by jphilo | Aug 24, 2015 | Mystery Update
Progress has continued on my mystery novel set in the wilds of northwest South Dakota since the last Gravel Road update about Jane and her excellent adventures. Of course, every good mystery novel is replete with twists and turns, and this one is no exception. What are the latest twists and turns?
The first is this.
My agent, a wonderful woman and mom to 3 lovely little girls, had planned to read it on vacation. But because that vacation included entertaining 3 lovely little girls, so she didn’t have time to read anything. Which turned out to be a good thing.
Because of the second twist.
My daughter did read the book and returned it with the most marvelous feedback. Feedback that, if implemented, will improve the novel immensely. Feedback that shows she could be a professional editor…and as a literature major she has the credentials. So if you’re looking to hire someone to shape up your manuscript, just let me know. But I digress.
Back to the second twist.
The feedback was so good, I emailed my agent and said, “If you haven’t read the book yet, don’t. Wait for the next draft which will incorporate the feedback from my daughter.”
On to the third twist.
My daughter’s feedback is as unique as she is, consisting as it does of items like the following:
- Beef up the scene at the dump
- Start the butterfly thing earlier
- Get out of Jane’s head and into dialogue more often
- Make the bad guy seem gooder (yes, I know that’s not a word) early on
And so on. My goal is to have this revision done by the last week of August when my daughter and her family come for a visit. So I can entertain the baby while she reads through it. Obviously a doubly self-serving goal, but worthwhile none the less.
Which leads to the fourth and final twist.
When I am deep into revision zone, my little inner voice pipes up every now and then with its favorite public service announcement:
Stop playing around and get back to work.
I stop and feel guilty for a moment until the realization dawns on me.
This is my work.
And I keep writing.
by jphilo | Aug 10, 2015 | Out and About
The last two weeks have been painful. First, my stay with my daughter and her husband ended, which meant I had to say good-bye to our beautiful grandson. Next, I spent two days figuring out what I’d been doing before my month of play (long July 4th weekend in the Twin Cities, a week in Idaho, and a week with my daughter’s family), getting the house in order, and keeping appointments.
Then it was time to visit Mom, who was more than a little miffed because I had missed 2 Wednesday visits in a row. (Never mind that the Man of Steel came in my stead both weeks.) And because her new jeans–the ones I’d spent two weeks and 3 return trips to the store until I found ones that fit her–don’t fit just like her old jeans did.
At which point I trounced her playing Rummikub.
On the drive home from that visit, I said to myself, “Now you’ll be home for several days. You’ll get caught up on your writing. You’ll have time to think and recuperate.”
At which point God laughed.
And I walked into our house where the Man of Steel was on the phone with CenturyLink, our internet provider. He was on the phone a long time and finally hung up, a bit disgusted. Which for him means saying something unpleasant in a kind way. “We won’t have internet for a week.”
At which point I began to cry.
And to pack my briefcase with all the writing materials necessary for a week’s worth of writing. The briefcase was heavy. Heavy enough that I considered cramming everything into plastic garbage bags and steeling a grocery cart from the store down the road.
At which point I realized my sister is right. I am a drama queen.
So I ditched the garbage bag/grocery cart idea. But I did spend the week as an internet homeless author, wandering the streets in search of free public free access to the worldwide web. It wasn’t fun. And I got really, really behind on my work. Frustratingly so.
At which point my daughter, the literature major, sent her edits for Run, Jane, Run via email.
That cheered me up immensely as she really liked the book, and her suggestions for improving it were wonderful. Her ideas will require several more days, maybe even a couple weeks, of revising. But it was something I could do stay home and do without internet access.
At which point the repairman came and our internet service was restored.
Which just goes to show timing is everything. And God is still laughing.
by jphilo | Jun 4, 2015 | Mystery Update, Three Thoughts for Thursday
- When writing a mystery novel set in northwest South Dakota, determine the color, make, and model of every character’s dusty pick up truck before writing the story so the information doesn’t have to be painstakingly added later.
- Keep in mind that readers can’t picture what’s in an author’s head until the author describes it.
- Writing and editing are hard work. But they’re also incredibly fun. So authors should get over the guilt of having the best job in the world and simply enjoy it.
What are your thoughts about writing and editing? Leave them in the comment box below.
by jphilo | Apr 3, 2015 | Daily Life
Today’s Fantastic Friday post comes from way back in April of 2009. That spring’s weather must have been considerably warmer than this one, since the columbine have not yet made an appearance. The mystery novel mentioned below is a different one than Run, Jane, Run! which is unfortunately not almost done, though I’m almost ready to find time to work on it again. My almost standard of living continues, but the 2009 evening listening to Bill Bryson in the company of my dear friend Cindy was not almost enchanted. It was most definitely a magical evening never to be forgotten.
Almost
It’s almost spring, the calendar says, but the weather’s cold again today. Through the garden debris, the columbine are almost ready to unfurl their leaves. The peony tips are visible, almost pushing through the black dirt.
My life is a reflection of my flower garden. Mom’s house is almost sold, we’ve cleared out almost all it’s contents, and I’ve almost figured out her finances. I’m almost done going through the editor’s suggestions for A Different Dream, the mystery manuscript is almost done, and I’m almost ready for a speaking engagement. My house is almost in order, the bathrooms are almost clean, and I almost have the weekend menu planned.
The problem is, just like spring, I’m stuck at almost. As soon as I almost finish something, something more serious arises and I have abandon what’s almost done to address the other. Almost finished projects are piling up so fast they’re almost drowning me.
All I can do until April 10, when we close on Mom’s house, is make peace with the almosts. My friend came up with a perfect way to do it. We’re going to hear the author Bill Bryson speak at Drake University tonight. He’s a Des Moines native who lives in England and almost never gets back to Iowa. The talk will be an almost perfect ending to an almost winter day in what claims to be spring. And to think, I almost missed the opportunity.
Thanks for inviting me, Cindy.
What almosts are piling up in your life? Leave a comment.
by jphilo | Mar 23, 2015 | Book Updates
Can it possibly be that Jane last made an appearance along this gravel road in July of last year? Yes, sorry to say, it’s been that long. And since that post’s report of on the sad lack of progress of the mystery novel bearing her name, Jane and her cast of characters has been almost completely neglected.
Poor Jane. Poor, poor Jane.
Mind, you the reasons for this shameful neglect are all good ones. First, I had to research and write a book about PTSD in children to meet the publishers November 30, 2014 deadline. A week later a month long Camp Dorothy commenced, and I was too busy keeping track of Vanna White and Judge Judy to write much. No sooner did that end, than our second grandchild was born and Mom moved into assisted living. Oh, and did I mention that The Caregiver’s Notebook released on November 1, 2014?
Poor Jane. Poor, neglected Jane.
To add insult to injury, all my time since 2015 began has been spent going to see the grandkids and completing edits on Every Child Welcome, along with a B-I-G rewrite of the PTSD book. That book, by the way, has finally been named Does My Child Have PTSD? What to Do When Your Child Is Hurting from the Inside Outs.
Poor Jane. Poor, traumatized Jane.
Because, as Does My Child Have PTSD? makes very clear, neglect over a long period of time can cause PTSD in children, especially babies. And Jane is most certainly my baby, even though she’s a young, independent woman living in the wilds of South Dakota. And my baby will most likely remain sadly neglected for at least 2 more months, maybe 3…until the final edits of the PTSD book are done, my daughter’s baby is born, and my spring speaking schedule clears up.
Poor Jolene Jane. Poor, poor Jolene Jane.
She misses her imaginary romps in northwest South Dakota and writing school teacher detective scenes where glitter becomes the ultimate weapon. She misses writing about nasty weather on the big prairie without having to experience it first hand. So to give Jolene Jane and anyone else who misses the short grass prairie a taste of what they’re missing, here’s a clip from KOTA news in Rapid City offers a taste of life out west. Complete with heat, indoor plumbing, and two of the strongest Harding County women I’ve had the pleasure to meet.
Just wait, Jane. Wait, Jane, wait!
