Shouldn’t I be…

Shouldn’t I be spending all my free time working on my novel? That’s the question I ask myself as I write this very post. 

 The problem with the above is the word should.  What does it matter what I should be doing?  It matters more what I am doing.  And at the moment I’m writing.  ‘Cause that’s what I do.  I’m a writer. 

I’ve spent most of my time focusing on blog posts (like this one) and new story ideas.  I came up with a fitting way to clean up the residual issues with my novel and that meant a lot of changes.  As excited as I was about the outcome ironically enough the journey was my stumbling block.  It’s a very cyclical situation; editing your own work.  You find an area needing fixing, figure out how to repair the issue, that causes numerous other changes, and before you know it you’re re-writing most of your work.  Then, you become overwhelmed at the thought that your book’s not done and won’t be anytime soon.  So, you become frustrated and focus on other things instead; ones with quicker results.  Like blogging.

For the past few weeks, I’ve devoted more time to finishing this YA fantasy novel. Numerous title changes have occurred which is why I’m calling it “this novel”.  As I mentioned in the last blog entry, I’m liking the new direction of not only the storyline but the characters’ journeys.  It’s coming along bit by bit; as long as I don’t leave them stuck on the path.

Besides…I can’t dilly-dally too long or all the actors I envision in certain roles will no longer be of the ideal character age range.

All the best,

Kelly

Done yet?

Did I really think my novel would be ready in a year?

Yes – actually i did.  I thought the mere fact that I finished a book would somehow be enough good energy to push open publishing doors.  That people would flock to read my creation simply because I wrote it.  Sure, I figured there’d need to be some edits but overall I believed I had a solid product.  A story I believe in, characters worth rooting for and a tone that young girls could relate to.

That was about 3 years ago! Since then I’ve done multiple edits for content, formatting, sentence structure and cohesive story problems.  Along the way of fleshing out the plot and characters I ended up adding more supporting characters and giving them sub-plots.  The tangled web was weaved!  So many ideas that I was really excited about.  In doing all that work, I realized I had drifted away from my original goal; Gracie.

My current status?  By moving one chapter from the middle of the current draft I’ve realized that my initial instincts were correct.  I tried to do too much at once.  Too many characters.  Too many settings.  I needed to cut back and so I am.  As a result, any lingering transition problems or consistency issues are fading away.

So that’s where I am…editing away!  Though my novel may not be ready for publication yet there’s one constant that remains; my passion for, and belief, in the story I am telling.

French inspiration

Learning to speak French came very easily to me.  As though it was a natural progression in my life.  It’s been 10 years since my last classroom lesson of Francais yet there are times I still find a comfort and ease in speaking this beautiful language.

The poetry of this Latin based language ignites a firestorm of need within me.  A desire to travel somewhere I’ve never been.  As though there’s something deeply rooted in my psyche, spirit, essence; whatever noun offends you less.

While there’s been this deep-rooted French connection it was only recently that I began infusing this love of France into my creative writing.  Oddly enough, it was during my visit to Ireland in 2004 that I started thinking how much I wanted to travel to France next.

I tried to learn Irish Gaelic.  Didn’t go very well.  The failing experience was a major blow to my ego.  I’m proud to say that I do quite well learning languages.  At least I did learning basic Latin and then French.  With  my “wide array of expertise” I erroneously assumed I could master any language with as much ease as I did French.

So I decided that my next big trip would be to the glorious land of beautiful gardens, pastries and historic chateaus.  When I’ll get there I’m not sure, but until I do the settings of my creative work will remain strongly French infused.

I Talk to Dead People

…At least, that’s what I call doing genealogy work.

I’ve always been a family-oriented individual. I loved going to reunions, spending my summers with my mom’s side of the family and looking at photographs of my parents in their childhood days.  Holidays were, and still are, an event to look forward to simply because I get to spend time with my parents, sisters, nephews, niece and extended relatives.  There’s good food, lots of laughter and competitive board gaming to be had!

But in all my affinity for family I didn’t become interested in ancestry research until a few years ago; with the passing of my paternal grandfather’s last sibling.  I started thinking about how much I didn’t know.  About the lives they lived.  Growing up during the Depression and WWII must’ve had an impact.  Now, I don’t have them to ask those questions. 

In thinking more and more on this topic I started looking at my ancestors as more than people who lived before me.  They became characters in their own stories.  Individuals who felt all the same emotions that we do.  Who experienced hope, sadness, turmoil and fulfillment of dreams.  They weren’t merely faces and names, they were complex individuals whose existence mattered.

Ultimately, my interest in their stories merged into my love of creative writing.  The idea that they have something to teach us led me to create a novel heavily influenced on family.  As my protagnist meets those who came before she finds strength for what’s to come!

 

Perfection: My roadblock

I’ve never thought of myself as a perfectionist.  I procrastinated, second guessed and doubted throughout most of my high school and college career.

“Was I writing about the right topic? Was I getting my point across? Will the professor like it?”

All these worries worked on my self-esteem until I ended up putting off the finished work until the night before.  Sometimes, most-times, I worked well under pressure and created a cohesive and passionate piece of writing.  In other instances the finished work reflected my lack of care in the project I was working on.

In that respect I’ve realized that when it comes to my writing I am a perfectionist.  I want my work to match the level of importance, value and passion that I have inside to give it.  I create so much expectation before my pen even hits the paper that I overwhelm myself with all the possibilities for failure.

I have so much invested in my novel that the very idea of creating a finished piece that’s less than stellar is unfathomable.  I believe in this story.  I want to see it thrive.  But while I work diligently to perfect each chapter, each word and each transition it’s one more day not in the hands of readers.

Keep the stories coming!

I started a new story idea a few weeks ago and I…am…loving it!  Who knew how inspiring standing in a garden could be?  Well, ok, I did but still…

My newest story has taken hold and re-energized my creative writing skills.  I don’t know what genre it will fall into, but I do know that I’m enjoying the process very much.

So while I work on the business aspects of my completed novel I have a new one to keep the artistic juices flowing!

Manuscript compliments

Being humble has its moments.  But not right now.  Here are just a few compliments I’ve received about my manuscript.

“A fairytale.” – I am most definitely a fairytale kinda girl.  I grew up with them, loved them, treasured them.  I adored stories with happy endings, strong female characters with journeys to travel, and of course a hint of romance thrown in for good measure.  So, having someone tell me that my book reminded them of a fairytale…I knew I was on the right track.

“Timeless.  Any time.  Any where.  Any one.” – My favorite stories are those where the characters, places and time periods aren’t necessarily defined for the reader.  You can imagine the setting for yourself based on your own experiences.  When reading about a home maybe you visualize the house you grew up in or a friend’s house that felt more like home than yours did.  Very early on in a book I get a clear picture of the main character based on their personality and my knowledge of people I’ve encountered in life.  A friend recently told me that in my book there is no clearly defined time period or place and that worked for the overall story.  I thought to myself, “Exactly!”

“You know kid-speak.” – Children have such a distinctive voice.  They’re so at ease with communicating their thoughts, feelings and needs.  I’ve always had an easy report with those younger than me.  I look at them and see excitement for life.  A joie de vie for everything and everyone.  Kids gravitated to me and they still do in many ways.  I like to think that’s due to an unwavering respect and appreciation for them and the belief they have so much to offer the world.  If we’d only stop talking at them and listen!

“I can picture it when you read.” – I love movies.  I love television shows.  I love theatre.  I am a very visual person.  As a result I look for that in the books I choose to read.  I need to be able to envision the setting.  To see the world that the characters inhabit.  And so, my writings tend to be more heavily focused on creating a visual backdrop.  After all, this is the world the characters reside in.  If they don’t care about it then why would the readers?

The Name Game

Now that my novel’s complete I’ve been thinking a lot of the title I chose.  I’ve received some suggestions that it’s too long, cumbersome and doesn’t reflect the entire story.  So, I am seriously considering changing the title.  And I’m really liking the ideas I’m coming up with!  I won’t spill them here; just in case I end up choosing something completely different.

Stay tuned for more!

 

Greetings!

Welcome to my journey towards novel publication!  Now that the “easy” part of writing a book is complete I must proceed into the always daunting world of self-marketing.

Having recently completed a 79,000 word Young Adult Fantasy I am pursuing the options available to me as an author.  Do I seek agent representation?  Or go the self-publishing route?  Oh, the decisions!

Just as my main character must journey into an unknown setting so shall I.  As I build this site keep checking back often for more info on my novel, GRACIE AND HER ELEMENTARY CONNECTIONS.

All the best,

Kelly