What’s In A Name? As it turns out, plenty!

What’s in a name? As it turns out, plenty! When I started writing “I Knew Men” one of the first hurdles to jump was naming characters. With the exception of one, all came from my imagination, fed by personal experience and perceptions. I wanted my main character’s name to sound friendly. For the original draft… Continue reading What’s In A Name? As it turns out, plenty!

The story that’s in you? Write it down.

According to my publisher, Newman Springs Publishing, 80% of people want to be an author, but less than one-half of a percent actually accomplish that dream. Since the time my dream was shared about “I Knew Men” getting published, I’ve encountered friends who shared that they also have stories to tell. They just haven’t taken… Continue reading The story that’s in you? Write it down.

My favorite word I love and hate

Much like the two fictional families in my novel “I Knew Men,” the Fraziers and the Newmans, my own family enjoys hanging out, especially when food is involved. Recently, when I was with my two daughters and a good friend, playing cribbage and sharing a pina colada bowl, our conversation turned to guessing which words… Continue reading My favorite word I love and hate

The colorful world that’s now black & white.

On January 6 I returned my first edited review to Newman Springs Publishing. The entire process has progressed from the colorful world of writing to the black & white vastness of editing. It was painful to scrutinize every sentence. I also found the experience to be exhilarating. Line by line, I reviewed the suggestions my… Continue reading The colorful world that’s now black & white.

Am I a serious writer now?

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Most often it’s been for someone else, whether a homework assignment, newsletter, grant proposal, sales piece, amusing letters from Santa for Facebook friends … I enjoy the parts of any circumstance that involve writing. “Writer” is not a stand out in my resumes, however. It… Continue reading Am I a serious writer now?

“The first draft review can be a bit overwhelming.”

On December 1st, I received the first draft edits of “I Knew Men” for my review. My double-spaced manuscript of 341 pages had been reduced to 170 pages, sized to fit a 6″ by 9″ paperback. I realize that text styling to make things look pretty is coming further down the road, but to see… Continue reading “The first draft review can be a bit overwhelming.”

The Unexpected and Fateful Publisher Search

I remember taking a deep breath when “I Knew Men” counted out to 99,700 words. It was time to pursue the big dream of publishing! Backing up a little, I first dared to look into publishing a few years ago, when I announced at Rotary that I wrote an unpublished novel. For the first time,… Continue reading The Unexpected and Fateful Publisher Search

12 years is a long time to complete a novel — or is it?

In his book, “On Writing,” Stephen King said, “I believe the first draft of a book — even a long one — should take no more than 3 months.” Given that it took me 2 years to complete mine, does it come as a surprise that it took me 12 years to complete the editing… Continue reading 12 years is a long time to complete a novel — or is it?

Cut? But I love this part so much.

So many words! So many words! Turning one novel into two helped to solve my giant word count problem, but I still had a long way to go to get “I Knew Men” into shape if I wanted to pursue publication. There were scenes and experiences that I had thrown my heart into, that I… Continue reading Cut? But I love this part so much.

Whose head is this? The POV lesson

When I received the initial manuscript review of “I Knew Men” from Marg Gilks 12 years ago, I felt both encouraged and discouraged. She gave me confidence about the story itself, but serious editing was needed if I wanted a chance at living the author’s dream. I didn’t have resources to pay for anything beyond… Continue reading Whose head is this? The POV lesson