Skip to main content

Writing Revising Cutting

It's been a busy few days. Yesterday I made rhubarb sauce from rhubarb I had frozen. I got it last summer from Mrs. Beachy, the Amish woman who lives down the road.
We get all our produce there in the summer and it's the best. Anyway, I took her a jar of the sauce. One of her daughter's answered the door. Her mom had gone to visit family in Michigan.
Then I puttered - I can putter an entire day away and never accomplish anything. Can you? Or am I the only person that putters anymore? I did some writing of my own and read more of Sherry's manuscript, ISLAND PASSAGE. I'm getting caught up in the story and not doing as much editing as I should.

Today I pulled together two stories to enter in the West Virginia Writers contest, deadline March 31. That's with a late fee! I'm always a last minute entrant.

I'm going to submit KILL ME OR DRIVE ME TO FLORIDA - I had to write a one page synopsis. Try to fit a novel into a one page summary. Nearly impossible. But I did it.

I'm also submitting SWEET BABY JAMES about a baby abduction. Baby James is the second novel in the series I was going to call SHADY CREEK - but the first book HUNGRY FOR CHOCOLATE didn't sell. AND it went out to every publisher on this earth.

Tomorrow I'll read over the two stories, I'm submitting about five thousand words each, and the summaries. I plan to send them out on Monday.

I always feel so righteous when I submit something.

I've had lots of feedback from the story that was in the Detroit Free Press. Many pros and cons on health care in this country. I'm not up for arguing any of the points. I just want us all to have the good coverage we deserve in this country.

That's it for now. Blessings!

Comments

  1. I am glad I found a writer. I will try to pick up some tips.

    I haven't submitted anything since high school and college but had some poetry and shorts published in nothing that counts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. good luck with your submissions! I've submitted 3 so far. I might submit one or two more before the deadline. All I've ever won is an honorable mention a couple of years ago.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm working on at least one submission for the West Virginia Writers contest, Janet, and may dig out something else and dust it off. I'm always late.
    WELCOME Gail. Don't know that you'll learn much but I'm glad to have you checking in.
    ALSO everything counts no matter how small - by that I mean everything you write counts, when you love to write.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can definitely relate to your puttering! I've puttered days away too. It sounds like you've gotten a lot accomplished in between your puttering though.

    Good luck with all of your submissions! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you that your writing will find a home at a publishing house!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Revolutionary New Diet...

Recently I went on a diet. Like most diets this one was scheduled around a major life event. My daughter's wedding. There would be no shopping for a mother-of-the-bride dress until the pounds came off. Typically I go on a diet on Monday and by Wednesday I've folded beneath the weight of a German chocolate cake. I've been hijacked by as little as a stale pink sugar wafer discovered in the dark recesses of the bread drawer. But this time things were going to be different. I could tell as I went to get the mail and discovered the first crocus of the season. Life was looking up. Even though an icy rain began to fall, my spirits weren't dampened. Not even when huge drops pelted me on the head and I had to dash inside. My latest plan would revolutionize dieting. If it worked for me it would work for the world. I smelled a book deal. I could see myself all made-over and liposuctioned sitting between Oprah and Dr. Oz. It was full speed ahead. Gone were those complex menus...

Building a story vs building a house

My latest book! Dear Writer:  Writing a story is somewhat similar to building a house. Or not! Remember this: when we give a piece of our story to someone to read - we expect them to see the whole. It's like building a house and offering a single piece of lumber to another builder. “Here, see the house I'm building.” SOME CAN SEE IT AND SOME CAN’T. Here's the thing: MOST CAN'T. This step is as necessary to me as breathing.  I need to give you single boards as I create them. AND I expect you to be a visionary and say, “Why yes. I see.”   I need you to see how special the piece of lumber is that I'm using and to see that eventually I'll add more pieces to make the whole.  Choose people to read your work who like the kind of stories you write.  There are as many kinds of stories as there are houses to live in. If you give a brick ranch to someone who only appreciates a cape cod then he'll have a hard time fitting hims...

MY HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCE...

Wednesday, March 16, 2011 High School - Poca High School, Putnam County, WV What year was it? Fall 1960 - Spring 1963 What were your favorite bands, or singers? Sam Cook, Chubby Checker, Conway Twitty (It's only make believe), Johnny Rodriquez. Meatloaf. ELvis. What was your favorite outfit? Straight skirts, blouses, cardigans or jackets, little heels. Other Outfits? Jeans and a white Dr. Ben Casey shirt. What was up with your hair? Everything. I put peroxide on it. Lemon juice, thinking it needed to be lighter. I cut it, styled it, put it in a pony tail or a french twist. Hair was the most important thing in my life in high school. And hair spray, the stiffer the better. Who were your best friends? Patti Jones, Karen Mattox, and Susie Bailey all thru elem school. Then added on Donna Dailey, Sharon "Mouse" Hackett and Janice Wick and many others. Also Bonnie Kerwood who was older than me and lived near me so we hung out listening to records after schoo...