MPaxAuthorland Stardate 12.04.10

How was your weekend?

Was busy over this way. I had a workshop on Saturday on putting together a book proposal. It was really great. I learned a lot. Been using the nitty-gritty final editing tips to go through the manuscript of novel#1. I already began editing the first part. Cut, cut, cut, change direction of that slightly - get rid of that, bump that up, highlight that more, yada, yada, yada. Highlighters, markers and crayons are my friends and they make pretty spots on my hands.

I hope to have the first part of novel one rewritten and in order by end of next week. I keep on with the reading in the evenings, so that I can get my thoughts together on surgical intervention for the second part. It's really the bulk of the novel, 2/3's of it. There are two plot points nagging at me since last year. So, if I can end the one better and start the other better, I should be golden.

If I can get all that done by end of June, I'll be thrilled. That's what I'm shooting for. I do have a deadline as I plan on going to the Willamette Writers conference in August to pitch some agents face-to-face. It is possible the editing of the second novel could be done in time, too. It only has one plot thread that needs some alteration at the beginning. I don't think its editing will be as time consuming. But, you never know.

I thought my synopsis for the second novel stunk. I felt better about the one I wrote for the first novel. Turns out the synopsis for the second was better. So, what do I know?

Yesterday was Second Sunday and I had "Small Graces" all ready to go. There was a special program yesterday for the kick off of "A Novel Idea", so no open mic. That was fine. The guest of honor, Jason Graham, was not an act I'd want to follow any way. He is amazing. I'm already for May and June, then. Which is good, so I can put more effort into getting the novels in order. Next month they are coupling Second Sunday with a poetry workshop [I think, either then or June], so I should probably read poetry. I'll bring both, so I'm prepared to go either way.

Poetry is the soul of prose. I don't write poems any more, but I for sure use it when writing my stories.

I was invited to join in an anthology with the theme of feral tumbleweeds. I have an idea, but don't know what I want to do with that idea. What story do I want to tell with that idea? Revenge? Redemption? Saving the word? Fish out of water? Discovery? Adventure? Shrug. Still mulling it over. Thought will lead to inspiration. Sometimes it needs to cook longer than other times.

Need to get stuff together for the next story trailer this week, too. My video genius is asking for it. So, I shall hunt and gather.

Picked up the first deluge in studying for the one-on-ones in August. All sci-fi, all the time until then. Or, whatever the agent thinks is great. I'm wondering when I will find the time to read 4 books outside what I'm writing. Ambitious of me.