Nov 3, 2010 | Writing Tips
As someone who put the “pro” in procrastination, I am outing myself on internet blast to meet two deadlines regarding the revision of my coming-of-age manuscript. I completed the first draft six years ago. Now, with the encouragement of friends who are wonderful writers and an interested agent, I need to polish the next draft.
For writers everywhere avoiding the work that qualifies you to describe yourself as a writer, come walk with me. With our bowed heads and stooped shoulders we will wander wordlessly seeking the light. Wait! Do you see that ahead? A glow of hope fueled by deadlines.
The first deadline is courtesy of National Novel Writing Month, which just happens to be November. Day 3, and I’ve yet to revise a page, although I have been thinking about it constantly. But thinking isn’t writing. So I signed up last night to participate in the contest, which calls for a 50,000-word (175 page) manuscript by midnight Nov. 30.
The second deadline is courtesy of the James River Writers, an awesome organization in my own backyard that I grow increasingly fond of with each newsletter. The Best Unpublished Novel Contest 2011 has a Dec. 15 deadline. You must have a tie to Virginia to enter your first 50 pages. The entire manuscript will be requested if your work passes the first round of judging.
Writing from the gut and the recesses of my heart and soul challenges me like nothing else.
Not one to shy from confrontation, tonight I will duke it out with my fear of failure. I will stomp rejection and whip her best friend Miss Doubt. It promises to be an exhausting evening. But even if I have to pull an all-nighter, I will write a few pages. While many sleep, I will briefly celebrate my short-lived victory. Because fighting the battle to write the magic words is constant, elusive and consuming.
Oct 11, 2010 | Writing Tips
So I started the last day of the James River Writers Conference meeting with an agent about my manuscript. I only had five minutes so I told her I would share a 90-second story that prompted my work. Bottom line? She wants to read it! She knows I am working on a major revision so the clock is ticking!
I thought hearing “send it to me” would be the highlight of my day. But I soon found myself enthralled with a panel discussion about writing dialogue and later beaming during a spirited and wickedly funny session about screenwriting.
Just when I thought nothing anyone else said could offer more teachable moments about writing strategies that work, along came Charles J. Shields as the last speaker.
Shields wrote the biography of Harper Lee, author of the fabulous “To Kill A Mockingbird,” one of my all-time favorite reads. It’s one of the few books I try to reread yearly so I can fall in love again with its grace, truth and heartbreak. Lee’s work reminds me why I need to write. Shields’ comments reminded me to dig it out as I gear up to drill deep during the second revision of my own work. I believe it’s a happy coincidence that like Lee’s story, my novel addresses the elusive nature of truth, justice, racism, and identity through the eyes of a young, spunky girl.
This summer marked the 50th anniversary of Lee’s book, which is almost as popular as the Bible in our nation. Extremely private, not much is known about Lee, which is why Shields wrote the biography without her input. I haven’t read his book, yet. But from reviews, it seems like he hasn’t learned a great deal about Lee since she told those who know her best not to cooperate.
Harper Lee is a bonafide celebrity who shunned the spotlight for decades. Still, I give Shields props for trying to scale a privacy wall so painstakingly erected by Lee that it still looms in this age of-too-much-personal-information. How quaint is that facebookers and my tweet peeps?
Maybe the mystery surrounding the Pulitzer Prize-winning Lee makes “To Kill A Mockingbird” more powerful. What I know for sure is I will start reading it in a matter of hours. Nothing fuels my desire to write –in order to learn what I know –like reading a nearly flawless book. It just so happens it’s been nearly two years since Scout and I hung out. I need her now like never before.
Oct 9, 2010 | Writing Tips
Had an awakening today while moderating a panel on “The Art of the Interview” at the James River Writers Annual Conference. Writing, no matter the form, is such a solitary endeavor. So being surrounded by talented wordsmiths inspired me to revise my 188,000-word manuscript.
Meeting with an agent tomorrow as part of the conference will inspire me more. That’s the beauty and power of such gatherings. You get the ear of some folks who could spin your life in a different direction. And if not, you still benefit from informative and engaging sessions with practical tips on honing some aspect of writing. My panelists: Phaedra Hise, who has mastered the art of writing about whatever she wants, from wicked workers to aircraft accidents; Harry Kollatz, Jr., the fedora-clad storyteller with an engaging style; and May-Lily Lee, host and senior producer of Virginia Currents, the longest-running statewide television series currently on air.
Good company indeed.
Phaedra is wrapping up her fifth book, this one on the hot topic of hoarding. She told me she had three weeks left to write two chapters. Immediately my long-neglected desire to be a published author poked me near my heart. Hard.
I had questions to ask so I pretended not to notice. But as I faced the audience of writers I saw myself in their eyes. I understood their rapt attention and a palpable hunger for answers, strategies and connections to make their writing dreams materialize.
Six years ago I began submitting the first draft of my coming-of-age manuscript about a gifted and sassy 12-year-old African-American Catholic student in Philadelphia during the 1970s. Twelve rejections and a trip to the now defunct Maui Writers Conference later, I packed it up. Rejection stings and festers. Fast forward to this summer and a conversation with author and educator Paul Fleisher, who told me he had 50 rejections before he published a book. You just can’t give up, he said. I nodded half-heartedly as something stirred near my heart. I pretended not to notice.
Today, I asked the speakers “Who are your interview role models and what do you admire about their approach?” As I listened, my brain tilted right (its creative side) then left (its rational side) and I made a pact to fulfill my desire to be a published author.
So after I accidentally ended the session 15 minutes early (oops!) I ambled into the hallway to study the list of agents attending. I ran into Maya Smart, a JRW board member (and friend) who told me as a moderator I could meet with an agent.
What is it that they say about putting your requests out into the universe?
I got the last spot with the agent I requested. And no matter what happens tomorrow, I will keep moving toward my goal. Word by word. Day by day.
