Well, Hello There

It’s been a long and productive 5 months! Hello again. I’ve been in my novel writing cave, head down, ignoring the web almost completely. I think I could have tried to keep up on blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and everything, but then I wouldn’t have complete 162,000 words in 5 months! Two novels worth!

So here’s what I’ve been up to.

If you remember, my agent Stephanie was looking forward to a rewrite of the first novel manuscript I had first written a number of years ago, so that’s what I was working on. I kept the plot but changed the style and voice of it significantly ~ much more lush and ornate and interior and more true to the time (1885). Because it was so lush, the 100K turned into 162K, even though I cut out a significant subplot and condensed the time frame. I thought the pace was good, so we’re splitting it into two books. Can you imagine? I wrote two novels in five months! I can’t believe it myself. Now we’ll have to see if they’re any good. I’m almost completely done with both. The first is done done, and I just need to finish the final reading on the second and do the final edits.  Then we'll see what Stephanie thinks and on to the next step in the process.  Yay!

It’s such a different experience to read through a novel from writing it. There’s a lot of time and thinking that goes on between scenes when writing, but it goes so fast when reading it. Something that felt like there was a long time in between during the writing feels side by side in the reading. Also, there’s a magical third element in the reading. I don’t know how to explain it exactly. Certainly you have a third magical element that is the world of the book as you’re writing, but it’s all open and changing, while in reading it it’s fixed. By third magical element, I think that I mean it comes alive on the page and in your mind. Maybe a good way to explain it is, in the writing you’re inside this messy world that’s changing, with you kind of in control, kind of like life, while in the reading you’re outside it and you are not in control, the way is fixed. You suspend disbelief. You turn off the editor, if all goes well.

Another great thing: I’ve been accepted to the Bread Loaf Writers Conference! I have been trying to go for a couple of years, and I was finally accepted this year. A great honor. And I’m excited to join my great writing friend Nina McConigley.

So, you’ll be seeing more of me hanging out in the interwebs. I’ve missed you!  (And thanks, so much, Pembroke, for tending the flame!)

Question of the Day: Have you had a good writing year so far?