Adele...

I know we all feel this sometimes. Maybe lots of times. It's hard to chase a dream. It's hard to be rejected. Or to realize the rejection of your work isn't a rejection of you. It's hard to know if you're on the right path. It's hard to feel like the reason you are here on this earth may not be the reason you think it is. And sometimes, well, sometimes the not knowing can really mess with you. I know I'm not alone in this... I hope you know you aren't either.

Back to my agent

My novel went back to my agent on Friday. Again. I'm hoping it's ready to go to potential publishers at this point, although I'm sure there are more revisions in my story's future. How can I be okay with that?
     If you've been following my new blog, you've already seen how much back and forth work there is with a novel, and how much time. But truly, with every set of new eyes, and every round of revisions, the story gets a little bit better - and I become a little bit better of a writer.
     Knowing that, I can't wait to see what my story will turn into by the time a publishing house editor has had at it. And it's not because I'm not confident about my story. I truly believe it's a darned good story. I just recognize that it's difficult to approach a story objectively, especially when you've been at it for two years. Even my critique group and agent have seen it several times.
     That said, I've learned I can't just take anybody's advice on needed changes - it has to be somebody I respect. Well intentioned people are not always qualified people, and it's vital that advice come from those with knowledge of the market and writing in general. I've been very lucky to have all of that up until now. And I hope to have that again in a future editor.
     I look at a book like the creation of a Pixar movie - think Nemo. That story line was so perfect, so tight, without any dead moments or missed opportunities, and most of their movies are like that. I believe it takes a room full of brilliant minds to create something that polished. A really good team.
     And I look forward to learning who else will be on my team. It might be time for a mascot and pom-poms.

One more batch of edits

I got a great letter back from my agent. She has a few more changes for my novel, all which make complete sense. Part of her advice is to scale the age down even further. I was walking a 'tween' line which makes it hard to market, and therefore sell. Solidly MG or YA is the way to go. I'm going MG so need to make that more clear.
     I know it seems like I've been working on this novel forever, but if you've been following that's exactly what you should know about writing. This is HARD work. Really hard work. Like nothing I've ever done before in my life. And it takes SO much time.
     I sometimes wonder if I could go back and visit the me just starting in this business if I could talk me out of it. But then I think 'nah.' There's no way I could get across just how hard this is, and now I'm in way too deep to stop.
     Of course, I don't mind editing. In fact, I like it better than writing. Because getting that first draft down is rough. And it's proving it to me once again as I start book #2. So it's almost a relief to get to bury myself back in edits on book #1 once more. And hang out with my characters again. I really do adore them.
     But yeah, the book is not ready to go out to publishers yet, although I'm danged close. No point in sending it out until its perfect though. I get one shot. Over two years of work so far on this novel (with eight years before it learning how to write) for one shot. It better be right.
     No pressure.

Outta here... again

Yup - the novel is back to my agent. *whew* Let's hope this is the last round and it's ready to go to publishers now.
     Next up? The second novel in the series of course. Already a few thousand words in and it seems to be rolling along just fine. Joy!

JR's TED Prize wish: Use art to turn the world inside out

Me, stalling? nahhhhh.

All the edits are in - fantastic comments and input. I'm to page 20 in my revision.
     Arrgghhhhhhh!!!!
     It sucks. The whole thing sucks! And I just keep adding more words rather than taking them out! And I'm sure they're terrible words because nobody has vetted them yet. Surely they're out of place. Surely they're throwing off the rhythm and sending the reader on tangents I never intended? I am frozen with indecision and insecurity.
     ...
     Don't worry about me. I'm sure by tomorrow I'll be back in love with my novel and think it's the best thing since swiss cheese. (Of course, by the day after that who knows how I'll feel?)
     THIS... is the life of a writer.

A critique retreat

So a few weeks ago I went on retreat with my Cheese Whizzes (the official name of my critique group) to the North Georgia mountains. Through a long weekend of laughing, playing, deep discussions and too much good food, we also shared our work.
     I must say, I love my critique group. These are some of the most talented ladies on the planet and my respect for every single one of them is huge. They are also incredibly intelligent and inspiring. Such open minds, yet with sincere convictions, are hard to find in today's world and I like to think there's a reason we found each other. They are, from the top left - Vicky Alvear Shecter, Moi, Robyn Hood Black, seated from left, Gail Karwoski, Kim Siegelson, and Mary Ann Rodman.


     Not only did I have the great pleasure of reading the progress of their amazing works, but I also received fabulous feedback on my novel. And I'm thrilled to report it was mostly positive! "Smooth as a smoothie," and "It's just soooo good!" Let me tell you - getting comments like that from these ladies was a very big deal for me.
     They did have a few suggestions. I'm moving a flashback scene to the opening scene and making my main character, Archie, a bit more lovable. Not hard things to do. I'm thick in the middle of the edits now and hope to have this version (I'm hoping the last version) back to my agent at the end of the month. Woosie!

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!

Mid-grade edits done!

I have once again reached a finish line in this race that never ends. I finished my edits, turning my novel from Young Adult to Mid-Grade. It's a different target audience, but one I relate to well.
     There are parts of the novel I love, parts I truly believe I nailed. And of course there are others where I'm not sure I can write at all. Although there's a chance I'm judging both on the moods I was in that day - Brilliant! vs. the Evil Editor who whispers 'you have no idea what you're doing.' Hm. Bottom line is, I'm not sure I can look at my work objectively at all anymore. I really don't think I can.
     All I do know is I love the story, I love the characters. They crack me up and I've loved living in their world. I hope readers will too. I hope they'll get the chance.
     Now the manuscript goes back to my critique group during our winter retreat in a few weeks. If it comes back all marked up, it will be back to edits once more - Round 9. But for now, I shall celebrate the end of Round 8... with chocolate croissants hubbie brought home from the farmer's market. Now that's what I call inspirational!

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.

This is what inspiration looks like

Pure passion - taken completely by his talent...


Greyson was 13 when this was filmed and he now has an official website (and following) at http://www.greyson-official.com/.
     I so would have been crushing on this kid when I was that age! (Is this Archie?)

The Mid-grade Revelation

So my friend Vicky and I did a book swap today. We realized that between us, we owned several titles we each wanted to read, so first we stopped by her house (I borrowed three), and then we stopped by mine. And that's when the revelation occurred. I pointed to my orange shelves and said, "Most of my Young-adult novels (age range 13 and up) are over there." After browsing for a bit Vicky said, "Most of these are Mid-grade" (age range 10-13).
     What?
     Then I started really looking. They may not all have been classified as Mid-grade by various book sellers, but when you thought about the themes, the topics, the overall adultness of the titles, they were mostly on the young side. Maybe not officially Mid-grades, but definitely young "YA's" at best. Talk about a shocker!
     I know I'm not into chick-lit, or romances, or so many of the themes that define YA. But I do love magical realism and paranormals and those can oftentimes range up in age. Or not.
     So upon really studying my own collection, I have realized that I'm more of a Mid-grade reader than I ever thought. Maybe that's why my novel was going that way. Unbeknownst to me, I was there all along!

Getting Back on Track

Some friends are talking about Michael Hedges on facebook. Nothing like reminding me of my hero to get my inspiration flowing again.
     The book tour ended yesterday (for THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS IN GEORGIA), and teaching ends Wednesday (illustration at UGA). So Thursday I'm back on board with fresh edits from my agent (I did get a new version to her per my previous post - #7) and a slightly new direction... Mid-Grade.
     Yup. Seems I'm not dark enough for Young Adult fiction. Who knew? Ummm, apparently everybody except me. Ha!
     My agent suggested the switch and although I really wanted to argue with her, the more she talked about it, the more it sounded absolutely right. Like a good hat. And when we talk Mid-Grade, we're talking Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, etc. I could be in worse company!
     So off I go again on another version of my work-in-progress novel. And craziness, I'm actually really excited about it.
     Wish me luck!

Life Throws You a Curve

Yeah. Suddenly I'm teaching at the University of Georgia? Filling in for a professor on medical leave and commuting 1 1/2 hours three days a week. Thing is, when opportunities come knocking, they don't tend to check your schedule first.
     And so the progress on novel edits came to a car crunching, gut wrenching halt. I told myself 'yeah, well, my agent and I knew the proposed deadline was probably not doable when we set it.' But then the other night my hubbie says, 'you're twelve days late on your deadline.' (We were discussing something that would potentially have even more of an impact on my schedule, so it was pertinent.)
     Thing is, I'm a punctual person. I always show up on time (then wait for others to arrive) and I never miss a deadline. Until now. I don't care how ridiculous the deadline was, I'm now late and that bugs me. Big time.
     Looking at it that way makes me change how I do things. I'm kickin' it up a notch. I'm attacking the edits. I WILL have this done asap.
     Of course, it must be good. So for every three pages forward, I go five back to double check things, tweak language, make sure all threads remain consistent.
     Who knew this would be so hard? Who knew I'd have to kick my butt so much to get it done? Um, writers. Writers know this. And to remain a writer, I must WORK.