Posted on 2 Comments

My D-Day

Today is the anniversary of D-Day. In the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, Americans received word that three years of concerted war efforts had finally culminated in D-day–military jargon for the undisclosed time of a planned British, American, and Canadian action. During the night, over 5,300 ships and 11,000 planes had crossed the English Channel and landed on the beaches of Normandy. The goal of every soldier and civilian involved in that effort was to drive the German military back to Berlin by opening a western front in Europe.

It got me thinking and I figured if there was ever a day to DO IT – today is it – my D-Day. (Especially given the opening line in the prologue of my ms:

Positano, Italy 1943
It arrived with a stream of local children in tow,
the bearer dressed in full military regalia.

Yes, I actually hit the send button on that agent submission that has been sitting in my draft email box staring at me, laughing at me, goading me. So it is done – fired across to the other side of the world via cyberspace. Whether or not is hits the mark, I’ll have to wait and see.

Now…a moments silence in memory of all those really brave – the soldiers, the sailors, and the airmen.

Posted on 5 Comments

Don’t Botox Your Book

 

I just watched 60 Minutes – a story on women who botox their faces; young women with hardly a wrinkle in sight.
What caught my attention was a word of warning from one comentator in relation to this new botox fad. This is what she said about when to stop. “There’s good, better, and buggered.”
I immediatley related this to writing (I relate everything in life to my writing!).
Think about it.
You start out with a ‘good’ book and revisions make it a ‘better’ book. But you need to know when to stop, when it’s enough, when to accept it as the best it can be. That’s the time to stop (before it’s buggered) and maintain your integrity, and more importanly your expression!
Posted on 9 Comments

I also have a dream

Someone recently gave me feedback on my entire manuscript (based on not very much at all!)
They said it would never sell. I was told my hero was not heroic enough, my heroine was ‘scarred’ (not perfect enough) and my storyline might make people feel ‘uncomfortable’.
Part of me wanted to trash the entire 90,000 words and start again – start something that ‘fit’ with the expectations of others.
Then I saw her perform on Britain’s You’ve Got Talent show.
I know I shouldn’t use cliches like ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ but there was never a better time to use it really.
To any other writer who is struggling to maintain their own style and write the book they’ve always dreamed of – the book of their heart (thanks Marion Lennox for sharing that prase with me), take a look at this clip.
I’m going back to finish my ms.