When I was an unpublished writer, sending out My Louisiana Sky, something in my gut told me the story wasn't ready. I got some interest early on, but it was not because of my writing. The editors liked the premise. That hurt. I wanted them to like my writing.
Some of the editors told me what they thought that I needed to work on. Some invited me to send it, again, after a rewrite. Imagine their surprise, when it came back in a couple of weeks. In other words, I foolishly hurried through the revision.
When I sent When Zachary Beaver Came to Town to my editor, I told her it wasn't ready, but I'd been on top of it so long. I needed her perspective. Like the gem of an editor that she is, she took that into consideration. And when we first spoke, she said, "Kimberly, Zachary is amazing." Those words motivated me. After I received her editorial letter, I was ready to roll up my sleeves and revise more.
With a few books under my belt, you'd think I'd learned the lesson about sending out a story too soon. Back in September, something in my gut told me my historical novel wasn't ready. But it was late, oh so late. I sent it anyway. Christy's letter arrived in January. I still had a lot of work to do. Years ago, she told me that "rewriting could be beautiful." Again and again, I'm reminded of that. And once this story and I found its purpose, the joy of revision returned.
In an earlier post, I mentioned the board hanging in my office with the characters names and my deadline. Since undergoing this story, that date has changed several times. But now I know I'm only days away from finishing this round. I know this in my gut.
***Congratulations, July winners: Jo Moore from Lubbock, Texas and Kimberly Celentino from Ashton, PA.
No comments:
Post a Comment