I have to say, I'm kinda nerdy about this kind of thing. I really love reading stats on certain things, especially the publishing world and writing. I love when agents and editors post their stats on how many queries they receive and how many of those actual get requested and how many actually get contracted. Fascinating stuff.
I'm also intrigued by writers and word count, maybe because I do it too. I keep track of every word I write. I love to track my progress and see how long it takes me to write X amount of words. I like to impress myself. I like to know what I am capable of. I think all writers should keep track and see what they can do, and what they could do if they pushed themselves harder. NaNoWriMo taught me I can write far more than I thought.
My newest book, the second book in my Classy 'n Sassy series, titled Size Matters, which was contracted by Simon & Schuster for their Pocket Star imprint, was officially started on July 7th, not long after I received word that the book was officially under contract. Before that I had an outline, a very detailed scene by scene outline, and maybe the first scene written, but that was it. I'd always hoped to write the book, so I was prepared. ;) But I did have to alter the outline a bit before I started. And of course my summer was hectic this year, as most usually are with two kids home for the summer, so I didn't get a ton done before we went on our family vacation, and I don't think much of anything when we came home, with getting ready for school to start.
Anyhoo.... here are the stats:
7/7-9/4 (1st day of school): 19,527 words.
That was a period of 60 days, with an average of 325 words a day! LOL! But obviously I did not write for many of those days--only 19, actually. So, I averaged 1027 words on the days I actually did write. Whew! That sounds better! But still far below what I am capable of.
Once school started, I was on a mission. I had an official deadline of November 1st. I wanted the book done by October 15th so I had time to edit and perfect it. I figured out what had to be done to reach that goal (1500 word a day, EVERY day) and I put my fingers to the keyboard.
9/4-10/8: 54,027 words
At that point the book was not actually done, but I needed to take a break and go back and reread the whole thing before I could write out the end. For some reason, I can never ever plot out the very end.
So, over that period of time--35 days--I wrote on average 1543 words a day. But I did not write every day, even though I tried. Life certainly gets in the way sometimes. :) Of those 35 days, I only wrote on 25 of them. That's an average of 2161 words a day.
Over 54k in 25 days. Not too shabby :)
But I also must note the retreat I went on during that time. :) Every year my RWA chapter goes away to an adorable B&B for the weekend for nothing by writing. It's awesome. This year we brought in a speaker for a workshop, and that was really cool. So for those three days, I did get more writing time than normal. I wrote over 8500 words just at the retreat.
The end of this book was tough for me, so it took longer than I had anticipated. But I got it to my agent and she read it, sent it back with some minor suggestions. I made them, resubmitted to her, and she sent it to my editor at S&S last night :) Man, that felt great!
Fingers crossed my editor likes it!
Showing posts with label editing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label editing. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Good editing is so so important!
As writers and authors, we spend weeks, months, sometimes years, perfecting a book. But even still, there are typos and mistakes, grammar boo-boos. It happens. We're human. I truly believe that when your eyes have read something a million times, it just scans the document. Your brain kinda knows the words by heart. It automatically corrects the mistakes and you just don't notice them.
But a reader WILL notice them. They make them stop...they pull them from the story. And every time a reader is pulled from a story, there is a chance they won't go back.
This is why every author needs an editor..even two. My publisher, Lyrical Press, has a very extensive editing process. Before we start the process, I do a last self edit. Then my copy editor goes at it. Usually we do three rounds. She edits, I correct. She edits again, I correct. She edits again, I correct. Then it goes to another set of eyes, a line editor. They go through it and it's sent back to me once again for correction. And then...even after all that, I get a galley copy, which is the final copy...what will be published unless I find and correct mistakes. Once that proof is approved, it's done..no going back. So, suffice to say, I scan it very carefully. And every time I have found mistakes in the galley.
But through this process, I have been able to produce a final product with few to zero mistakes. Unfortunately, as any published author will tell you, a couple still slip through the cracks. Usually it's not misspelled words, but punctuation mistakes or something silly like a space in the middle of a word (I was just told about that one in A Bitch Named Karma.)
In the end, we are human, but we are also professionals, and readers expect a professional product.
I am in the process of reading a great story. It has really sucked me in. But there is literally a mistake on just about every single page. Very distracting. If I wasn't so into the story, I would have set it down long ago. So this author is lucky...for now. But will I ever pick up one of her titles again, or anything from that entire publishing house? Most likely not.
So, my biggest advice today, NEVER EVER think you are too good for an editor. If your book will be published by a traditional publisher, be it print or digital, you'll have no choice but to undergo professional editing. (But as I have just proven, even a publisher can have shoddy editing). Those of you who choose the self-publishing route, please do not underestimate the value of paying for professional editing services. Even those of you who are far from being ready to publish....share your work with another writer or even your friends. They can help you find the mistakes your eyes gloss over.
But a reader WILL notice them. They make them stop...they pull them from the story. And every time a reader is pulled from a story, there is a chance they won't go back.
This is why every author needs an editor..even two. My publisher, Lyrical Press, has a very extensive editing process. Before we start the process, I do a last self edit. Then my copy editor goes at it. Usually we do three rounds. She edits, I correct. She edits again, I correct. She edits again, I correct. Then it goes to another set of eyes, a line editor. They go through it and it's sent back to me once again for correction. And then...even after all that, I get a galley copy, which is the final copy...what will be published unless I find and correct mistakes. Once that proof is approved, it's done..no going back. So, suffice to say, I scan it very carefully. And every time I have found mistakes in the galley.
But through this process, I have been able to produce a final product with few to zero mistakes. Unfortunately, as any published author will tell you, a couple still slip through the cracks. Usually it's not misspelled words, but punctuation mistakes or something silly like a space in the middle of a word (I was just told about that one in A Bitch Named Karma.)
In the end, we are human, but we are also professionals, and readers expect a professional product.
I am in the process of reading a great story. It has really sucked me in. But there is literally a mistake on just about every single page. Very distracting. If I wasn't so into the story, I would have set it down long ago. So this author is lucky...for now. But will I ever pick up one of her titles again, or anything from that entire publishing house? Most likely not.
So, my biggest advice today, NEVER EVER think you are too good for an editor. If your book will be published by a traditional publisher, be it print or digital, you'll have no choice but to undergo professional editing. (But as I have just proven, even a publisher can have shoddy editing). Those of you who choose the self-publishing route, please do not underestimate the value of paying for professional editing services. Even those of you who are far from being ready to publish....share your work with another writer or even your friends. They can help you find the mistakes your eyes gloss over.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Read, read, and read again.... The Galley Proof
The journey to publication is a rough one, as all authors know, and it never really ends. It's always hard...it's just a different kind of hard. But I am in no way complaining!!!! I enjoy the challenges! And I thrive on working hard and seeing what comes of all that hard work.
Right now I am in the final stage of editing for Soap Dreams, one of my short novels that is releasing in 2011. This is the galley proof stage, where my editor has prepared a PDF file of my story. No longer can I make changes directly to the manuscript. This is how the final product will look, unless I make notes on a separate document and let her know what needs to be changed. This is my absolute last chance to make changes or correct grammar and punctuation.
So far I have found one missing period, one period that should be a comma, and an ellipse that should be a period. Amazing how little things like that can be missed! There are some other spots where I am changing a word here and there or eliminating a word, just to make it flow better. Also there is a spot where a dog is mentioned, but after having taken out a dog reference earlier in the story, realized we needed to take this one out too.
I'm going to read through one more time....but I still worry. We've already done 3 rounds of copy edits and a round of line edits. And we still managed to miss these things. Will there still be some we miss?? I hope not...but it could happen.
As far as I know, there is only one line in A Bitch Named Karma where a period is missing. And there's also that horrible formatting error, that even though was fixed after the galley round, somehow it reverted and there was no way to fix it after that. :(
What do readers think when they see these types of mistakes?? I know what I used to think: "Who did this awful editing job???" But I don't think that way anymore. We are all human and mistakes happen. I am more forgiving of tiny typos, but if there gets to be too many, I wonder how much time and work the author and team of editors really put into it. If they didn't want to put in the hard work that is essential to producing a quality product, why should I give them my money and time to read it???
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I tried, but I had to just give in....
I think most of us struggle with what we should be doing versus what we are actually doing. I know I do. Every day. There's no mom on earth that doesn't feel some guilt in working when they should be spending time with their kids...or playing with their kids, when they should be working. While I do struggle with that guilt, I'm talking about a different guilt today.
The lure of the internet.
Each day, I have many things I need to do. And yes, that list does include Facebook, Twitter, Blog writing and reading and commenting, email, etc.. Where most people look at these social media outlets as a "time suck", I happen to think differently. I need these outlets to network and promote myself. So, doing these things does actually have a purpose for me. It's helping to get my name and face out there and in turn, sell books.
But, I do also need to actually work on my writing projects each day too. That is equally as important.
And I tried, very hard, to do my editing and writing first each day. I once read that every writer should do an hour of just writing or editing each day, then turn to social networking. Yeah....didn't work so well for me. I just could not concentrate, knowing that there were unread emails out there, Facebook posts to read, blog posts to read and comments to reply to. I just could not keep my mind on my work with all those other things sitting there, waiting for me.
So I decided not to even try anymore. I do what I need with email, FB, Twitter, etc... I do that all first. Yes, it takes time. A lot of time. But when I am finally to a point where I can say "I'm good" I can shut them down and concentrate COMPLETELY on my work.
I do still take mini-breaks from the editing...you have to. The eyes go buggy after a while. I pop into FB or Twitter for like 2 minutes.
What do you guys do?? Work first, network later?? Or are you like me???
The lure of the internet.
Each day, I have many things I need to do. And yes, that list does include Facebook, Twitter, Blog writing and reading and commenting, email, etc.. Where most people look at these social media outlets as a "time suck", I happen to think differently. I need these outlets to network and promote myself. So, doing these things does actually have a purpose for me. It's helping to get my name and face out there and in turn, sell books.
But, I do also need to actually work on my writing projects each day too. That is equally as important.
And I tried, very hard, to do my editing and writing first each day. I once read that every writer should do an hour of just writing or editing each day, then turn to social networking. Yeah....didn't work so well for me. I just could not concentrate, knowing that there were unread emails out there, Facebook posts to read, blog posts to read and comments to reply to. I just could not keep my mind on my work with all those other things sitting there, waiting for me.
So I decided not to even try anymore. I do what I need with email, FB, Twitter, etc... I do that all first. Yes, it takes time. A lot of time. But when I am finally to a point where I can say "I'm good" I can shut them down and concentrate COMPLETELY on my work.
I do still take mini-breaks from the editing...you have to. The eyes go buggy after a while. I pop into FB or Twitter for like 2 minutes.
What do you guys do?? Work first, network later?? Or are you like me???
Monday, December 13, 2010
Back to the real world!
Hello everyone! We're back from our Disney World trip!! We had a really great time...always love spending quality time with the hubby and kids. It wasn't perfect by any means- the kids still annoy each other on vacation and standing in lines and dealing with rude people wears on you. But we still loved it and can't wait to go back! Hoping to get some pics uploaded and posted here by the end of the week! :)
So now we are home and trying to get back into the swing of things. Today is day 4 of being home and only two suitcases have been emptied, but I did do all vacation laundry. We came home to between 3 and 4 feet of snow covering our entire property, less the area my dad snowblowed in our driveway so we could pull our car in when we came home. And we have been thrust into holiday festivities. Had a party last night and the night before were theater tickets for opening night of "A Christmas Story" at our local theater. Luckily we did get most of our shopping done on Black Friday and we really only have a few more gifts to pick up.
I'd really like to jump into edits of Karma Kameleon, but I know that is at least a few days away. Hubby's aunt has decided to do a scrapbook for her parents this year and each family was asked to contribute pages to it. I don't have a problem with that...I adore scrapbooking. But I do need a good chunk of time to do it. She wants an entire 2-page layout for each of our kids (the great grandchildren of the recipients), plus hubby, then an additional 2-page layout for our family. So 8 pages total...that will probably take me 3-4 hours. Yeah, I could just slap the pictures on some patterned paper in a half hour, but that's not my style.
So as much as it saddens me, edits will have to wait, at least a few days. And as we all know, this time of year is pretty busy, so who knows what will come up after that.
Hope you all are enjoying your December!
So now we are home and trying to get back into the swing of things. Today is day 4 of being home and only two suitcases have been emptied, but I did do all vacation laundry. We came home to between 3 and 4 feet of snow covering our entire property, less the area my dad snowblowed in our driveway so we could pull our car in when we came home. And we have been thrust into holiday festivities. Had a party last night and the night before were theater tickets for opening night of "A Christmas Story" at our local theater. Luckily we did get most of our shopping done on Black Friday and we really only have a few more gifts to pick up.
I'd really like to jump into edits of Karma Kameleon, but I know that is at least a few days away. Hubby's aunt has decided to do a scrapbook for her parents this year and each family was asked to contribute pages to it. I don't have a problem with that...I adore scrapbooking. But I do need a good chunk of time to do it. She wants an entire 2-page layout for each of our kids (the great grandchildren of the recipients), plus hubby, then an additional 2-page layout for our family. So 8 pages total...that will probably take me 3-4 hours. Yeah, I could just slap the pictures on some patterned paper in a half hour, but that's not my style.
So as much as it saddens me, edits will have to wait, at least a few days. And as we all know, this time of year is pretty busy, so who knows what will come up after that.
Hope you all are enjoying your December!
Monday, November 15, 2010
Going back and editing blog posts???
I read a blog past the other day about a blogger who was going back and editing her old posts. Made me wonder if everyone does this. It never crossed my mind to do it.
There have been many times where after something posts, I notice a glaring typo and I just have to fix it. But would I go back months, even years, so fix old typos?? I don't think I would. Yes, I want it to be professional, yet still down to earth. And I am constantly learning and the grammar comes more naturally now than it did when I started this blog...but those are my words and I don't think I would change them now.
I admit that I am a bad typer...I've never taken a typing class. I need to look at the keys when I type. And I still make A TON of errors. I keep a journal on my laptop and many times I type so fast that I misspell words, letters are out of order....I miss the space between words. I do go back and fix most of the typos...I want future generations to be able to read my words! But I never edit for content or proper grammar. They're my words and if I use tons of slang, so be it. If I use bad grammar, oh well. It's my journal.
So what do you do...do you go back, months, years, and edit your blog posts??
There have been many times where after something posts, I notice a glaring typo and I just have to fix it. But would I go back months, even years, so fix old typos?? I don't think I would. Yes, I want it to be professional, yet still down to earth. And I am constantly learning and the grammar comes more naturally now than it did when I started this blog...but those are my words and I don't think I would change them now.
I admit that I am a bad typer...I've never taken a typing class. I need to look at the keys when I type. And I still make A TON of errors. I keep a journal on my laptop and many times I type so fast that I misspell words, letters are out of order....I miss the space between words. I do go back and fix most of the typos...I want future generations to be able to read my words! But I never edit for content or proper grammar. They're my words and if I use tons of slang, so be it. If I use bad grammar, oh well. It's my journal.
So what do you do...do you go back, months, years, and edit your blog posts??
Friday, November 12, 2010
I'm freezing!!!!! And my brain can't function!
It's Buffalo, so yeah....being cold is the norm this time of year. But it's supposed to be like 62 today!! Major heat wave, people!! The weather woman on the radio said it's our Indian Summer....go figure...it's usually never in November!
And here I sit freezing! I have my electric blanket around me. I have plans for taking a walk later to soak up some sunshine and warmth before it's gone for the winter.
But the temp is not the reason for my poorly functioning brain. I have vacation on the brain and I just cannot shake it!!!
We leave for our yearly family vaca to Disney World in 17 days. In order to afford it this year we've had to cut out a lot and the entire summer was spent doing very little. We are so eager for some fun and family time....away from our home. Disney gives us the perfect escape. And now that it's finally almost here, I can't get my brain to stop thinking about it. I can't keep away from Disney sites or message boards. I keep reviewing our plans and adding to our packing list.
But there are other things I really should be doing. I need to finish this round of copy edits for Paradise Cove. I completely ignored them yesterday. I do plan on tackling them some more today...almost done. I need to do pre-edits on Soap Dreams, which I have started but still needs work. And let's not forget Karma Kameleon.....I so wanted to have it polished and submitted to my editor before we left for our trip. :( Looks like that's not gonna happen.
Hope everyone has a lovely weekend....maybe some nice sunny warm days for you too!
Friday, October 15, 2010
Editing and Writing at the same time???
Well...here I am in the middle of my first round of copy edits for Paradise Cove, YIPPEE!! But I've been spending so much time on Karma Kameleon...trying to get the first draft done by the end of October.
Normally, I do not mix editing and writing. I do one or the other. When edits come in...I usually put aside whatever I'm working on to devote all my time to that. But for the first time, I don't want to do that. I really had my heart set on meeting this goal by the end of October. And I am in a really good position to accomplish it! That means still keeping with my daily work count goal. Paradise Cove is a shortie...only 16,000 words, so it's not like editing an entire full-length novel. And I could put Karma Kameleon aside for a few days to work solely on edits...but I'm just too afraid that I'll get behind and not able to come back.
Yesterday went well. I actually got a decent amount of the editing done. Earlier that day, while out to lunch with my son, he started the next scene on Karma Kameleon. I wrote in my little purse notebook while he slowly ate his food. (I don't know about your kids, but mine can sometimes take for-ev-er to eat.) So I typed that into my computer...just over 600 words. Not bad. I was going to leave it at that. Editing and getting 600 words down wasn't too bad. But I just couldn't leave it. I got back on the computer after the kids were in bed, did more editing, and also squeaked out a few hundred more words. I made my word count goal, barely, but I did it.
Normally, I do not mix editing and writing. I do one or the other. When edits come in...I usually put aside whatever I'm working on to devote all my time to that. But for the first time, I don't want to do that. I really had my heart set on meeting this goal by the end of October. And I am in a really good position to accomplish it! That means still keeping with my daily work count goal. Paradise Cove is a shortie...only 16,000 words, so it's not like editing an entire full-length novel. And I could put Karma Kameleon aside for a few days to work solely on edits...but I'm just too afraid that I'll get behind and not able to come back.
Yesterday went well. I actually got a decent amount of the editing done. Earlier that day, while out to lunch with my son, he started the next scene on Karma Kameleon. I wrote in my little purse notebook while he slowly ate his food. (I don't know about your kids, but mine can sometimes take for-ev-er to eat.) So I typed that into my computer...just over 600 words. Not bad. I was going to leave it at that. Editing and getting 600 words down wasn't too bad. But I just couldn't leave it. I got back on the computer after the kids were in bed, did more editing, and also squeaked out a few hundred more words. I made my word count goal, barely, but I did it.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Last week of Summer vacation!
I am both really happy and kinda sad at the same time. I am so desperate to get back to a normal daily routine. So done with the "whatever goes" kind of day. Very much looking forward to structure.
But on the other hand, it's almost September and my daughter is going back to school and I feel like the summer has gone by and we didn't do enough.
I keep reminding myself that I am a work at home mom and not a stay at home mom. I still have work to do...so I can't just do whatever I want every day. Besides, most things take money and we just don't have it.
I got a lot done in July...added almost 30,000 words to my manuscript. The plan was to take August to edit the first half of the book- Karma Kameleon, the sequel to A Bitch Named Karma. And that went well...for like the first two weeks. But the last two....didn't do anything at all. Which is fine...maybe I needed to just chill anyway.
So, here we are....week til school starts. Already have some plans for this afternoon. And tomorrow hubby is off, so we have plans for then too.
Hope the rest of your summer goes well!
But on the other hand, it's almost September and my daughter is going back to school and I feel like the summer has gone by and we didn't do enough.
I keep reminding myself that I am a work at home mom and not a stay at home mom. I still have work to do...so I can't just do whatever I want every day. Besides, most things take money and we just don't have it.
I got a lot done in July...added almost 30,000 words to my manuscript. The plan was to take August to edit the first half of the book- Karma Kameleon, the sequel to A Bitch Named Karma. And that went well...for like the first two weeks. But the last two....didn't do anything at all. Which is fine...maybe I needed to just chill anyway.
So, here we are....week til school starts. Already have some plans for this afternoon. And tomorrow hubby is off, so we have plans for then too.
Hope the rest of your summer goes well!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our babies and our books.....
As a parent, we are all wired to think our children are the cutest, the smartest, the funniest....they're the apples of our eyes. We shower them with unconditional love and would do anything for them. But I think a good parent also needs to see their child's flaws. No one is perfect and it is wrong to put that kind of stress on anyone, let alone a child. All kids have their tantrums and pick their noses and say things they shouldn't. And if you are a parent who is too blind to see that...if you think your child is perfection and it's all the other kids who are little demons, well.....you're setting yourself and your child up for disaster.And I think the same can be said for your MS. We pour ourselves into our work...they too are our "babies". We give them so much care and time and we're so invested in them. They are part of us. But we have to be able to stand back and accept that no matter how much we want them to be, our MS's are not perfect. They all have flaws...even multi-published authors who bring in six-digit advances.
I truly believe you will never ever get anywhere in this business unless you can accept the fact that no matter how many years and tears you have put into your novel, it will need fixing. We are too close to it to see it's flaws sometimes. That's why every writer needs support, whether it be a writers group that meets in person or online or even just a critique partner who can lend some advice. Another set of eyes to help point out holes and grammar and tiny little inconsistencies. And if you do reach your publishing goal and land a super agent and sell to a big time NY publishing house...guess what?? You will still need an editor, maybe even two or three, to help you fine tune the story and make it the best it can be. (Though even then, it will still not be perfect.)
So now I'm only left to wonder what to do with those parents who think their child is an angel and mine the devil, ready to corrupt their perfect little darling. Don't think they'll take too kindly to some critique on that one.
Monday, March 22, 2010
I so don't need this right now.
Okay...the countdown is on. This time on Friday, I'll be on my way to Allentown, PA for The Write Stuff Writer's Conference. I'll be excited beyond belief, but so so nervous too!
But right now....I have an unbelievable amount of work to do and I'm not sure I can do it all in time.
Yesterday was a lazy Sunday....we laid around all day and I expected to get some decent time to work. Nope. Let's just say a dramatic evening the night before left my brain swirling with far too many other things. I could not concentrate at all. And I tried...I really tried. I got some work done but finally gave up when I realized my brain was somewhere else and being held hostage.
So...here I am...with less than 4 days to prepare myself. I will work on editing my novel and perfecting my synopsis. I will try to work on my pitch and all that...but I'm wondering if any of the preparation will really prepare me for that 10 minute pitch session anyway. I'm sure I'll babble and say "um" at least once every ten seconds.
But on a happy note, Dancing with the Stars starts tonight and I am oh so excited! I plan on working as much as possible then tuning in to watch the show!
But right now....I have an unbelievable amount of work to do and I'm not sure I can do it all in time.
Yesterday was a lazy Sunday....we laid around all day and I expected to get some decent time to work. Nope. Let's just say a dramatic evening the night before left my brain swirling with far too many other things. I could not concentrate at all. And I tried...I really tried. I got some work done but finally gave up when I realized my brain was somewhere else and being held hostage.
So...here I am...with less than 4 days to prepare myself. I will work on editing my novel and perfecting my synopsis. I will try to work on my pitch and all that...but I'm wondering if any of the preparation will really prepare me for that 10 minute pitch session anyway. I'm sure I'll babble and say "um" at least once every ten seconds.
But on a happy note, Dancing with the Stars starts tonight and I am oh so excited! I plan on working as much as possible then tuning in to watch the show!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Been busy lately....sorry I've been MIA!
I know I don't have to remind anyone how fast time flies by. I look at the calender and I'm like "Holy Crap!" I have only a little over a month left till the writer's conference! I finished my POV change for Spellbound, but I have not touched it in a little over a week. I still have to go through it a couple times and edit!! Plus, my editor just sent me my galley for A Bitch Named Karma and I need to do that and get it back to her. YIKES! Holy workload!
And my daughter was on winter break last week, so that meant I got almost no time to work or play on the computer! We went away for a few of those days too. I did take the laptop and popped online a couple times, but no time for blog reading :(
So, huge apologies to all my bloggy buddies. So sorry I have not been participating int he blogging world lately :( But I will be honest in saying I'm not sure how much time over the next month I can dedicate to you. I absolutely need to get the galley done and then it's full steam ahead on Spellbound edits. I need to have it perfected for the conference!!
And my daughter was on winter break last week, so that meant I got almost no time to work or play on the computer! We went away for a few of those days too. I did take the laptop and popped online a couple times, but no time for blog reading :(
So, huge apologies to all my bloggy buddies. So sorry I have not been participating int he blogging world lately :( But I will be honest in saying I'm not sure how much time over the next month I can dedicate to you. I absolutely need to get the galley done and then it's full steam ahead on Spellbound edits. I need to have it perfected for the conference!!
Monday, February 15, 2010
POV change is DONE! Holy Cow was that a lot of work!
This POV change was for Spellbound, my 3rd completed novel. Basically it's about a simplistic woman who falls for a wealthy man and the differences they must deal with when they start a committed relationship. It tackles a lot of issues today's couples must deal with: financial, religious, familial.
I shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of work this took...I knew it would be very time-consuming. But in the beginning, it was just time consuming....easy....replacing I and we with she and they. But the more I went on...it just got to be a huge pain in the butt. Worth it, hopefully, but a huge pain.
But today I finally finished it. Whew! Huge weight has been lifted! This change was necessary and it was worth it. I think the story is stronger...love that I can add my hero's POV in. I think that helps the story a lot!
So next step...after I let this baby sit for a week, is to go back through and tighten it up. I need to add in some more spots with hero's POV and determine where I can cut some things. It's a tad too long. But I'm not overly concerned with that.
So now I have a little over a month to get this story ready for pitching at The Write Stuff Writer's Conference the end of March.
I shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of work this took...I knew it would be very time-consuming. But in the beginning, it was just time consuming....easy....replacing I and we with she and they. But the more I went on...it just got to be a huge pain in the butt. Worth it, hopefully, but a huge pain.
But today I finally finished it. Whew! Huge weight has been lifted! This change was necessary and it was worth it. I think the story is stronger...love that I can add my hero's POV in. I think that helps the story a lot!
So next step...after I let this baby sit for a week, is to go back through and tighten it up. I need to add in some more spots with hero's POV and determine where I can cut some things. It's a tad too long. But I'm not overly concerned with that.
So now I have a little over a month to get this story ready for pitching at The Write Stuff Writer's Conference the end of March.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Follow the Bouncing Word Count!
I am in the middle of a major edit on my 3rd novel, Spellbound. It was originally written in 1st person and I decided to do a POV change on the entire thing. Huge undertaking...yes....hard...no, not at all. And I'm quite enjoying being able to add in my hero's thoughts! Very fun actually!!
But what I'm noticing as I do this edit, my word count keeps fluctuating. It goes up when I write in some of my male characters POV, then goes down when I edit out a blah paragraph. And now that I'm in the middle of copy edits with my editor for A Bitch Named Karma, I am learning soooooooooooooooooo much and it's amazing how I read my work now and can instantly pick out spots that are worded wrong. And dialog tags...I never thought I was horrible with them...but boy...I am cutting a bunch out!
Love that I am constantly learning new things and strengthening my writing!!
So overall the word count makes me happy. For the moment it's lower than it was when I originally finished the story...but I know there are spots I need to add in more of my hero's thoughts...so I expect it to end up back where it originally was.
But what I'm noticing as I do this edit, my word count keeps fluctuating. It goes up when I write in some of my male characters POV, then goes down when I edit out a blah paragraph. And now that I'm in the middle of copy edits with my editor for A Bitch Named Karma, I am learning soooooooooooooooooo much and it's amazing how I read my work now and can instantly pick out spots that are worded wrong. And dialog tags...I never thought I was horrible with them...but boy...I am cutting a bunch out!
Love that I am constantly learning new things and strengthening my writing!!
So overall the word count makes me happy. For the moment it's lower than it was when I originally finished the story...but I know there are spots I need to add in more of my hero's thoughts...so I expect it to end up back where it originally was.
Friday, December 18, 2009
It's OFFICIAL!!! I'm beginning this journey!!
I received an email from my editor today...yep...round 1 of copy edits!!!!
I am beyond excited for this!! Yes, this all started months ago when I had a "Congratulations" email in my inbox. But now is when it REALLY starts! She told me she loved it and did the entire edit in seven days time!
And she prepared me for what lays heads. I know it's not gonna be all compliments and adoration...I know a ton of work is in my immediate future. But the work will be worth it. This time....editing is getting me where I want to go...it's not just endless work that might get me somewhere. And I have a professional to guide me along the way!
She'd like it back by Jan. 15th...yeah...not a problem! I'm lucky in that I get a solid 3 hours a day while my son naps. Plus, the way I'm feeling right now, it may be all I want to do over the next few days! I say that now....I haven't even opened the file yet. She already warned me that there will be times I will call her names and close my laptop.
I am beyond excited for this!! Yes, this all started months ago when I had a "Congratulations" email in my inbox. But now is when it REALLY starts! She told me she loved it and did the entire edit in seven days time!
And she prepared me for what lays heads. I know it's not gonna be all compliments and adoration...I know a ton of work is in my immediate future. But the work will be worth it. This time....editing is getting me where I want to go...it's not just endless work that might get me somewhere. And I have a professional to guide me along the way!
She'd like it back by Jan. 15th...yeah...not a problem! I'm lucky in that I get a solid 3 hours a day while my son naps. Plus, the way I'm feeling right now, it may be all I want to do over the next few days! I say that now....I haven't even opened the file yet. She already warned me that there will be times I will call her names and close my laptop.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Either I'm fabulously brilliant...or really really stupid....
I can't decide which.
Either I take a huge risk and follow my heart and the inspiration that has struck me....or go the safe yet boring route.
Basically....what happened was....a fantastic story idea burst into my brain the other night (I blogged about it here, I couldn't sleep till I wrote it down and the opening scene). Today I finally got down to adding a file to my idea folder in my computer. I wrote the beginning scene and kept on writing. I did not want to stop. Ideas flooded my brain with where to take this story. I typed a quick outline. I turned off the computer and got ready to go out for the evening with my family...more ideas came to me..I jotted them in a notepad. I haven't been this excited and inspired in almost three years...since I started my second novel...the entire 70,000 words that poured out of me in about three months time. The novel that I fell madly, deeply, in love with and finally found a home for it this past summer.
But the timing is so so awful.
I got an email from my editor a few days ago. She will be emailing me my first round of copy edits within the week.
But that's not really the biggest dilemma.
I am attending The Write Stuff conference the end of March. There will be agents there...several of them. I will get the chance to pitch to one of them. I NEED a polished novel to take with me.
Up until today, I was working on a POV change for my third novel, 1st to 3rd. It was a major undertaking but aside from being time consuming, it wasn't as annoying as I'd imagined. It was going well. I had tons of time to do it and have the story perfected by the conference. But this story is...just........there. I love the first chapter, but the rest just has no sizzle. I like the story..it has many endearing qualities, but I never felt the intensity I do for my other novel and the new one. And I don't know how to make it sizzle. I don't know what to do to it to make it something that an agent just HAS to have. I know the story has problems...I've had it out on submission to a good 50 agents not even one partial request. My hope was that a POV change would help.....but my fear is that it needs major work...and I don't have a clue where to even begin.
So.....now I am in quite a predicament.
Do I take the risk...work my little tushie off and complete and perfect a novel in just over 3 months time??? (It is doable...I figured I can write it in 2 months, I would only need about 1300 words a day...completely doable when I am in ultra creative mode- added 30,000 words to my WIP in 3-1/2 weeks time once. People do NaNo every year and do 50,000 in one month.) Then I'd need to edit my heart out the last month.
OR
Do I stick with what I have? I can easily finish the POV switch and clean up the rest. As far as fixing whatever is wrong with it and giving it some sizzle...well.....I just don't know about that. You have to know what's wrong before you can fix something.
Would it be the end of the world if I try option 1 and fail??? No. It's my first conference ever so if I just go and observe, that would be okay too.
So what would you do?? Go with your gut and take a risk.....or stay safe and try to fix what you already have?????
Either I take a huge risk and follow my heart and the inspiration that has struck me....or go the safe yet boring route.
Basically....what happened was....a fantastic story idea burst into my brain the other night (I blogged about it here, I couldn't sleep till I wrote it down and the opening scene). Today I finally got down to adding a file to my idea folder in my computer. I wrote the beginning scene and kept on writing. I did not want to stop. Ideas flooded my brain with where to take this story. I typed a quick outline. I turned off the computer and got ready to go out for the evening with my family...more ideas came to me..I jotted them in a notepad. I haven't been this excited and inspired in almost three years...since I started my second novel...the entire 70,000 words that poured out of me in about three months time. The novel that I fell madly, deeply, in love with and finally found a home for it this past summer.
But the timing is so so awful.
I got an email from my editor a few days ago. She will be emailing me my first round of copy edits within the week.
But that's not really the biggest dilemma.
I am attending The Write Stuff conference the end of March. There will be agents there...several of them. I will get the chance to pitch to one of them. I NEED a polished novel to take with me.
Up until today, I was working on a POV change for my third novel, 1st to 3rd. It was a major undertaking but aside from being time consuming, it wasn't as annoying as I'd imagined. It was going well. I had tons of time to do it and have the story perfected by the conference. But this story is...just........there. I love the first chapter, but the rest just has no sizzle. I like the story..it has many endearing qualities, but I never felt the intensity I do for my other novel and the new one. And I don't know how to make it sizzle. I don't know what to do to it to make it something that an agent just HAS to have. I know the story has problems...I've had it out on submission to a good 50 agents not even one partial request. My hope was that a POV change would help.....but my fear is that it needs major work...and I don't have a clue where to even begin.
So.....now I am in quite a predicament.
Do I take the risk...work my little tushie off and complete and perfect a novel in just over 3 months time??? (It is doable...I figured I can write it in 2 months, I would only need about 1300 words a day...completely doable when I am in ultra creative mode- added 30,000 words to my WIP in 3-1/2 weeks time once. People do NaNo every year and do 50,000 in one month.) Then I'd need to edit my heart out the last month.
OR
Do I stick with what I have? I can easily finish the POV switch and clean up the rest. As far as fixing whatever is wrong with it and giving it some sizzle...well.....I just don't know about that. You have to know what's wrong before you can fix something.
Would it be the end of the world if I try option 1 and fail??? No. It's my first conference ever so if I just go and observe, that would be okay too.
So what would you do?? Go with your gut and take a risk.....or stay safe and try to fix what you already have?????
Friday, December 11, 2009
I'm doing it...I'm changing the POV of my ENTIRE 93,000 word novel.
Yep......I decided it was a must. The entire thing is written in 1st person and sicne it's romance, I decided it would be in my best interest to change it to 3rd. I am keeping the original though.
So here I go. At first I was going to edit the entire thing first..again...go through...look for all the adverbs, work on taking out all those no no words...really change the spots that tell instead of show. THEN I would start the POV switch. But I decided it would be a much better idea to do the POV switch first.
So has anyone done this before....any advice???? So far it seems pretty simple....just a matter of going though each line and changing I to her, she, character's name, etc...
I will also be adding in some of the hero's perspective too...which I never could do before...so this will be interesting.
I have a deadline in mind here for the POV change and the rest of the editing. I am attending a conference the end of March and I hope to pitch this book then. Do you think I can accomplish this all in, oh, just over 3 months time??? I think it's doable!
So here I go. At first I was going to edit the entire thing first..again...go through...look for all the adverbs, work on taking out all those no no words...really change the spots that tell instead of show. THEN I would start the POV switch. But I decided it would be a much better idea to do the POV switch first.
So has anyone done this before....any advice???? So far it seems pretty simple....just a matter of going though each line and changing I to her, she, character's name, etc...
I will also be adding in some of the hero's perspective too...which I never could do before...so this will be interesting.
I have a deadline in mind here for the POV change and the rest of the editing. I am attending a conference the end of March and I hope to pitch this book then. Do you think I can accomplish this all in, oh, just over 3 months time??? I think it's doable!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Gotta step away sometimes
I think this advice can be taken by anyone, not just writers. Every once in a while we need to step back...step away...so we can look at things more objectively.
I am stepping away from my story. It's a novelette I wrote a while back. It was originally just under 10,000 words and was written for a romance magazine that has a 10,000 word max. Obviously they did not want it (well, actually..I'm not sure...I never heard back and it's been a good 7-8 months). I have been editing it like crazy lately...perfecting it, adding to it, in hopes that my publisher will want to publish it. So far I've added over 2000 words to it and really put a ton of energy into showing instead of telling. I think it's miles from where it was when I started.
But now I need to step away. I took an excerpt to my writers group and got some great feedback and some things to work on. I did them and hopefully accomplished what I needed with the changes. But now I need to step back. I need to give this story a rest...I will go back to it in a week or so.
So in the meantime, I did pull out another piece..another romance novelette. This one majorly needs a POV (point of view) change. I'm coming to find I do prefer romance written in 3rd person. It's so nice to include the guy's perspective......considering in real life we NEVER can tell what our man is thinking. At least in fiction, I can give that to my readers! :)
But anyway, I may take next week off....and GASP! no writing/editing whatsoever. Double GASP! I think my brain needs a vacation. I have holiday cards that need to be made and about a zillion photos that need to be cropped and matted and arranged onto unique scrapbook layouts!
I am stepping away from my story. It's a novelette I wrote a while back. It was originally just under 10,000 words and was written for a romance magazine that has a 10,000 word max. Obviously they did not want it (well, actually..I'm not sure...I never heard back and it's been a good 7-8 months). I have been editing it like crazy lately...perfecting it, adding to it, in hopes that my publisher will want to publish it. So far I've added over 2000 words to it and really put a ton of energy into showing instead of telling. I think it's miles from where it was when I started.
But now I need to step away. I took an excerpt to my writers group and got some great feedback and some things to work on. I did them and hopefully accomplished what I needed with the changes. But now I need to step back. I need to give this story a rest...I will go back to it in a week or so.
So in the meantime, I did pull out another piece..another romance novelette. This one majorly needs a POV (point of view) change. I'm coming to find I do prefer romance written in 3rd person. It's so nice to include the guy's perspective......considering in real life we NEVER can tell what our man is thinking. At least in fiction, I can give that to my readers! :)
But anyway, I may take next week off....and GASP! no writing/editing whatsoever. Double GASP! I think my brain needs a vacation. I have holiday cards that need to be made and about a zillion photos that need to be cropped and matted and arranged onto unique scrapbook layouts!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Okay...if anyone has the time...I need some opinions.
I am debating on a POV switch...but the entire book is finished....92,000 words. This would be a MAJOR project. Book is written in 1st, debating on switching to 3rd so I can insert some POV from the hero.
So here goes. First scene. What do you like better?
The original in 1st:
I sighed and rolled my eyes as I answered the question for the third time.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater, your daughter’s wedding bouquet will be delivered to your house by noon along with all of the attendant’s flowers.”
I slouched into my leather desk chair and doodled the name Vandewater on a yellow legal pad. I added horns to the V and a pointed tail to the R. As the owner of a service oriented business, “The customer is always right” becomes a motto I have no choice but to live by, regardless of how insane it makes me sometimes. Numerous times I would have liked to take this lovely adage and chuck it right out the window, watching it splatter on the street like a water balloon tossed from ten stories up. What joy I’d have telling the customer exactly what I thought of them and where they could take their “one last question”. But in the end my desire to please everyone triumphs.
“No, I will not get lost getting to your house. I have the directions you gave me, plus printed directions off the Internet. I also have your home phone number, your cell phone number and your maid’s cell phone number programmed into my phone just in case.”
The door chime sounded and I watched a wide-eyed twenty-something step over the threshold. Her face beamed as her head slowly panned the shop. She smiled as she stepped toward the nearest shelf and caressed a plumed guestbook pen.
High-pitched screeches resonated from the receiver of the phone and I turned my attention back to this year’s Momzilla, a severe pain in the ass that had given headaches to my headaches. Each wedding season there had to be one nut and this lady was the whole can. She had driven me completely crazy for the past nine months, ever since she and her blue-eyed, blonde of a daughter/princess/pretty puppet on a string walked into my shop.
“Yes, I already spoke with the caterer about setting up the centerpieces exactly how you described. Is there anything else?…Okay then, I will see you on Saturday. Have a wonderful day!”
The greeting rolled off my tongue quite naturally with my perfected fake niceness, even though my brain was ready to explode. I then took a deep breath and let it out, purging my body of all things Vandewater.
“Hello! I’m Roda,” I said as I approached my newest client. “Can I help you with something?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I uh, just got engaged,” she smiled coyly and waved her sparkly little diamond in front of me. It was a really pretty one. In this line of work I see many diamond rings and I’d seen my share of ugly ones over the years. This one was simple yet elegant, the kind I’d dreamed of seeing on my own finger someday. But first I needed to find a man willing to stick around for more than a month or two.
“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations! Have you set a date?”
“Yes, June 7th of next year.”
I heard the phone ring as I showed her around the shop, pointing out various books, magazines and bouquet samples.
“Roda,” my assistant called out. “Line two is for you. It’s Mrs. Vandewater.”
“You’ll have to excuse me one moment,” I said to the new bride and sat her down with a photo album filled with pictures my past brides had sent me, snapshots showcasing the beautiful floral bouquets I made for them. I dragged my feet over to my desk, plopped into my chair and took a cleansing breath before picking up the receiver.
Mrs. Vandewater and her daughter Penelope had sat with me at least a dozen times to choose the bouquets and other flower arrangements for the wedding with several of those times being impromptu visits and of course only five minutes before I planned to close up shop for the night. In between our meetings, Mrs. Vandewater called me at least once a week to ask the most mundane of questions. Each and every time she called I cringed, but thanks to my fake niceness, I proudly maintained my professionalism. This was one wedding I could not wait to be done with. Only had three more days to go.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater. What can I do for you?”
“I need to make sure there won’t be any of that tacky netting in my Penelope’s bouquet. You know how I hate anything cheap.”
I answered her as politely as possible, even though she could have found the information herself if she simply looked at her copy of the order. It had been printed in big bold letters: ‘NO TULLE WHATSOEVER’.
After going over the directions with me yet again, I finally hung up the phone. I looked up to find my new bride-to-be standing in front of a full length mirror holding one of my silk bouquet samples, a simple hand-tied arrangement of white roses and Lily of the Valley. I took a rhinestone encrusted tiara off the shelf, fluffed its finger-length veil and placed it atop her head.
“What do you think?”
“Wow,” she replied as her eyes glossed over. The smiles I’d seen in that mirror were what I lived for. Those moments got me through the insane headache moments of other brides and their mothers and reminded me why I loved my job so much.
“Will I really look like one of those pictures on my wedding day?” she asked while pointing to a poster-sized print on the wall.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you do!” I promised.
New in 3rd:
Roda Morgan sighed and rolled her eyes as she answered the question for the third time.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater, your daughter’s wedding bouquet will be delivered to your house by noon along with all of the attendant’s flowers.”
She slouched down in her leather desk chair and doodled on a yellow legal pad, taking the name Vandewater and added horns to the V and a pointed tail to the R. As the owner of a service oriented business, “The customer is always right” became a motto she had no choice but to live by, regardless of how insane it sometimes made her. Numerous times she would have liked to chuck that motto right out the window, watching it splatter on the street like a water balloon tossed from ten stories up. What joy she’d have telling the customer exactly what she thought of them and where they could take their “one last question”. But in the end, her desire to please everyone won out.
“No, I will not get lost getting to your house. I have the directions you gave me, plus printed directions off the Internet. I also have your home phone number, your cell phone number and your maid’s cell phone number programmed into my phone just in case.”
The door chime sounded and Roda looked up to find a wide eyed twenty-something. She had a glossed-over look in her eyes and began browsing around the shop, stopping to caress a fluffy guestbook pen and smiled.
More screeching came from the receiver of the phone and Roda turned her attention back to this year’s Momzilla, a severe pain in the ass that had given headaches to her headaches. Each wedding season there had to be one nut and this lady was the whole can. She had driven Roda completely crazy for the past nine months, ever since she and her blue-eyed, blonde of a daughter/princess/pretty puppet on a string walked into her shop, Bridal Blossoms by Roda.
“Yes, I already spoke with the caterer about setting up the centerpieces exactly how you described. Is there anything else?...Okay then, I will see you on Saturday. Have a wonderful day!”
The greeting rolled off her tongue quite naturally with what she called “fake niceness”, even though her brain was ready to explode. She took a deep breath and let it out, purging her body of all things Vandewater.
“Hello! I’m Roda,” she said as she approached her newest client. “Can I help you with something?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I uh, just got engaged,” she smiled coyly and waved her sparkly little diamond in front of Roda. She admired it, a simple yet elegant setting; one she’d dreamed of seeing on her own finger someday. But first she needed to find a man willing to stick around for more than a month or two.
“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations! Have you set a date?”
“Yes, June 7th of next year.”
The phone rang as Roda showed the bride-to-be around the shop, pointing out various books, magazines and bouquet samples.
“Roda,” her assistant called out. “Line two is for you. It’s Mrs. Vandewater.”
“You’ll have to excuse me one moment,” she said to her customer and sat her down with a photo album filled with pictures past brides had sent in, snapshots showcasing the beautiful floral bouquets Roda made for them. She dragged her feet over to the desk, plopped into the chair and took a cleansing breath before picking up the receiver.
Mrs. Vandewater and her daughter Penelope had sat with Roda at least a dozen times to choose the bouquets and other flower arrangements for the wedding with several of those times being impromptu visits and of course only five minutes before the shop closed for the night. In between meetings, Mrs. Vandewater called at least once a week to ask the most mundane of questions. Each and every time she called Roda cringed, but proudly maintained her professionalism and most treasured trait. This was one wedding she could not wait to be done with. Only three more days to go.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater. What can I do for you?”
“I need to make sure there won’t be any of that tacky netting in my Penelope’s bouquet. You know how I hate anything cheap.”
Roda answered her as politely as possible, even though she could have found the information herself if she simply looked at her copy of the order. It had been printed in big bold letters: ‘NO TULLE WHATSOEVER’.
After going over the directions yet again, she finally hung up the phone. Roda looked up to find the new bride-to-be standing in front of a full length mirror holding one of the silk bouquet samples, a simple hand-tied arrangement of white roses and Lily of the Valley. Roda took a rhinestone encrusted tiara off the shelf, fluffed its finger-length veil and placed it atop her head.
“What do you think?”
“Wow,” she replied as her eyes glazed once again. The smiles Roda had seen in that mirror were what she lived for. Those moments got her through the insane headache moments of other brides and their mothers and reminded her why she loved her job so much.
“Will I really look like one of those pictures on my wedding day?” the bride asked while pointing to a poster-sized print on the wall.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you do!” Roda promised.
So here goes. First scene. What do you like better?
The original in 1st:
I sighed and rolled my eyes as I answered the question for the third time.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater, your daughter’s wedding bouquet will be delivered to your house by noon along with all of the attendant’s flowers.”
I slouched into my leather desk chair and doodled the name Vandewater on a yellow legal pad. I added horns to the V and a pointed tail to the R. As the owner of a service oriented business, “The customer is always right” becomes a motto I have no choice but to live by, regardless of how insane it makes me sometimes. Numerous times I would have liked to take this lovely adage and chuck it right out the window, watching it splatter on the street like a water balloon tossed from ten stories up. What joy I’d have telling the customer exactly what I thought of them and where they could take their “one last question”. But in the end my desire to please everyone triumphs.
“No, I will not get lost getting to your house. I have the directions you gave me, plus printed directions off the Internet. I also have your home phone number, your cell phone number and your maid’s cell phone number programmed into my phone just in case.”
The door chime sounded and I watched a wide-eyed twenty-something step over the threshold. Her face beamed as her head slowly panned the shop. She smiled as she stepped toward the nearest shelf and caressed a plumed guestbook pen.
High-pitched screeches resonated from the receiver of the phone and I turned my attention back to this year’s Momzilla, a severe pain in the ass that had given headaches to my headaches. Each wedding season there had to be one nut and this lady was the whole can. She had driven me completely crazy for the past nine months, ever since she and her blue-eyed, blonde of a daughter/princess/pretty puppet on a string walked into my shop.
“Yes, I already spoke with the caterer about setting up the centerpieces exactly how you described. Is there anything else?…Okay then, I will see you on Saturday. Have a wonderful day!”
The greeting rolled off my tongue quite naturally with my perfected fake niceness, even though my brain was ready to explode. I then took a deep breath and let it out, purging my body of all things Vandewater.
“Hello! I’m Roda,” I said as I approached my newest client. “Can I help you with something?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I uh, just got engaged,” she smiled coyly and waved her sparkly little diamond in front of me. It was a really pretty one. In this line of work I see many diamond rings and I’d seen my share of ugly ones over the years. This one was simple yet elegant, the kind I’d dreamed of seeing on my own finger someday. But first I needed to find a man willing to stick around for more than a month or two.
“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations! Have you set a date?”
“Yes, June 7th of next year.”
I heard the phone ring as I showed her around the shop, pointing out various books, magazines and bouquet samples.
“Roda,” my assistant called out. “Line two is for you. It’s Mrs. Vandewater.”
“You’ll have to excuse me one moment,” I said to the new bride and sat her down with a photo album filled with pictures my past brides had sent me, snapshots showcasing the beautiful floral bouquets I made for them. I dragged my feet over to my desk, plopped into my chair and took a cleansing breath before picking up the receiver.
Mrs. Vandewater and her daughter Penelope had sat with me at least a dozen times to choose the bouquets and other flower arrangements for the wedding with several of those times being impromptu visits and of course only five minutes before I planned to close up shop for the night. In between our meetings, Mrs. Vandewater called me at least once a week to ask the most mundane of questions. Each and every time she called I cringed, but thanks to my fake niceness, I proudly maintained my professionalism. This was one wedding I could not wait to be done with. Only had three more days to go.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater. What can I do for you?”
“I need to make sure there won’t be any of that tacky netting in my Penelope’s bouquet. You know how I hate anything cheap.”
I answered her as politely as possible, even though she could have found the information herself if she simply looked at her copy of the order. It had been printed in big bold letters: ‘NO TULLE WHATSOEVER’.
After going over the directions with me yet again, I finally hung up the phone. I looked up to find my new bride-to-be standing in front of a full length mirror holding one of my silk bouquet samples, a simple hand-tied arrangement of white roses and Lily of the Valley. I took a rhinestone encrusted tiara off the shelf, fluffed its finger-length veil and placed it atop her head.
“What do you think?”
“Wow,” she replied as her eyes glossed over. The smiles I’d seen in that mirror were what I lived for. Those moments got me through the insane headache moments of other brides and their mothers and reminded me why I loved my job so much.
“Will I really look like one of those pictures on my wedding day?” she asked while pointing to a poster-sized print on the wall.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you do!” I promised.
New in 3rd:
Roda Morgan sighed and rolled her eyes as she answered the question for the third time.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater, your daughter’s wedding bouquet will be delivered to your house by noon along with all of the attendant’s flowers.”
She slouched down in her leather desk chair and doodled on a yellow legal pad, taking the name Vandewater and added horns to the V and a pointed tail to the R. As the owner of a service oriented business, “The customer is always right” became a motto she had no choice but to live by, regardless of how insane it sometimes made her. Numerous times she would have liked to chuck that motto right out the window, watching it splatter on the street like a water balloon tossed from ten stories up. What joy she’d have telling the customer exactly what she thought of them and where they could take their “one last question”. But in the end, her desire to please everyone won out.
“No, I will not get lost getting to your house. I have the directions you gave me, plus printed directions off the Internet. I also have your home phone number, your cell phone number and your maid’s cell phone number programmed into my phone just in case.”
The door chime sounded and Roda looked up to find a wide eyed twenty-something. She had a glossed-over look in her eyes and began browsing around the shop, stopping to caress a fluffy guestbook pen and smiled.
More screeching came from the receiver of the phone and Roda turned her attention back to this year’s Momzilla, a severe pain in the ass that had given headaches to her headaches. Each wedding season there had to be one nut and this lady was the whole can. She had driven Roda completely crazy for the past nine months, ever since she and her blue-eyed, blonde of a daughter/princess/pretty puppet on a string walked into her shop, Bridal Blossoms by Roda.
“Yes, I already spoke with the caterer about setting up the centerpieces exactly how you described. Is there anything else?...Okay then, I will see you on Saturday. Have a wonderful day!”
The greeting rolled off her tongue quite naturally with what she called “fake niceness”, even though her brain was ready to explode. She took a deep breath and let it out, purging her body of all things Vandewater.
“Hello! I’m Roda,” she said as she approached her newest client. “Can I help you with something?”
“Um, yeah, I guess. I uh, just got engaged,” she smiled coyly and waved her sparkly little diamond in front of Roda. She admired it, a simple yet elegant setting; one she’d dreamed of seeing on her own finger someday. But first she needed to find a man willing to stick around for more than a month or two.
“Oh, how wonderful! Congratulations! Have you set a date?”
“Yes, June 7th of next year.”
The phone rang as Roda showed the bride-to-be around the shop, pointing out various books, magazines and bouquet samples.
“Roda,” her assistant called out. “Line two is for you. It’s Mrs. Vandewater.”
“You’ll have to excuse me one moment,” she said to her customer and sat her down with a photo album filled with pictures past brides had sent in, snapshots showcasing the beautiful floral bouquets Roda made for them. She dragged her feet over to the desk, plopped into the chair and took a cleansing breath before picking up the receiver.
Mrs. Vandewater and her daughter Penelope had sat with Roda at least a dozen times to choose the bouquets and other flower arrangements for the wedding with several of those times being impromptu visits and of course only five minutes before the shop closed for the night. In between meetings, Mrs. Vandewater called at least once a week to ask the most mundane of questions. Each and every time she called Roda cringed, but proudly maintained her professionalism and most treasured trait. This was one wedding she could not wait to be done with. Only three more days to go.
“Yes, Mrs. Vandewater. What can I do for you?”
“I need to make sure there won’t be any of that tacky netting in my Penelope’s bouquet. You know how I hate anything cheap.”
Roda answered her as politely as possible, even though she could have found the information herself if she simply looked at her copy of the order. It had been printed in big bold letters: ‘NO TULLE WHATSOEVER’.
After going over the directions yet again, she finally hung up the phone. Roda looked up to find the new bride-to-be standing in front of a full length mirror holding one of the silk bouquet samples, a simple hand-tied arrangement of white roses and Lily of the Valley. Roda took a rhinestone encrusted tiara off the shelf, fluffed its finger-length veil and placed it atop her head.
“What do you think?”
“Wow,” she replied as her eyes glazed once again. The smiles Roda had seen in that mirror were what she lived for. Those moments got her through the insane headache moments of other brides and their mothers and reminded her why she loved her job so much.
“Will I really look like one of those pictures on my wedding day?” the bride asked while pointing to a poster-sized print on the wall.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you do!” Roda promised.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Read like a reader, not like a writer....
Now that I write and edit and am going through this whole process with a professional editor....I am having an EXTREMELY hard time reading books and turning off the writer part of me. I see sentences written poorly (or at least I think they are written poorly. I see all the ways that it could be said better, clearer, smoother) or a grammar mistake (I gasp when I see those. Hello??? What is the purpose of a line editor if they don't catch stuff like that before it goes to print????) I see those no no words and adverbs that I spent months deleting and rewording in my own manuscript. Sometimes I get so distracted that I get lost and have a hard time concentrating on the story.
Then I have to tell myself to stop. I tell myself to chill out and just read. Read the story and lose myself in it...enjoy it....read it like a every other Jane out there.
Does anyone else have this problem?? How do you remedy it???
Then I have to tell myself to stop. I tell myself to chill out and just read. Read the story and lose myself in it...enjoy it....read it like a every other Jane out there.
Does anyone else have this problem?? How do you remedy it???
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