I got the first assignment returned from Lauren (laurenbarnholdt). I am excited by her suggestions and looking forward to revising. Yes, I really am! Revising is the most fun part for me!

It really is good to get other opinions and critiques–they always think of things that can really help the novel along. I’ve learned to have an open mind.

That little insecure me wants to poke her little head up and fight it, though. I hear the little voice saying: “you’re really not that good. look at all the work you have to do.”

So I say to the mean little me:

BE QUIET. I’m going to make this book shine and I’m going to get published so poop on you!

And all is well again.

First drafts are never perfect.
I now have a lot to go on.
I KNOW I’m a good writer.
I just have to stop thinking that I need to have everything perfect on the first go round.

And… I am not going for a 100,000 word novel with this one. 65,000 or so probably. I think that will take the pressure off and get them cranked out more quickly. I don’t want to compromise the quality of the writing, though.

Ooh, I’m so excited. I want to go home and work on stuff NOW!!!

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

Trying to write a synopsis is hard enough. Trying to cut it from 19 to 10 pages is even harder. Now I have to cut it to 4 pages. Oy.

I just redid my query AGAIN. I think this time might be it. Maybe I can sell a book with this one, huh?

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

What Am I Thinking?

What possessed me to decide to tweak my first chapter??

WHY WHY WHY?

I’m turning text red again. Not good.

My brain hurts.

But this is essential. I feel it in my bones.

(Originally published at Anywhere Is…)

A long time ago, I’d come up with a pitch sentence for the current novel I’m kindasorta shopping around. I posted it on a board for a workshop but somehow never saved it to my hard drive. Of course, the board lost the pitch sentence and I’d been fumbling around trying to recall it for months.

Well, I was browsing around on Sarah Dessen’s website and came across her page on one of her books: This Lullaby. She talks about how others seem to come up with pitches a lot easier than the actual author–and I remembered the feelings I got when I finally came up with the sentence for my novel. Everything came flooding back and BAM. I had my pitch sentence again. I hurried and wrote it down and emailed it to myself before I forgot.

This is instrumental. If someday I make it to a writer’s conference (and my book hasn’t sold yet), I’ll have my pitch. Excellent.