Final edit of book #3 (still untitled!)

My goal was to have book #3 completely edited by the end of today. With 35 pages to go, I'm not sure if that's going to happen. UGH! My other goal was to send out my first query letter next Monday, and I'm not sure if that will happen either. UGH! But...I'm trying not to rush it, not to push something out there that I'm not entirely happy with. Deadlines or not, I'm looking at book #3 as my golden ticket. My husband hates when I refer to it like that.

Editing my own work is not my favorite thing to do because I know that no matter how hard I study each and every word, I'll miss something. Oftentimes, I'll catch myself reading the text for meaning, which isn't good. Reading for meaning won't catch grammar mistakes.

Are you wondering why I can't choose a title for book #3? Yeah, me too. It's driving me nuts, actually. Like I said though, this book is my golden ticket, and I want it to be perfect. I've been looking online for a pattern to the titles of the best sellers and have noticed that for the most part, the titles are a single word. I'm also considering moving away from the pattern I've created for myself with using the character's name in the title. Okay, so I'm leaning toward Buried Secrets. It's not a single word, but it fits the contents and has some mystery to it. I'm not sure if it will stick since plenty of other books have the same title. UGH!

Off to editing I go!

My first author presentation

I was invited to speak at the Kasson Public Library on Monday night as part of their Books and Beyond series, and I'm rather pleased with how it went. I'm also very glad that it's over and so is my dog. She had to listen to me speak out loud for hours on end as I practiced the presentation. Never having done one before, I was incredibly nervous. Public speaking isn't something I look forward too, but I'm getting better at it and feeling more comfortable. The small audience filled with friendly faces helped immensely.

My theme, or message, for the presentation was, "Everyone has a story to tell." It goes along with my books and the main character Kody Burkoff being a ghostwriter. As I told the audience, on any given day Kody hears interesting stories from the people living in her community. Her clients share with her their wonderful, disgusting, sad, depressing, and sometimes boring events from their life. These are the same stories we might hear from the people in our own communities, if only we were a little more open. For most of us, it's human nature to hide our true selves from everyone. I mean, think about it. What do you really know about your mother, father, grandmother, etc.? Probably not as much as you'd like. An example I shared the other night is when I went to the funerals of my great-grandfather and my godfather. After reading the programs, I was embarrassed to learn who those men really were. I had no idea what they did before retirement, and I had never thought to ask. If only they had left behind a memoir for me to read. I could go on and on about my dream that everyone kept a journal to share with their families, but I can't keep going on and on because this chick needs to finish editing another book. UGH!!!!

Side project: Conversation Starters

My parents will be celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary this weekend and I've taken it upon myself to plan a dinner date for them. They have a reservation for two at one of my favorite restaurants, The Hubble House, and I called the manager yesterday to see if it was okay that I personalize their experience a bit. She said that sounded lovely. Here's my plan: a personalized wine label is on its way, my daughter made up a few wine charms with her earring making supplies (she is a crafty one!), and I wrote a small conversation starter booklet filled with questions pertaining to marriage. Wine glasses and roses are on my list to buy today, and then I'll drop it all off on Friday afternoon so the supplies will be at the restaurant ready for the big night.

Conversation starters:

I've been married for 15 years and needless to say, when we're out by ourselves, which is a rare occasion, we oftentimes don't know what to talk about. The day-to-day drama is something we try to avoid, therefore, the silence. I can only assume that after 40 years, it gets even harder to come up with fresh ideas. The questions in my booklet are ones that ask my parents to share their favorite things about marriage, their favorite qualities in each other, advice they might want to give their kids, and others along those same lines. If only I could be a fly on the wall to hear some of their answers! Regardless, whether they laugh through them or take them seriously, I'll be one happy daughter.

Giving up on a read

I hate to do it. I hate to quit a book, especially when it's by an author that I have previously enjoyed. BUT...there are so many other books on my to-read list that I can't validate continuing to read it when I'm not completely excited about getting to the end. The book is "Flight Behavior" by Barbara Kingsolver. She is a wonderful author that uses such beautiful wording and I truly appreciate that. The plot though, is boggling. (I've been using the word "boggling" a lot lately so maybe being boggled is simply a phase I'm in.) The book is about the flight of butterflies and also the flight of life. When I say that, I mean how we sometimes all want to fly away to an unknown destination because it might be a little easier, simpler, or more fun there. We don't know that of course, and as I grow older the less I believe in that theory. Life is as simple and as fun as you make it, regardless of where you reside. BUT...I'm not gonna lie...there will always be a small part of me that wants to take off for a week or a year to test it out.

I'm moving on to another book by an author I admire. She is a master at maintaining suspense. The beginning and end of each chapter is exciting and I can't wait to pick up the book at night. The author is Lisa Gardner and the book is "The Neighbor." I'll post my rating on Goodreads. Check out her work if you haven't before.

Building characters through living life

Relationships aren't always easy. Feelings get hurt, harsh words are spoken, and emotional wounds are opened and then closed again as time passes. With this in mind, how else does an author learn to build believable characters that readers can relate to? She must live through heartache, stick her foot in her mouth a few hundred times, and admit when she is wrong. She must bask in her accomplishments, smile at simple pleasures, and genuinely be happy with those individuals that she has deemed important. All of those emotions are then relayed into her writing. A great author gives it all she has even if it pains her to do so. In the end, a reader will hear the author's life experiences through her character's words and actions, and they will both call it a success.

It's my turn...

My last few posts have pretty much been morale boosters to get me back in the habit of writing. Well, today, folks, I'm going to make that happen. Two of my three kids are back in school, which means I'll have hours to myself. Hours! I'm so excited to have time to do what I want. The past six weeks my time has been theirs. We've had fun, don't get me wrong, but I'm certainly looking forward to having more control over my daily activities. For starters, I need to get organized. I need to decide what it is I want to complete first. Finish book #3 comes immediately to mind. Giving book #3 a title is second. I guess my list is done. Now for the hard part: actually doing the work. Maybe I want my kids home after all :-)

I'm up...let's do this!

It's early. I'm out of bed. The only sound I hear is the coffee percolating. Perfect conditions for writing. But where do I start? Do I continue to plan how to fix book #3 using my little black book? Do I fix the grammar and editing mistakes my reviewers pointed out? Do I start on page one of the manuscript and just jump right in? Ah, the dilemma! Okay, I think the best approach is to continue with my little black book so that I have a big picture of what needs to happen. Here are some of the requests I've received:

• More Kody
• More Minnesota
• More about the creepy guy
• Less visual imagery from Kody's brother
• Bigger surprise at the end

The above items are all doable, but the ending is a tad bit more difficult. I have a good idea of how to ramp it up, but I must be very careful not to change too much so that the entire story isn't altered. There's no need to rewrite the entire thing! I'll report back my progress...