my writing journey began, I see several themes emerge.  Writing takes hard work, persistence, and a hopeful attitude.  

Even from my very first draft of my very first novel, I was willing to put in the time to make it the best I could.  And I had a strong belief that I could succeed.  Back then, success meant finishing a novel.  Once that happened, then success meant writing another novel.  Then learning the realities of publishing and finding an agent.

At each stage, I was able to realize 'success', and raise the bar to the next level, all the while, being just naive and just hopeful enough to believe I could reach the goal.

And I have.

2009 was the year that I believed I could be a professional writer.  It was the year of the agent.  (Waves to Nephele!)  It was the year of the submission process (and the year of learning patience).  It was the year of setting and meeting writing challenges and deadlines.

Writing accomplishments for 2009:

Novels:
Completed "The Between"
Began and Completed "Future Tense"
Edited "The House of Many Doors"
Edited "MindBlind"
Edited "Heal Thyself"


Poetry:
Poems written and/or substantially revised: 12


Short Stories
Written and/or substantially revised:  7

My goals for 2009 were:
1. to return to my 1,000 words/day or 5,000 words/week pace  I think I accomplished this with a vengeance, completing a first draft of "Future Tense" in 10 weeks.

2. to allow myself the freedom to work on a crappy first draft  Again, accomplished, though I understand my process well enough to know I will never work at a 'nano' pace and that my first draft process does include back reading and editing.

3. to find a 'just right' in person writing group  I have found a once per month writing group that emerged from a workshop I took last year.  While it is mostly short story writers, it is a good group of folks and I get a lot out of it.


My goals for 2010:
  1.  Be ready with a marketing plan for when my first novel sells.  (While I would love to set publication of my first novel as a goal, I also understand that it is not under my control, so instead, I will set the part I can accomplish.)

  2. Appropriately use social networking tools to build connections with writers and readers, while not getting sucked into a black hole of time wasting on the net.  I already have a website.  I've been consistently  blogging for several years.  This year I added FB and twitter to the list, but can fritter away too many hours. Must be aware of this in 2010.

  3. Return to my 'roots' of writing poetry.  This is something I neglected in '09.  I also would like to teach poetry more workshops in the schools this year.  And I am so looking forward to Dodge '10!

Hard work.
Persistence.
Hopeful attitude.

These are the attributes I continue to take with me on my writing journey.


All the best in '10 to all my writer friends.

I still love books, but the kindle is cool

After lusting after an e-reader since holding an early sony version a few years ago, I just bought a kindle. It was only partly an impulse purchase. Even though I'm a tech-nerd and love gadgets of almost all variety, I couldn't justify spending nearly $400. for a book reading device. But I am finding myself reading more and more content from my computer screen and it's an enormous strain on my eyes.

When I was editing "MindBlind" and "The House of Many Doors" this summer, I ended up lugging around huge binders full of paper copy. Heavy, awkward, and tree-killing. Being able to have the manuscripts in an easily readable electronic form would have been a god-send.

But still, I held out. I have a laptop, a tablet pc, and a palm. Did I really need *another* gadget? After all, I can read ebooks on the palm, albeit with a small screen that has the same transreflective problems as my computers.

But then the kindle 2 came out. And many of my fellow early gadget adopters were selling their kindle 1's to finance their tech habits. I picked up a kindle 1 on ebay this week.

I just read my first book all the way through on the device.

As promised, the look of the text on the screen is just like text on a page. Page turning did take some getting used to. It's not easy to flip through pages, other than one page at a time (though you can flip sections of pages and use the goto function) and the nature of the e-ink is that there is a brief 'flash' on the screen when the page turns. There is also a noticeable time lag between pressing the turn page button and the time the new page is displayed. In reading a paper book, you scan across 2 pages before needing to change the page. Here, you must actively turn pages (not scroll) at the bottom of every page.

These are not deal breakers, but the experience of ebook reading is a little different than reading a physical book.

I still got lost in the story and its characters.* The magic is in the content, not the media.

I'm heading out of town at the end of the week and I can take dozens of books with me in the space of a trade paperback sized package.

That's pretty cool.

Happy reading!

*The book I bought to read on my Kindle was Nalini Singh's "Angels' Blood." I enjoyed it tremendously, even without the new book smell or the feel of pages under my fingers.

Wings Clipped, Ready to Fly

My younger son is a student journalist, and one of the things they are taught is to develop catchy titles for articles that capture the essence of the writing as well as hook the reader. Hence my attempt with 'Wings Clipped, Ready to Fly.'

So what does it mean??

I've finished my intensive edits for "The Wings of Winter" and clipped the original 160k+ manuscript to 120K. It's leaner, meaner, and better paced. I'm quite pleased with the way this story has held up, considering it was the first novel I'd completed. I found some bad habits along the way, and with any luck, will translate what I've learned editing this project into the next story I write.

Working as an artist of any kind is a process. It is my sincere hope that 5 years from now, I will look on my current writing and see that I'm better at it. Likely I'll see flaws and patterns I am unable to see now. 5 years after that? The same thing. I hope to be growing as a writer with every page I draft.

This completes an editing process that began this summer, when I did a full contact/take no prisoners revision of "MindBlind." Following that, I revamped "The House of Many Doors," only to take yet another pass after my agent's read. Now "Wings" is done.

Of my completed novels, there is only "Heal Thyself" awaiting its turn under the red pen and the glare of a desk light. I"m not sure it is ready for that level of scrutiny. It still feels too 'fresh' and I keep balking when I think of cutting the opening chapters to the extent I think the story needs. So I'm not ready yet either.

Besides, I am getting that itch to write something new, instead of wanting to pour over old words. Editing and creating are such totally different tasks, it's nearly impossible for me to do them both simultaneously. I have two projects in various stages of work: a YA urban fantasy/fairy story and a medical thriller. I've never worked on 2 novels at the same time, but it might be interesting to have 2 projects to switch between when the inevitable icky middle happens.

I'm not sure if that will slow my pace (a book a year) down, or speed it up.

Mountain adventures and adventures in editing

We are in Mt. Tremblant, in Quebec province. In the winter, this is a ski resort. During the summer, they mark the ski trails for hiking. It's a beautiful landscape.

Hubby is off driving his car like a maniac on the track here. My boys are old enough to wander the village here without my supervision. I took advantage of the day and took a long hike up to the summit of the mountain. 4 hours later, my shoes were under a thick layer of mud. Mud was splattered up past the calf of my bluejeans and my legs felt like rubber bands. But I made it to the top.

The trail is lined with blueberry and raspberry bushes. With all the rain they've had this year (did I mention that the trail was muddy?), the berries were plentiful and sweet. They gave me an excuse to stop and catch my breath (and eat a handful of berries) as I clambered up the trail. I took some lovely photos as well. Unfortunately, I forgot the cable to hook the camera up to the computer. (D'oh), so the photos will have to wait until we get home.

What else am I doing on vacation? Besides eating fresh croissants and the occasional 4 hour hike, I am working on edits to MindBlind. I'm about 2/3 of the way through the manuscript. My word count keeps hovering around 75K, sometimes under, sometimes over as I strip out scenes and add new ones. This is a very satisfying process and the story already feels cleaner and tighter. I hope that I can translate what I've learned through the critiques I received and the recent books I've read on the editing process and be able to look critically at all my work. If so, I have a lot of editing to face this fall.

I'm looking forward to it.

Yes, I have a new WIP (actually 2 if you include the new $#@!! plot bunny hubby infected me with.). It's a good 'un too. We spent a bit of our drive up to Canada brainstorming. I'll be working on one or the other of them as my newest project along with the editing. I don't think I can actually start a new school year and not have a new writing project. It just doesn't feel right.

My other plan for the start of the year (and I will always consider September the beginning of my personal year) is to refocus my query for MindBlind to match the edited manuscript and sent it out into the world of agents. I do think the story has 'legs', especially with the reworking.

With any luck, I'll get some nibbles on the story.

Keeping fingers crossed.

Yes folks, we have an ending!

I must really enjoy challenging myself. It seems that with every novel I write, I set up a new bar to hurtle over. In moving from "The Wings of Winter" to "MindBlind", I shifted genres. Jumping from epic fantasy to futuristic thriller can make your head spin. But it was a challenge and I needed to prove to myself that I could write more than one story over and over.

Then came "The House of Many Doors" which was not only a different genre (YA Urban fantasy this time) but a shift in POV from close 3rd person to 1st person. Not only that, but the POV voice was that of a 15 year old boy. It was a crash course in learning the limitations of 1st person. Everything in the story, and I mean *everything* has to be filtered through your MC's perceptions. There is an intensity both in the reading and in the writing. There's no getting away from the character, so you'd better like writing him or her!

Novel number 4, "Heal Thyself", took me back to a fantasy realm, but instead of adopting the quasi medieval structure of a feudal society, I opted to write of two cultures in conflict and transition, representing (loosely) East and West and to return to 3rd person POV, telling this story through one character from each society. Since that clearly wasn't enough to tie me in knots, I also decided to invent a religion AND write this one starting from my main characters rather than a plot. (Did I mention that everything else I've written started from an outline?)

So no plot, other than the broadest outlines of where these characters started out and what antecedent event would start the story on its course. I wrote for most of 8 months, getting 90+K done and taking my characters to the brink of the novel's climax. Then I hit the wall because I couldn't figure out the ending.

Oops.

Early this week, I sat down and started outlining the events that have to happen in order for this story to end properly. I re-read the manuscript and took notes on open threads, planned what needed to occur for them to reach resolution. Wonder of wonders, I have an ending.

Not only that, but I believe it is the right ending for this story.

I can't wait to see what's next.

Measuring Progress

It's the end of November, and in much of the writing world, that means the final day of 'NaNoWriMo', National Novel Writing Month. For the uninitiated, it's the challenge, joined by amateur and professional writers alike, to write the first draft of a novel (at least 50,000 words) during the month of November.

I first heard about Nanowrimo when I joined Forward Motion for Writers a few years ago. Though that kind of intense pace is not for me, I have always cheered on my fellow FM'ers who participate in the insanity of Nanowrimo.

This year, I did a kind of 'reverse' Nano. After writing nearly every day over the course of the past 3+ years, I made a conscious decision to let my current novel, "Heal Thyself" sit on the back burner. I didn't write a single word on the manuscript.

And it felt right. I wasn't frustrated. I didn't beat myself up about it.

I worked on several new poems, spent several weeks editing "MindBlind" and readying queries for it, and worked on an online class for the folks at Forward Motion on pain and wound healing for writers.

In the middle of November, my writer's group had an online chat and they offered me their time and their insights on where I was stuck with "Heal Thyself." They asked insightful questions and helped me find a new direction for the story and its ending. (Thank you, guys!)

Two days ago, I sat down to write again after looking through the whole manuscript with fresh eyes. The words have flowed steadily, the scenes building one by one into a cohesive whole.

Someone asked me if I experienced writer's block. I don't believe even the nearly month long stalemate on this novel was a case of writer's block. I think my subconscious knew that my plot plan was untenable and rather than spend my time beating my head against that particular wall, I took a different approach. I neither tried to power my way through the problem, nor did I run away from it. Instead, I kept the story in my mind as an open question. Every so often, I would find myself wondering what Lilliane or Zev were doing, before turning to another piece of writing.

I know that other writers have experienced this and I also know what works for me may not be what works for someone else, but I offer this in the spirit of a hope and a prayer: may the muse grace you with her presence and may the writing bring you joy.

And for any of you who have successfully completed Nano, my congratulations and applause.

Fractured Fairy Tale

So, the groundhog saw its shadow on my ankle xray and that means 3 more weeks of crutches.

Sigh.

If I ever needed a reminder that I'm not in my 20s anymore, this was it. 6 weeks of partial weight bearing on crutches and that pesky 5th metatarsal fracture isn't fully healed.

Yes, I'm taking calcium, drinking milk, eating leafy greens.

Yes, I should know exactly how best to protect the foot during the healing process. If I were my own patient, I would tell me to take it easy. But I'm a card-carrying member of the 'do as I say not as I do' school of life. I'm sure that I've been up on my feet far more than is advisable.

I'm doing my best to limit the weight bearing.

Honest.

I think health care folks make the worst patients.

On the positive side, since I'm doing a lot of sitting right now, I spent the weekend editing "MindBlind." I haven't done more than glance at this manuscript in nearly a year. It was quite remarkable to return to it with fresh eyes and see it as a strong story. 13 chapters edited, a few plot holes filled in. All in all, I'm happy with it and am considering querying for this novel over the winter, once I've completed the editing.

I also have done some brainstorming for the new project, working title "Under the Full Wolf Moon." An urban fantasy without any vampires or were-creatures. :)

"Heal Thyself" at 30K and a snippet

The relationship between my two main characters is becoming clearer and clearer as I move into the middle section of their story. It's been an interesting experience confining myself to their 2 points of view. I think had I directly moved to this story from either "Wings" or "MindBlind," I would have felt constrained by only writing through 2 characters' eyes. But I came to this story after the first person narrative of "The House of Many Doors," so adding a second POV feels like a luxury.

I also think that moving from 1st person back to 3rd person has enabled me to write a closer 3rd person that I had been able to before.

“Healer Tor.”

She stiffened. He was at her elbow bringing with him the scent of smoke and blood.

“What happened to you?”

“Not now,” he said, forcing a smile to his face and his walking pace matching her own. He was making an enormous effort not to limp and he held his right arm awkwardly at his side.

She took what she needed with her healing sight, though it only confirmed what she already knew. The arm was re-injured. Not broken again, thank the gods. And seeping blood from slash wounds. The headache had been his. Garden variety aches and pains she ignored, but the hip had a deep bone bruise.

“Does the concept of rest mean nothing to you?”

“Only the dead rest.”

“If you keep abusing yourself this way, you’ll discover that for yourself.”

Hal Jahnissim walked close by, but without touching her. To a casual observer, they were two friends walking and talking. The inn seemed a lot further away than it had been before and his stamina was failing. If he faltered, she would just have to take his arm and pretend he was a drunk lover, his prohibition about contact with women be damned. He made it. Just barely and Lilliane could measure just how much the walk had cost him.

She led him to her room past the leering innkeeper. Apparently it wasn’t as odd as Hal Jahnissim thought for a Tisreen and Rimlander to be seen together. Lilliane only hoped that there were no Rimland soldiers looking for the two of them. For the right price, she was sure this innkeeper would remember them.

“I need to be able to ride.” Hal Jahnissim stood swaying in the middle of her small room.

“Ride? You can hardly stand.” Lilliane pointed to the bed. “Lie down.”

It was likely a measure of his condition that he didn’t argue with her as she unwrapped the fabric wound around his right forearm. She glared at him. “You were in a knife fight.” He didn’t answer. “Don’t move,” she said. He closed his eyes. When she returned with a basin of water and a cloth, he seemed to be asleep. But he would wake instantly once she started cleaning his wounds.

Lilliane shuffled through the pouches at her waist looking for the blood-flower. She crumbled a pinch of the dried leaf and sprinkled it onto the water. It would sting them both, but knives could carry disease into the body. She didn’t think the wounds had bled enough to cleanse the arm. “Shallow wounds bite deep,” she muttered, shaking her head.

Without giving him any warning, she dribbled the treated water over his cuts. They foamed and bubbled while he hissed through clenched teeth. Her right arm burned, but she’d known what to expect. It wouldn’t last long and there would be no risk of infection afterwards. She continued to focus on the arm, looking deeply within it to assess her handiwork from the day before.

“You’re lucky I do such good work,” she said.

“And so modest and demure too.”

She couldn’t help herself. She laughed and her anger dissolved like the powdery herbs in the water. The break was healing as well as she could expect. At least his latest activity didn’t displace the bone any. She bandaged the forearm with strips of clean cloth coated with medicated salve.

“Take down your trousers.”

“No.”

She closed her eyes briefly, praying for patience. Reaching into another pouch, she pulled out a small pair of bandage scissors. “I need to see the damage. One way or another.”

He turned partially onto his right side and rolled the top of his trousers down. The hip was purpling, the bruise spreading out from the bone through the broken blood vessels in the muscle. “What happened to you?”

“I was kicked by a mule.”

“The hell you were.” Slipping her sight between the layers of tissue, she sealed broken vessels and washed away pooling blood. The rest would mend with time and Lilliane was tired. “Fine. And the slashes on your arm. Falcon? Lion? Or was your mule carrying a knife?”

He didn’t answer. Lilliane turned away and shoved her supplies back in her kit.

The bed groaned and she heard the rustle of fabric behind her. “Thank you.”

“It’s not like you give me much choice, Tisreen.”

“No. The Divine rarely grants us that luxury.” His voice was gentle. It was as much of an apology as she was likely to get.

Fiction and Point of View

When I started to write novel length fiction, I was as ignorant of the lexicon and rules of writing as my dog is of particle physics. Well, I can't speak for my dog. She is pretty smart and seems able to open secret doors to an alternate universe full of tennis balls. . .

But I digress. . .

I didn't even know what POV stood for, much less what to do with the darned thing. My critiquers kept indicating "POV violation" in the margins and it took me a little time before I had the courage to ask what the heck that was.

Now I see issues of POV inconsistency everywhere. In TV shows, in movies, in books. (My inlaws rented Kevin Spacey's "The Usual Suspects" and I got a whole room furious with me when I figured out the plot twist mid-movie and showed them where the POV violation was that gave it away.)

I guard against POV violation in my own writing as well as play with POV for effect. I've now written in 'wide' 3rd person (with many POV characters--closer to omnicient, but still definitely through the character's perceptions), 'close' 3rd person (limited numbers of POV, tightly focused on the character's perceptions) and single narrator 1st person POV. Each has advantages and disadvantages. These are some of my experiences and opinions regarding the different points of view.

The 'wide' 3rd allows for a story with a sweeping scope and side plots. It allows the author to show facets of a character through the eyes of another character. Subplots don't rely on a particular character having to be 'front and center' all the time. On the down side, it does tend to splinter a story and can break continuity and tension, especially when the story leaves one set of characters to follow another. The writer has to avoid the kinds of 'meanwhile, back at the ranch' transitions that feel manufactured and awkward. "Wings of Winter" is written in wide 3rd and it seems just right for the epic feel of that novel.

Narrow 3rd allows the author to get much closer to the character. Almost as intimate as in 1st person, but without the limitation of the story seeming tunnel-visioned. A tight character focus with a limited number of POV characters can keep tension high and the story unified. "MindBlind" is written in narrow 3rd and it keeps the thriller aspect of the book fresh while allowing for a complex plot with a group of characters evolving through the story. There is still the issue of needing to transition between segments of the story.

Single 1st person can keep the story focused and highly unified. There are no adjunct characters running off with the plot and the main character stays in the heat of the action all the time. This can present difficulties in fully fleshing out the other characters as well as showing necessary subplots. "The House of Many Doors" is a 1st person project and I had to work hard to show the second protagonist's personality through the POV character's eyes. On the plus side, it kept the story tension quite high and the plot unfolds for the reader as story events unfold for the POV character.

My current work in progress ("WIP"), "Heal Thyself" has ground to a halt at a little over 10K. I have plenty of outline left to write to (I only outline a few chapters ahead) but I don't know if expanding the number of POV characters is right for this story. Right now I'm writing in narrow 3rd with 2 POV characters. I think I need to expand, but I don't have a solid sense of this (important) secondary character. I'm trying to get to know Kayla Baen. Perhaps a game of 20 questions will be helpful. Or highlighting several anecdotes from her past--details that will never be written into the novel, but give me a taste of who she is.

My sense is that this project will remain in 3rd, but with several secondary POV characters in addition to the 2 main POV characters. This is a story with sweep and scope, more epic than thriller. Yet, I don't want to widen the field of view too much. I don't think the story will work well in that case.

Happy writing and remember to show your poetic license if you get pulled over for a POV violation.

One Step Closer

After three years, writing three novels, a crash course (through the school of hard knocks) in how to query, and several 'near misses,' I have a requested full manuscript of "The House of Many Doors" in the hands of a potential agent.

My boys are already envisioning the book prominently displayed in our neighborhood bookstore. My youngest (nearly 11) wanted to know if I would raise his allowance once I'm a rich and famous author. My oldest (13) is certain the agent will love the full manuscript. His exact quote: "Well, she loved the first three chapters, Mom. And it just gets better." My husband (my main sounding board and biggest fan) tells me he's ready to be a kept man. I just smile and shake my head, knowing that I am already the luckiest woman in the world to have the support and faith of my amazing family behind me.

I've told my husband not to quit his day job and my sons to keep dreaming.

In the meanwhile, I balance my life between work and family, reading, writing, and honing my craft. My husband and I talked through an idea for another thriller that could place one of my minor characters from "MindBlind" in center stage for his own novel. Another one for the plot bunny file.

And huzzah! The cold from hell is slowly losing its grip.

The House of Many Doors is complete

Last night I finished the final chapters of The House of Many Doors. That makes three novels in under three years. I'm still astounded by that. I know there are power writers out there who routinely write multiple projects per year, but I am not a fast writer. Just a stubborn one. (Ok, maybe persistent is the better word.)

If you have been a regular reader of my blog, you have slogged through my ups and downs with "The Wings of Winter," "MindBlind," and now "The House of Many Doors." There seems to be a time in each story when I hit a wall, when the narrative stutters to a stop, when I wonder why I started writing the &^@!# story in the first place. Then I find my stride again and the story takes me on its ride to the end.

When I finished "Wings", I sat and cried at my keyboard. Writing 'The End' on that first novel was such an emotional experience. Little did I know the work of editing and revising that lay ahead of me. I learned a lot writing that first novel. I still believe in the story, but I understand why I wasn't able to find a home for it in the world. Perhaps now that I've finished "HoMD", I can return to "Wings" and see it with more experienced eyes. With a little revision, I think it has great potential as a YA fantasy.

Two and a half years after I started writing my first novel, I am still optimistic. Optimistic and realistic. Yes, the publishing business is a crazy one. The odds are stacked against the novice author. The likelihood of being able to quit my day job and make my living by writing is quite slim. I'd be better off buying lottery tickets to strike it rich.

Yes, all that is true, but I have stories to tell.

"House of Many Doors" at 26K

My critique circle at Forward Motion has instituted a challenge (translation--kick in the ass) for its members. Make a monthly writing goal, then note your progress towards it. It's non-competitive and is a good way for me to get back into the discipline of regular writing.

My goal for January is to write a minimum of 1K per day or work 1 hour a day on a current writing project, at least 5 of 7 days in the week.

It's specific and realistic given the balancing act between work, family, and writing that I must perform on a daily basis.

I'm happy to say I'm on track.

Week one of January:
---2 hours of editing on "MindBlind",
---2 hours of outlining/brainstorming for "House of Many Doors" (HoMD),
---2K written for "HoMD"

With a projected length for "HoMD" of approx 60K, I'm nearly halfway there.

Back on the Query Trail. . .

for MindBlind. For about the twelfth time, I've reworked the query and I think I finally have the hook and the mini-synopsis down. Honestly, writing the $#@!! query letter is harder than writing the book. I think I'd rather have root canal. (And I've *had* root canals--three of them. Bad dentistry as a kid--don't ask.)

I'm hopeful that this time's the charm. It's a strong story with strong characters. There were times last year when I wanted to scrap the whole thing, many times where I had to backtrack, tear the plot apart, and rebuild it. Now I have a novel I am very proud of.

One that will find its place on the bookshelves. One of these days.

Life gets in the way. . .

Fall is generally a busy time of the year in any household with school aged children. Mine is no exception.

I've fallen behind in blogging as well as in my participation in Poetry thursday and I apologize for that.

Once we get through the remainder of September and all of October, I will be back to my usual schedule. Right now, I'm juggling my physical therapy practice, writing, homework help, play rehearsal for the oldest, and Bar Mitzvah preparations.

In the meanwhile, some good feedback from beta readers for "Mindblind" and I'm actively researching agents. And 6K written for the new project: "The House of Many Doors."

I'll be away the latter part of next week attending the Dodge Poetry Festival. If I have the opportunity, I'll blog from the road. I attended this 2 years ago and it was an amazing experience.

"MindBlind" completed!

First pass edit done, opening chapter reworked after being 'snarkified'.

It's a satisfying feeling. I'm not as giddy as when I'd completed "Wings," but a first book is like a first love.

"MindBlind" is a grittier and more tightly plotted story. I really enjoyed mapping this one out.

Next step--feedback from alpha readers. My crit group has been wonderful with chapter by chapter feedback, but the nature of that process doesn't allow for critique of the flow and pacing of the whole story.

I have 2 or 3 readers whom I trust to be utterly honest. I look forward to their comments and will incorporate their thoughts into the second pass edit.

Then it will be time to start the agent quest.

MindBlind--the final push

I'm midway through the all-hell-breaks-lose chapter at the end of "MindBlind." 72,000 words and counting. I anticipate the complete story will come in about 80K, give or take.

I'm really pleased with how it's coming along.

My crit group at Forward Motion has been of invaluable help in the early drafts of the begining chapters and enabled me to hit my stride in the story.

With a little luck and some focused writing, "MindBlind" should be finished by the end of the month.

Not too shabby--two novels in two years while juggling a career and a family.

Two more agent rejections for "The Wings of Winter" came while we were on vacation last week. The usual form letter--'not right for us'. My instincts tell me that "MindBlind" is far more commercial. And the more I read and research, the more I understand that publishing is a business. Agents don't focus on whether or not your novel has been a labor of love and is the most beautifully writing thing since sliced bread. They want well written AND marketable.

I know enough about my own work and style to have the writing well part down. Will it sell is the question.

I think "MindBlind" can sell.

Yup. That dog can most definitely hunt.

A year of querying

It has been just over a year since I completed "The Wings of Winter" and set out to begin the agent query quest.

I must admit to a large degree of naivete, but I did think I would obtain agency representation without too much difficulty.

Perhaps when the odds are so long, one must hold onto belief and hope.

I year, 48 queries, 30 rejections. That leaves 18 outstanding, some from a year ago, a bunch from last winter.

Likely some of the outliers are rejections--several agents only respond to e-queries *if* they are interested. I decided that I would forgo the convenience of e-queries for the closure of a slim envelope with a 'sorry, not right for us' on it.

Do I experience a pang of disappointment when I get a rejection letter? Of course--I can't imagine who wouldn't. But I am not ready to slit my wrists over my keyboard or stop writing.

Nor will I chuck "Wings" under the (metaphorical) bed. Writing a good query has been a process. I am still learning.

I am still learning the craft of writing.

My first draft of "MindBlind" is significantly better than the first draft of "Wings."

I've been able to take everything I've learned writing "Wings" and translate it to the new project. Dialogue is sharper, I (think!) I've overcome my tendency to use the dreaded comma splice, and I've learned to outline more fully.

I've edited "Wings", paring down what was not needed, sharpening the prose, and focusing on the main characters and conflicts. It's now down to 125K from a first draft of well over 150K. And I'm starting to see that it is a YA story, as its main story arc is one of coming of age/growing into power. 6 more queries will hit the mailbox tomorrow.

I'm on target to finish "MindBlind" by the end of August. Sometime in the fall, if I haven't gotten any positive response for "Wings", I will lay it aside for a while and query for "MindBlind."

I'm getting that familiar tickle in the back of my head when a story is trying to emerge. Next project--"The House of Many Doors," a YA horror novel.

I do have faith that one of these stories will strike a chord with an agent, a publisher, and become one of the lucky ones to make it to print.

In the meanwhile, I continue to write.

MindBlind at 62K

The writing is moving slowly, but moving. I like where the story is going and how the characters have really come into their own.

This is a far more psychologically complex story than 'Wings' and is harder to write. I'm reaching a 'candy bar' scene that I've been waiting to write for months now. I've been researching about the 'stockholm syndrome' in which captives begin to bond with their captors. Things are heating up for poor Kathryn.

Two nights ago, I had an epiphany in the shower (one of my favorite thinking places) and I now know exactly how the story will end.

Just need to get there.

For all of you out there working on your own novels, happy writing.

~~~~~

5 more queries for 'Wings' hit the mail today.