Waiting to Hear...

Scary, scary, scary. Why did we have to submit around a holiday? Everybody's on vacation. Probably for the next three months. Gads. Okay, well probably at least through this week. Don't they know I'm waiting? Don't they know I'm a nervous wreck? Okay, okay, so everybody in the slush pile is going through the same thing. I'm lucky I have an awesome agent to get my manuscript through the door. Still. They should all step away from their sandcastles, replace their flip-flops with business shoes and READ!!! Right? Right? Gads.

Outta here - again!

If you're following, I hope you're getting a good peek into what a difficult process writing a novel can be. And because it's so tough, you have to celebrate the little milestones when you reach them. Like today.
     A full revision is done. I hit 'send' on that email getting it back to my agent. My legs feel wobbly and a little numb. I made a ton of changes (unbelievably!) and the story actually ended up shorter (and tighter). I've polished it to the best of my current abilities. (Knowing I still have tons of room to grow.) But for now, I've done it.
     I've jumped a hurdle. I've reached an end. And when I calm down, I'm going to go swimming, take it easy, and revel in my temporary victory. Wahooooo!

Deep breath - it's critique time

I'm on retreat with my critique group this weekend. We have a lot of work to dig through - they're all prolific, incredibly talented writers, all with manuscripts to discuss. Of course, this means my novel will be talked about too.
     There's a joke about critique groups - that you leave 'bloodied.' Nobody is mean, but when you have brilliant minds offering sound advice on 370 pages of your writing, you're going to leave with work to do. It's a little scary.
     Will they like it? Will they think it stinks? Will they slash it apart and tell me it's not working? Will they cheer loudly and say 'it's ready to go forth and win many awards'! Unlikely.
     The first day after your critique can be tough. You've got to give yourself a day to calm down, chill out, and breathe. But if it's a good critique group, by day two, you realize your partners have given you some great advice, maybe inspired some new directions and ideas, and you can't wait to dive back into your manuscript with their insights in mind.
     But I'm not to that point yet. Tonight it's good food, companionship and lots of laughter. We go through our manuscripts tomorrow. And yeah, I'm a little nervous.

Interview on Illustration Island

Thomas James started Escape from Illustration Island a few years ago, and it has become a premier resource for illustrators just starting out (and some of us who have been in it a while). I was honored to be a guest recently for an Illustration Island podcast: Episode #68. And boy was it thorough! I got a little philosophical in some of my answers, and even talked about THIS BLOG publicly for the first time.
     I hope I shared some information that will be of value to budding illustrators. If you listen, let me know what you think!

How to be Alone - this is when inspiration happens

Some of my best ideas have come from when I was alone. Especially when I was hiking in the winter with my dog through the mountains of Tennessee. Leaves were gone and views were long. No snakes, no bugs, no strangers to pass, just me and my thoughts and the quiet of the forest. In the city, walking a nearby track replaced that time. Surrounded by trees it is the territory of birds, which sometimes ignored me completely swooping inches ahead on my path. These are the moments my brain went to faraway places and returned with stories.