Spring into Revisions of Stories & Life

March is almost over. We've experienced our first bad day of epic storms. I may have seen a small tornado trying to form over my neighborhood on Monday, but yesterday the skies were blue. Spring has officially arrived.

Tonks has been eagerly nick-nicking in front of the window as flocks of robins, cardinals, sparrows and other birds have migrated through our neighborhood. She's a huntress by nature, but her indoor status keeps my feathered friends safe.

We had a College Kid sighting last week. She came home for half of Spring Break, regaled us with stories of her adventures (oh lord), big piles of laundry which she waited until the last minute to wash, and just a lot of goofing around the house. When she left on Sunday afternoon, the house felt very still and empty and lonely. We're looking forward to seeing her again.

I'm in the middle of major revising. I have written 9 books, revised 3 of them multiple times, and have learned so much in the interim that it's time to bring my new writing eyes to the stories again. It's been difficult to focus with all the other demands of life and shiny new stories calling for me to write them, but I am determined to have 4 fully polished full manuscripts ready to roll out the door into Query World & set sail for Submissions by the summer. So shiny new stories are brought out to play with and have fun only when I'm finished each revision.

It's about getting ready for change. It's about growing deeper roots. It's about building on what I know. I have a clear goal set and a clear mission. I always planned to hit it this way. And now I'm on the verge of making my dreams become a reality. This will be the year. I know it because I own it.

And along the way, I have met some amazing companions. Some have gone down different paths and we've waved goodbye. Others have remained on parallel paths and we continue to converge at odd times. Then there are the few who stand beside me, walk with me, pull me up when I am down and cheer me on when I am in a good place.

Right now. Today. I am in a good place. I feel good about my writing. I feel good about my primary writing friends (who are so much more than critique partners and writers to me). I feel good about the plans I've made.

Where are you in your writing world? Who are your companions?

Considering the Business of Writing

I'm already chomping at the bit to revise this book, but I am not starting till after I tinker with the third one. Instead, any ideas that float to me, I am writing down in my notebook, or putting on post-its and transferring over to the notebook when I have time.

I must get my third book tighter, fix some trouble spots, and march it out the door in queries to agents and publishers.

I am targeting BLAZE/HQN, and Ellora's Cave, Red Sage, and Avon Red to start. And I need to find some more publisers that will accept unagented submissions and queries. It's so hard. I tried to find out who the editor was for Avon Red, but can't find a portal into that mysterious knowledge. Argh.

It's the business side of writing that drives me crazy. I think I was almost grateful for an excuse not to query as it meant I couldn't be rejected at all last year. I could just write to my heart's content.

Well, head up out of the sand, quick gander around, and back to the dreaded business of trying to get someone with the power to sell my books to actually READ ONE!! Argh. And that means coming up with a witty query, an eye catching letter that stands out from the slush pile, and a good enough synopsis to get someone to say, oh yes, by all means send the first three chapters! Argh again.

I had entered a lot of contests last year in the hopes that if I finaled I would get an editor to read my work. I managed to get one editor in my Touch of Magic contest final, but it was not to be... boo hoo.

This year I am entering contests because they force me to tighten my writing, and to write the dreaded synopsis -- it is like a CURSE for me to compress all my words into 3-5 pages, double spaced. But I will do it.

And I have to wrap my head around all of that in a week.

But for now, I still get to play a bit.