Editors Bible

Last night I read a very interesting article in the June issue of the Romance Writers Report. It was entitled 'Do It Yourself (Book) Surgery' and was written by Jean Marie Ward. Basically she and a coauthor had written a 165,000 word book that garnered some considerable interest from Samhain Publishing, and they were asked if they could trim it down to 120,000 words. They did, and the article is about how they did it, which I found fascinating.

At the end of the article, the author mentions as 'editors' bible', used in the first edit of all manuscripts. I would LOVE to see this bible or a version of it. Think of the advantage one would have as a writer if her manuscript had already jumped through the first set of 'hoops'. The work would be cleaner, tighter, shorter, and likely a better read. For instance, she mentioned one of the biggies on the list: cutting 'garbage' words like so, that, than, just, and really. Hmmmm...very interesting--although at times, I think those words happen to make a sentence.

Has anyone ever seen a copy of this 'bible'? Is it readily available? Is it 'not so readily but still possibly' available? Do tell.

New York, New York

View from the Empire State Bldg.
I'm back from New York! And so glad to be back! It was fun, but after all that walking (our legs and feet were aching!) and eating out at every meal, I'm glad to have my car, my couch, and my own refrigerator. Plus, I'm glad to be away from the cigarette smoke and exhaust and back to air-conditioning and ice! I simply could not get cool in that city!


We did hit everything on my Thursday 13 list, and a few other things besides. No one else will be impressed by this, but we actually saw two separate subway rats! Thrilling, I know. And everywhere, they were selling Poland Springs water--a memorable Seinfeld allusion. I wish I'd come away with a souvenir of some sort though--other than the flip-flops I bought to give my feet a break, but nothing was calling me. Still, we spent enough on water bottles and Cokes and other little splurges.

Mary Poppins was excellent--very fun and full of energy, and Central Park was amazing. If only my husband hadn't had horrible allergies... We did the subway many, many times, but didn't ever take a cab or a bus. Other than the subway, we walked everywhere. A Salt and Battery in Greenwich Village comes highly recommended if you're looking for very tasty fish and chips, and Angelo's in Little Italy was wonderful. We had a hot dog from a street cart and NY pizza, gelato from a cart in
Little Italy and a Frozen Hot Chocolate from Serendipity. We also walked waaaay out of our way to find Magnolia Bakery--my husband got a little confused--a little dry, but definitely yummy.

So that's it: summed up in one blog entry--three very long days in New York City. One slightly bittersweet note: I missed a day in my quest for 100 days of 100 words. I totally forgot. So I'm starting over. It really doesn't matter all that much, since I had no plans for Day 100 anyway, so here I go again...

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things I Love About Target I'm posting early because I can't post tomorrow--Have a great Thursday!

1. The atmosphere--certainly it's dampened by a Target that's too crowded or unkempt, but something about that bulls-eye and those chipper store signs just perks me right up.

2. Customer Service--they are better than anyone, bar none. They're lightning fast with returns, they can look up your purchase if you don't have the receipt, and there are really no questions asked (not that I'd have trouble with a couple of questions, but still...)

3. Book Selection--both children's and adult. They have all the bestsellers, some up and comers and a sprinkling of the rest. And everything is discounted!

4. Target Cafe--my son and I actually eat lunch there almost once a week. Ours serves Pizza Hut pizza, which my son gets, and I either get their $2 hot dog combo (hot dog and drink) or $1 popcorn combo (popcorn and drink)--Delicious!

5. Starbucks--on a very rare chilly day, I stop in at the in-store Starbucks and treat myself to a Chai tea while I browse--I feel very pampered.

6. One-stop shopping--I can spend hours in a Target. They have so much to look at, so many different things, that I can get everything I need at one store that I love.

7. Home decor selection--Target has a very good sampling of different styles and they sell throw pillows, vases, picture frames, etc to accent or update your abode very affordably. Probably a good quarter (maybe even a third) of my home is decorated a la Target.

8. Toys--whenever I'm shopping for birthday parties, I come here, because I can get something unique and inexpensive. They have all the popular toys, plus a selection of 'thinking games and toys' and then a high-quality Target brand which I can't remember the name of--I always find something good.

9. The Dollar Spot--who can resist a bunch of bins loaded with dollar bargains? Great for party favors, gift baskets, teacher gifts...

10. Bakery (in Super Targets)--Target has my favorite cupcakes with buttercream frosting, and you can get six for $2. The chocolate is a little dry, but the white is divine! Plus, I've bought sheet cakes there, and had them print a graphic onto edible paper and then lay it on the cake--turned out awesome! My sons LOVE their free kid cookies too.

11. Designers--Target has some good brands, but they also bring in designers to supplement their already great collections.

12. Seasonal--I love to watch the store change for the seasons--from the Summer merchandise, to Back to School, to Halloween, to Christmas, to Spring and Gardening.

13. Shoes and handbags--inexpensive and cute, what more can I ask for?




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Welcome Sandi Kahn Shelton!

Well I'm one chapter away from finishing A Piece of Normal (weeks went by with no progress in the reading department--horrible, I know). I read most of it this weekend, and I have loved it. Love the characters, the humor, the situations, the quirkiness of it all. So it is with lots of excitement that I welcome Sandi Kahn Shelton to my blog today!!!!

Below are the questions and answers from our mini interview:

1. What is your writing process, and did it differ between your first (fiction) book and this one? (What did you know the second time around that you didn't the first?)

Oh, boy! Did my writing process ever differ between my first book, What Comes After Crazy, and the second one, A Piece of Normal. My first book, you see, was written over a 17-year period. It was the Thing I Did When Nobody Needed Me to Do Anything Else. I would actually take it along on vacation each year and dabble around in it. You know, for fun. My children would roll their eyes—“This is how you relax??”
But, yes, it was. In the meantime, I was writing features stories and a weekly humor column for the newspaper, writing the Wit’s End column for Working Mother magazine, doing free-lancing for other magazines, teaching writing at the four-year university nearby, AND raising three kids. I also, in that 17 year period, wrote three non-fiction books. You can see where a novel that nobody was expecting might fall to the bottom of that list.
But one day I realized I really, really did want to finish this novel, and so I took some time off from work and really powered through to the end of it—and then, through what can only be described as a miracle after such a long time on the drawing board, this novel got accepted and became a book!
One thing, though: it was when I took a look at the contract that I noticed it said I needed to write a new novel…and that one was due in ten months.
Well, I nearly had to take to my bed with the vapors. “What,” I asked my agent, “did I ever say or do that indicated I could write a book in less than a decade and a half?” She said she was sure I could do it, and actually, she was right. I discovered how delicious it can be to wake up knowing every day that you need to write your novel, not that you can write your novel today only if there isn’t something else that needs doing. When somebody says, “Oh, can you take on the chairmanship of the tea-fetching-and-cupcake-baking committee for the principal’s retirement commission, which will require you to bake twenty-four cupcakes every single day for a year?” you can—and must—say NO. It’s a thrilling thing.
So my process became: (1) do three pages on the book every single day; (2) don’t wait for inspiration, and (3) don’t get sidetracked by editing while you’re writing. Just, as they say, DO IT.


2. What prompted you to write A Piece of Normal? (I'm only a few pages in, and already I love the quirkiness of the characters).

Oh, thank you, Alyssa. I always love to write about family relationships, because I think they’re the most fascinating, complicated things going. I’m always struck with how other people’s families always look so together on the outside, and yet when you get to really know them, you see that everybody’s got quirky relatives to deal with, and weird past histories, and buried secrets. (Well, almost everybody. I do know a few people who seem to come from genetically secret-less people. But I’m still digging around, so I’ll get back to you.) I’m particularly interested in the ways that being in a family often requires us to understand and forgive acts that may at first seem like real catastrophic (even if unintentional) betrayals, but which in many ways, serve to enrich and open us.
I think it is these powerful relationships that shape us most dramatically and hold the key to how we see ourselves. (Isn’t there a saying that goes: “Families—can’t live with ’em. Can’t kill ’em”? Until I take up writing murder mysteries, I guess I’m stuck writing about how families manage to forgive each other and go on.)
My first novel—What Comes After Crazy—was about a complicated mother-daughter relationship—briefly, the mom was a flaky, itinerant fortune-teller and the daughter grew up with almost no skills in making a normal life for herself and her kids. (It should be noted that I thought it was a very serious novel, but when it came out, critics called it “hilarious.” That was a bit of a surprise.)
In A Piece of Normal, (which I had wanted to call “Ordinary Forgiveness”) it is two sisters—Lily and Dana Brown—who couldn’t be more opposite. Through their betrayals and long-buried sibling rivalries, they come to realize that they each have something the other one needs. And when the betrayal comes—well, oops, I should stop here. You see, I always have a tendency to tell too much. I’d write the whole plot here if I’m not careful, and all you asked for was what prompted the idea.


3. Who are some of your favorite authors?
I love so many authors that I always forget to name at least half a million of them. But I adore Anne Tyler and Alice Munro, Sue Miller, Elinor Lipman, Anne Lamott, and Elizabeth Berg. Lately I’ve discovered a memoir writer, Haven Kimmel, who makes me laugh so hard I practically need oxygen. And it turns out she has some novels, too, that I’m going to read just as soon as I finish writing my third one (which is due in days!)



4. Do you have any advice for the unpubbed out there, still waiting for The Call?

I think the best advice is not to get discouraged. I know that sounds too easy. But if you’re writing seriously, then you know that it’s not something you can just quit forever and decide you’re not going to do it ever again. If you could do that, you probably already would have. Writing is one of those things that pursues YOU, I think. During those seventeen years, I cannot even tell you how many times I decided I wasn’t going to work on that novel anymore. I would even say that it was my “starter” novel and that I had to let it go and do something else. But then…well, something would drag me back to it. The characters would start talking to me in the middle of the night, or when I was in the shower, or driving in the car (you know how they are; they sneak up on you when you’re vulnerable against them), and pretty soon, I’d be back—as Anne Lamott says—doing their typing for them, trying to tell their story. I just never realized how many times I’d have to write that book over and over again, but maybe that’s just me. I don’t think that I knew how to really write the material I was given, until I’d practiced it again and again. It just wouldn’t let me rest until I had it right.

Thank you, Sandi! And if you have any questions for Sandi, please post them in the comments.

Death of a Computer

Well earlier today when my computer wouldn't turn on, I thought I was out of commission--I don't know why I didn't think about my sons' computer upstairs. So that's where I am right now, having discovered a link with the virtual world just at the top of the stairs.

Yesterday my computer powered off on me (it said thermal error), so I powered it back up and backed up all my writing stuff. Then today, it wouldn't turn on at all. My husband couldn't debug it on his own and took it to Fry's who were charging a $100 flat fee for labor and $150 for the motherboard that they think is the problem. So $250. My husband has decided now to just go with an inexpensive, new computer. But he doesn't want the Microsoft Vista (if that's what it's called) operating system. Evidently it's very hard to find a new computer without it these days. He's been told that he can downgrade back to Windows XP, so I guess that's the plan.

So when he brings it home, he's going to have to get it all setup before I'm allowed to use it. I was really hoping to get all my contest stuff together this weekend so I don't have to worry about it next week (my 1st grader's last half-week of school). At least I have my backup--thank goodness! Maybe I can proof everything from my husband's laptop. Here's hoping...

Don't plan on hearing too much from me for a little while...until I get reconfigured.

No Thursday Thirteen!

I forgot! I remembered on Tuesday and then forgot last night, and now I really feel like it's too late. But I have an excuse. Today my son 'graduated' from Mother's Day Out. They had a ceremony with little diplomas and hats and everything and then a pizza party afterwards. Plus, I had to substitute today and come up with teacher gifts and help in my 1st grader's classroom yesterday, so I haven't been home and haven't the energy to come up with thirteen of anything. I'm lucky I'm doing the yoga and the 100 words! The good thing about exercising on the elliptical machine is that I used the time to read. I can't do that with yoga--I have to pay attention--I have to be told when to breathe in and when to breathe out. So, not only am I a bad blogging buddy lately, I'm not reading either! Sorry to those whom I have not visited--I'm trying to catch up!


Since I have nothing much else to say today, I thought I'd give you a heads-up on a book I'm excited to read: Austenland by Shannon Hale. Being a bit of a Janeite, I think it sounds awesome and I can't wait! It'll be available May 29th.

Previews

Gotta hurry tonight because I haven't gotten my 100 words in yet and I'm already sleepy! I've been working on my synopsis for a contest whose postmark deadline is June 1st. Just as a side note: I think contests are actually motivation killers. Unless you're only doing 100 words a day (which some days I am), how would you find the time to tweak and perfect those first 30 pages and a synopsis, proofread, and prep the whole package to be shipped out? Then there's the anxiety, the waiting, the results, the thank you notes...arggh! I don't know why I do it. It's a sickness.

Anyhooo...just wanted to give you a heads up on some upcoming blog posts. Next Monday, this blog is a stop on Sandi Kahn Shelton's virtual blog tour. When I was asked to be stop, I'd never heard of Ms. Shelton, so I did some research, found she is a chick-lit/women's mainstream writer with great reviews and great covers, and decided to see for myself. I'm currently reading A Piece of Normal and enjoying it very much. On May 21st, I'll do a mini interview with her, and I believe she'll be posting to the comments answering any questions you may have.


Then sometime in the near future, I'll be hosting Tasha Alexander, author of the fabulous And Only to Deceive and recently, A Poisoned Season. Such a sweetie, and really an awesome writer.

But for now, just carry on...

A Different Challenge

I tried to post last night, but my husband beat me to the computer and worked on his project until I'd already gone to bed. Luckily, I don't have all that much interesting to say.

I did recently buy an abs-targeted yoga/pilates DVD, figuring it was something I could do at home and not too much of a hot and sweaty workout for the summer. Well the show is hosted by a man in short shorts sitting amid the sand dunes in some locale I don't recognize. It's actually very soothing. So I've done the yoga workout twice now and am still having a little trouble with extending my legs up to a 45 degree angle and then bringing them down to the ground and back up again without bending my knees. My stomach isn't used to that kind of punishment. But, I like hearing the voice telling me that my tummy is like the 'soft belly of dune', telling me to relax the skin around my eyes, and let the warmth radiate out from my belly. It's soothing.

Anyway, I think I pulled something just a little bit last night, but I decided to watch the pilates part of the video anyway. Let me just say that that is going to be an intense 30 minutes. I did some of the initial exercises in the beginner positions and was already having trouble. And I can definitely feel my stomach (my dune belly) today. This week I'm gonna try for 30 minutes of yoga abs every day...and just see how it goes. 100 words a day, 30 minutes of yoga...little by little...

Summer's Here...(almost)

Well, my last 'day off' for a while has come and gone, this past Thursday was the last big chunk of time I imagine I'll have to write for a good long time--at least until the end of August. Mother's Day Out isn't over for another week yet, but I've been asked to substitute both days, and then my older son gets out the following week. After that it's two boys 24/7 for three long, hot summer months.

This summer I'm putting them on a schedule: no more mornings and afternoons of 'I can't find anything to do...' I'm actually going to tell them what to do, different 'centers' or crafts on different days of the week. I'm hoping that during some of that time I'll squeeze in some writing time. Usually I need a big chunk of time. It used to be in the afternoon when they'd both go down for a nap, and I'd have a good two hours. Well naps are long gone, but sometimes they'll play on the computer on with video games for that length of time (although usually not without arguing and tattling). So this summer is a big experiment: I'll have the schedule, and I plan to keep my computer on and my WIP progress open in case I get just a few minutes here and there. Maybe I can condition myself to work like that. If I can, I'll get soooo much more done.

I'm still doing the 100 words in 100 days...I think I'm on Day 46 or something, so almost halfway there! And it's really working for me. I refuse to start over, I refuse to give up, so I'm there everyday, good for at least a quick 100.

Ready or not, summer is around the corner--wouldn't it be great if I actually finished my WIP??? I think it'd be awesome.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Places I Hope to Visit/See/Experience on My First Trip to New York City This Month

1. Grand Central Station and Grand Central Market below

2. At least one Broadway play...my husband got us tickets for Mary Poppins as a Mother's Day gift--I can't wait!

3. Serendipity, the little cafe from the movie Serendipity.

4. Central Park--a definite must, but we've not yet decided what to do there.

5. A Salt and Battery--fish n' chips place I found for my husband. Site of a Bobby Flay 'Throwdown'.

6. Either Magnolia Bakery or Billy's Bakery for cupcakes.

7. Angelo's in Little Italy on the recommendation of Lindsey and Ferrara's on Andie's recommdation.

8. F.A.O. Schwartz--my husband is hoping to play the ginormous piano like Tom Hanks did in Big.

9. NYC Subway

10. Empire State Building and Chrysler Building

11. SoupMan in Rockefeller Center on the recommendation of my sister.

12. Metropolitan Museum of Art

13. Someplace for souvenirs I can afford...

Also maybe Greenwich Village and Chinatown, depends on how much time we have and how fast we walk. Any other suggestions WELCOME! Thanks to all those who've already contributed.



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Over the Phone

Okay, I've now looked up DWTS, found out it's on tonight, and plan to watch. I've also watched a couple of fuzzy You Tube videos, and I must say, Apolo is lookin' pretty good. I'm very excited.

As to the over-the-phone critiquing that occurred last Monday, I think it went well. We'd exchanged many, many pages before that and had gotten plenty of emailed feedback, but something wasn't quite clicking (at least for me). I couldn't really 'read' some of her comments, and so I wasn't sure how to take them. Plus, after the first chapter or so was sent, I wasn't getting any specific good comments, or at least not many.

The latter got cleared up on the phone: she mentioned in passing that she assumed I didn't want to bog things down with favorable comments and so had been only focusing on constructive criticism. Clearly, she doesn't know me very well: I soooo want to bog things down. I want to know what's working, what's funny, what struck a chord. I want to know all that good stuff so that the not-so-good stuff isn't so hard to take. If someone tells you that they LOVE your dialogue, but you need to really trim down the introspection (for instance), it's the the fact that they love your dialogue that keeps you motivated. At least that's what keeps me motivated.

So I don't think we solved that, because I didn't blurt all that out in the middle of her commentary, but maybe I should have. I'll just maybe mention it in the next email. All in all, it was good. We clarified some things, and I got a feel for how she feels about my WIP. We plan on going back to email and only phoning if something comes up that can't be dealt with in cyberspace.

But I do have a question for those of you with critique partners: when do you figure enough is enough? If your partner has read your first chapter four times already (for example), do you have them read it again after those final tweaks, assuming they're pretty big ones, or do you just assume you've got it and move on? I'd love some feedback.

Follow-up to T13

First of all, who on earth is Gerard? PLEASE tell me you guys don't mean Depardieu!!

And what happened with Apolo on Dancing with the Stars???? I can't BELIEVE I didn't know he was on!

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Hotties (in my opinion)

1. I'd plaster a picture of my husband here, but he likes his privacy.


2. Mark Ruffalo


3. Apollo Anton Ono


4. Let's just call him Aragorn...


5. Will Smith


6. Michael Buble


7. Jude Law


8. Johnny Depp


9. Jake Gyllenhaal


10. Ewan Macgregor


11. Denzel Washington


12. Tom Welling


13. Chris Lowell



Whew! That was a lot of work--now I know why I don't post pictures very often. Forgive the lack of uniformity!


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants