Carol Newman Cronin's Blog, page 10

Hello, Goldilocks? The Best Time to Hire an Editor

Psst, I’ve got news: I just sent my next novel off to my favorite editor! Which means I’m actually making progress in this endless quest to finish my WIP.

The last time I worked with Kate Racculia (who helped me pummel Ferry to Cooperation Island into an agent-worthy story), I felt like I’d waited too long. Here’s what I said in 2018:

When should you hire an editor? Two answers: “much later than you think,” and “once you can’t make any more progress on your own.” I thought this story was ready to publish months ago, though looking back now I can see it was still a hot mess of a first draft. I’m glad I waited until I’d “finished” it (a few times), got some feedback that made it clear it still wasn’t focused enough yet, so I could give the editor some concrete direction about what I was looking for. I also wish I hadn’t bothered with a lot of the cleanup until I made the big changes.

Read more in Why Hire an Editor?

This time, I’m wondering if I’ve sent the manuscript too soon; what if the story’s missing a key component? Like so many decisions, I will only know in hindsight if the timing was Goldilocks-right. 

Story twists and turns

Most writing progress is impossible to measure. My last blog post of 2023 shared a fantasy about a GPS that could track my progress toward a book worthy of your time and money, but my writing process will never be linear enough for that. Even one step forward, two steps back doesn’t convey all the meandering paths that might be dead ends—or could be the next pivotal plot point. The only way to find out is to strap on my author blinders (the ones that block out the shiny publishing lights and voices saying, “this isn’t going anywhere”) and allow myself the luxury of just… following my characters.

So when I do make a measurable, definable step forward, like sending a “complete” manuscript to an editor, I want to shout about it to my readers—because otherwise it too remains completely invisible. 

What happens next? 

Over the next few weeks, the editor will go through the manuscript to identify what she calls “the beam of your story.” Typos are the easiest errors to correct, so I’ve asked her to focus on the big picture. She might suggest scene-level changes or tossing out unnecessary distractions, but her most valuable ideas will be about what’s not yet on the page. Which is why this timing might just prove to be perfect; I trust her to “see” anything that still needs to be added.

What she will NOT do: try to turn it into her own story. (This is a common writerly concern.) I love her novels (especially This Must Be the Place), but they are quite different from mine.

For FERRY, Kate’s thoughts were both really exciting and totally overwhelming—because I saw what the book could be, and realized just how much work I still had to do to get it there. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say.

But for now, after weeks/months/years of frenzied creation, I’m strapping on my patience pants—and trusting the timing will seem Goldilocks-right, even in hindsight. There’s still plenty of work ahead, but this pause is already granting me fresh perspective… along with time to savor a rare and mostly invisible step in my progression toward the next published novel.

Got a question about my writing process, or want to share your own? Drop in a comment below, or send me an email. I read every single one, with gratitude.

The post Hello, Goldilocks? The Best Time to Hire an Editor appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

Peter Harken: What an Amazing Guy

I love writing Seahorse profiles. They give me an excuse to sit down with sailing legends and ask quite personal questions. Like, “Why did you wait until you were 75 to get married?”

“First boats then blocks then both as Peter fits out another Vanguard 470 with the latest Harken fittings.”

Just like his name, Peter Harken’s life story is so intertwined with the company he helped to build that I gave up trying to separate the two. And the fifteen-month delay between writing and publication meant I was enchanted all over again when I read through Part I. So many Hall of Fame inductions… yet the humble Peter seemed quite surprised that I (and Seahorse’s readers) might actually be interested in his life story.

The editor has graciously given me permission to share the PDF with you, but that only covers up to the 1980s. To read Part II, you’ll have to subscribe. Well worth it for all the Rod Davis lessons!

Thanks for following along, and let me know what you think.

Read Plodding along dropping white plastic balls

Previous Seahorse Profiles

Buddy Melges: He Really Was a Wizard

Toppa Talks: One Job, One (Big) Dream

Circus Minimus: The Rich Life of Bill Mattison

Mark Reynolds: Hard Chines and Unasked Questions

Augie Diaz: Lucky AND Good

Dawn Riley: Setting the Standard

Clicks of Chance: Onne van der Wal

Just Say Yes: Stan and Sally Honey

Rod Davis: Why You Need His Wisdom in 2021

Rod Johnstone: An Amazing Legacy of Yacht Designs

A Final Conversation with Harry Anderson

Life Lessons from Dave Perry

Vince Brun Profile in Seahorse

Only One Jud (Smith)

The post Peter Harken: What an Amazing Guy appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

My Best Sailing Buddies: Thank You

Happy New Year! I’m starting off 2024 with a very specific dose of gratitude, and for context we need to take a quick look back at my sailing history.

The very first experience I had steering a dinghy at a high-level regatta was in the Europe, which was (in those bygone days) the women’s singlehanded Olympic boat. I hated it… especially when I found myself talking out loud, to no one. “Come on Carol, you can do better than that!”

As a “professional” Snipe crew, I thought at first that I just didn’t like steering. Oh, the pressure… and the starting skills I’d never learned! It was only once I stepped into the skipper’s role on the doublehanded Snipe (and loved it) that I correctly identified my previous dislike: what I hated, it turns out, was racing by myself. As one of my favorite competitors puts it, “Who do you have lunch with?”

Five Snipe teams rig for a glorious September afternoon. L to R: Bob/Steph Adam, Carol Cronin/Jensen McTighe, Kathie/Dennis Klok, Kara Voss/Chris Snow, Andrew Pimental/Kathleen Tocke

That explains why it took a three-handed women’s boat before I stepped up to the Olympic challenge once more. It also explains why, ever since, I’ve stuck with boats that require a crew. Let me pause for a shout-out to all my teammates, most especially my longtime “Snipe Sista,” Kim Couranz. Thank you for relieving much of that skipper pressure by keeping it fun, and for helping me to achieve a few race-winning starts this year!

Two years ago, I embraced two very different singlehanded endeavours: model boat racing and wingfoiling. That might seem like a change of heart, until we look a bit closer: I have a buddy for both, my husband Paul. No matter how heated our interfamily competition gets on the water (how many DF 95s did you beat, how fast did you foil), we remain a team. And I never find myself talking out loud to no one.

Last summer, I gained yet another buddy who helped me work toward a longtime goal. For more than three decades, I’ve wanted to reestablish Narragansett Bay’s Snipe Fleet 17. Even before Bob and Steph Adam bought a Snipe, our discussions dug up possible solutions to the many local challenges, both on and off the water, of trying to add low-key dinghy sailing to the amped-up Newport sailing scene. We decided the best fit for an evening series might be the Monday Night (Madness) racing, and the organizers kindly said yes to my vague request. Then “Hurricane Bob” took on the hardest part, the job I hated most: calling potential local Snipe sailors and inviting them to join us. The result? Three to five Snipes racing out of Newport Harbor, for the first time this century.

I quite happily do all of my writing solo, reaching out only when I need a fact checked or a developmental edit, but when it comes to sailing I definitely prefer to have a buddy. So thanks Bob and Steph for teaming up this year to start the Fleet 17 rebuild. And a big thanks to Kim, for keeping me laughing and (mostly) sailing my best. 

The biggest thanks goes to Paul, for being my buddy in everything else. I wouldn’t be having nearly so much fun on the water if I had to talk to myself!

Got a preference for solo or duo or team sports (or a funny story to share about Bob)? Add a comment, or email me. I gratefully read every single one.

The post My Best Sailing Buddies: Thank You appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

2023 Retrospective: How Books Met Boats this Year

A few weeks ago, I had my final sail of the year. Today is my last blog post of 2023. Time for my annual but quite informal look back at what I’ve accomplished since last December!

Last year, I published an end-of-year review of my own work habits. Fun to do once… but as my manager-self pointed out then, “Carol tends to avoid anything that involves too much rote repetition.” So this year, I’m going to take a different tack and look back at the highlights: where books met boats in 2023.

If only writing progress could be mapped with a GPS watch…Books

With two books “in the hopper” and progress mostly invisible until publication, it’s easy to lose track of how much I accomplished as an author in the past twelve months. First, I’ve dug deeper than I ever could’ve foreseen into the historical bilges of A Boat Called Hound; the result is going to be a very rich and detailed look back at this classic yacht. I’m honored to be part of the Hound fan club and can’t wait to share all of her fun stories with you. 

Second, I’ve been working toward a draft of the next novel that’s “ready” for an outside editor, a step that’s all too easy to put off. With Ferry to Cooperation Island, I hired that editor too late and wasted a lot of time perfecting details before the basic bones of the story were established. As I put it in April 2018, “I wish I hadn’t bothered with a lot of the cleanup until I made the big changes.” (Read more in Why Hire an Editor?) This time around, it feels too early… though only hindsight will show if that’s true. A January deadline has definitely sharpened my attention span the past few months, as I try to figure out which of the many goings-on out on Cooperation Island will carry your interest all the way to The End.

Balancing these two projects has been a struggle, but since they both challenge and excite me it feels like an embarrassment of riches.

Boats

I logged close to 150 days on the water in 2023 in a variety of craft. 100 of those days were wingfoiling—and I only had to be rescued once. Since I almost always record my track with a GPS watch, I got curious: was it possible to “see” my learning curve from the last day of the 2022 season (Nov 8) to the last of 2023 (November 19)? The answer is yes: compare the two tracks below.

Last fall (the left image) I was just starting to foil jibe, and I only sailed inside the harbor. Despite the solid northwesterly (16 knots, according to the weather stats), there’s a lot of blue—indicating non-foiling speeds.

Now (right image) shows me completing most of my jibes, which ups my average speed (and therefore the miles covered) even in lighter winds. And despite playing in open water, I’m also falling a lot less, which extended our season by another 11 days.

Favorite Part: Books Meet Boats

In that personal review one year ago, I asked my employee-self What do you enjoy most about the work you do? My answer still rings true: “That it’s so tightly interwoven with what I do for fun.” Books about boats, sailing as research—I’m so lucky to be proving the quote every day that “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

We spend most of our time looking forward, wanting to get better and produce more and see the next thing through, but it’s also important to stop and appreciate just how far we’ve come in the past year. Happy New Year, and thanks for sharing this wonderful journey. Before you start your celebrations, please shout out your favorite part of 2023 (or what you’re most looking forward to in 2024) either by email or in the comments below. I read every single one, with gratitude. 

The post 2023 Retrospective: How Books Met Boats this Year appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

Eve of Cooperation: My Gift to You

Every year, I try to put together a holiday story that will remind all of us about the gifts that don’t require a bow or fancy wrapping. This year, my imagination sailed a real boat out to Brenton Island—and unlike most of my fiction, the year is not firmly fixed. That allowed me to conveniently mix fact with fiction, without including spoilers for any of my books (even those not yet published).

Photo: PaulCroninStudios

This story is narrated by one of my favorite characters, and it’s not terribly long. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed its creation!

Thanks for the invaluable gift of your time this past year, and for following along with my crazy thoughts about Where Books Meet Boats.

I’ll let Mack take it from here.

Read Eve of Cooperation

Previous stories

Christmas Lost and Found

O Little Town of Brenton

Lamb Cove Promise

A Christmas Kayak

The post Eve of Cooperation: My Gift to You appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

Writing is YES (And Then We Edit)

At a recent writer’s conference, I was following along with the speaker’s thoughts about “sh*tty first drafts” when a phrase popped into my head: “Writing is YES.” I wrote it down… and now I’m going to try to explain what it means (to both myself and to you).

It’s very hard to turn off the editor inside my head, but that’s exactly what’s required to get fresh ideas on “paper”—which is the only place to see if they are worth sharing with anyone else. Spewing out thoughts and then following the most promising to see where they lead is how I start each blog post and novel and boat story. If I start thinking too far ahead, about what a story will look like in its final form, both fingers and brain freeze up: that’s not smooth enough, or those words are too flowery, or… you get the idea.

The first step to telling a story (especially the ones that originate inside my head) is to write it all out. Only then can I start editing it down to what I’m really trying to say—which often ends up in a different place from where I started.

So if writing is YES, editing is Yes AND (or, for more blunt authors, Yes BUT). I’ve written before about the different hats necessary to see any project through to a successful finish, but I’ve come to accept that those three avatars also need to coexist inside my brain. Ideally, I would collect all of the raw ideas and fresh imagery on the page (YES) before moving into the AND/BUT phase; finding the courage and discipline to throw out what’s not working. In reality, it sometimes becomes a wrestling match.

Here’s an example from a recent post: I was trying to draw attention to a quote from a 1966 regatta report that captured both the timelessness and changes in sailboat racing, and the idiom “in a nutshell” rose to the surface. Wouldn’t it be so much fresher if I shortened that to just “nutshell,” as in: “This nutshell phrase shows us what’s changed and what hasn’t.” ? I finally decided that skimming readers would find my shorthand distracting, and non-English speakers might even be confused; the final version reads, “a phrase that captures…” Much less colorful, and also much clearer. 

Like all of them, this blog post too has morphed as I’ve written. And now that I’ve captured the YES, I need to go back and see what I’m really trying to say; I’ll add in a few “ANDs,” and maybe even one or two “BUTs” (though that’s a word I definitely try to avoid). What do you think of my new phrase, and my theory (in a nutshell)? Share your comments below, or send me an email. I read every single one, with gratitude.

The post Writing is YES (And Then We Edit) appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

2023 Holiday Book List

I’ve written 50 book reviews here over the years, and I like to think they help bring some unsung heroes to your attention. Since that’s only a small fraction of the 50-plus books I devoured in 2023, this year’s holiday list starts with several other books I especially enjoyed—even if they’re not coastal fiction.

I like to imagine you all browsing for one or two of my favorites in an independent bookstore, but even if that’s not possible you can still support one by shopping on bookshop.org (they send a portion of each purchase to the store of your choice). They also provide excellent descriptions and often a review by a bookseller, so click on a title to learn more.

If you want to know why I particularly enjoyed each one, drop me an email or add a comment to this post.

Happy reading, and please let me know what you enjoyed (or didn’t)!

Books I loved in 2023Fiction

Charm City Rocks: A Love Story (Matthew Norman)

Lessons in Chemistry (Bonnie Garmus)

Float Plan (Trish Doller)

Tony Partly Cloudy (Nick Rollins)

Lucy by the Sea (Elizabeth Strout)

The Post-Birthday World (Lionel Shriver)

Yellowface (R.F. Kuang)

Terra Nova (Henriette Lazaridis)

Carrie Soto is Back (Taylor Jenkins Reed)

Daughters of Nantucket (Julie Gerstenblatt)

Memoir/History

The Rooster House: My Ukrainian Family Story (Victoria Belim)

I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes with Death (Maggie O’Farrell)

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank (Thad Carhart)

Dead in the Water: A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy (Matthew Campbell & Kit Chellel)

Hatched: How Nine Little Eggs Cracked My Shell (Sharon Wallen)

Got a favorite book to share from 2023? (Can you really pick just one?) Share it in the comments below, or send me an email. I read every one, with gratitude.

Books I reviewed in 2023

The Falmouth Frigate (James L. Nelson)

Beyond That, the Sea (Laura Spencer-Ash)

The Starfish Sisters (Barbara O’Neal)

The Half of It (Juliette Fay)

The post 2023 Holiday Book List appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

The Best Part of Writing a Good Novel

Several years ago, when my nephews and nieces were very young, I laughed with my sister-in-law about her far too frequent statement: “THIS is the best part!” Even in the sulky depths of the terrible twos, she was able to enjoy each childish phase—partly because she knew it wouldn’t last forever.

The process of writing a novel is like that too. Each phase is different, and most are quite fun—if only because this unique creation will eventually mature into something that can be allowed out of the house.

I’m working on my favorite phase right now for the long-promised sequel to Ferry to Cooperation Island, but to get there I had to complete the following steps—and this list looks far more straightforward than each felt at the time:

Spew onto a keyboard and computer screen any idea that seemed worthy, the only way to create a “shitty first draft.”Chisel away the pages and paragraphs of unnecessary words and characters and themes, so that the “true” story can shine through. (I’ve learned to call this Developmental Editing.)Identify the “beam” of that “true” story, and then make sure all of its necessary plot points and words and characters are actually on the page, in a logical (mostly chronological) order.

Only once those three steps were completed could I get to my favorite part: dialing in all of those details and scenes so they work together, toward a single, surprising and yet inevitable, happy ending. (The industry would probably lump this under Developmental Editing as well, but I like to think I’ve moved on.)

One reason I so enjoy this particular stage of my years-long novel-building process is that it’s finally easy to see the finish line. But even more importantly, I’m constantly surprised by my own writing. Seemingly trivial details often reveal themselves as absolutely pivotal—and, on my best days, might even click with another completely different part of the story. Obviously, my semi-conscious brain was working harder and better than I realized during those previous phases.

A great example of this, from FERRY: when I finally realized that Lloyd Wainwright’s height is what made him clumsy, and such clumsiness became absolutely critical to his climactic scene. I’m making similar “discoveries” right now, and it’s absolutely the best part of an amazing process. 

This novel is definitely past the terrible twos; it’s developing (or revealing) a unique personality, and it can even—if I listen well—tell me what makes it laugh or cry. Still a long, long way from leaving the nest—but I’m certain now that it will, someday, both entertain and inspire. 

PS: I wrote about this process in more detail a year before the last book came out; One Road to Novel Publication, in 6 Acts includes links to Story Parenting, as well as the least fun part of the process: Creative Slogging.

Got a story about the “best” part of parenting? I bet I can relate it to novel writing, if you share it in the comments below. Meanwhile, thanks for reading—and for raising the next generation of humans, which leaves me to enjoy my own fictitious offspring.

The post The Best Part of Writing a Good Novel appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

Thanksgiving 2023: What this Special Day will Bring

This year, Paul and I are hosting most of the Newman family for Thanksgiving. Our family traditions center around the standard fare: a big meal, anchored by a large turkey, consumed by a group of mostly blood relatives. We’re in charge of preparing the bird, while the rest of the gang bring a variety of delicious side dishes and desserts. After so many childhood Thanksgivings of watching the hostess juggle all of it herself, I feel like I’m getting off easy.

We actually had an early celebration two weeks ago with my midwest sister and her partner, but since I didn’t do any cooking at all for that lovely day, this still feels like the first Thanksgiving without my Mom. She’ll be talking to me as I prepare the stuffing (her favorite part of the meal) and check if the turkey is done (wiggle the legs, check the juice runs clear; you can’t rely on that silly plastic pop-up thing). She always called it her favorite holiday, because it prioritizes family togetherness and eliminates the stresses of shopping and gift-giving.

Besides food, we will make new memories over jigsaw puzzles and card games and chatter about books and boats and computers and college. Between dinner and dessert, we might get out for a walk. And there will definitely be candles on a cake to recognize the concurrent birthdays of my niece and nephew.

It all sounds so simple, but gathering together with my family of origin is always a special treat. I hadn’t thought about how rare it is to really enjoy spending time with blood relatives until a friend pointed out how well we all get along; this year, I’m going to really try to appreciate something I usually take for granted. 

(Hmm. If I can’t name a crazy relative… does that mean it’s me?)

I’m also very grateful that you all stop by here every Thursday. I hope you have a great day enjoying your own traditions, even if—especially if—they are far more off-beat than mine. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I’ll be back to more usual topics next week.

The post Thanksgiving 2023: What this Special Day will Bring appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.

New Book Discovery: My 3 Favorite Reads of 2023

In the spring of 2021, I subscribed to the mailing list of a friendly entrepreneur named Ben, who claimed he was building a site to help book lovers more easily find their next favorite read. “I love walking around the bookstore and browsing until something grabs my attention,” he said. “I want to bring that experience online. I want to help readers bump into books they would otherwise not find and give them ways to follow their curiosity between topics and concepts.”

It seemed like a pandemic project that might or might not lead to anything… but since then, Ben has indeed built a site that not only helps readers find books but helps authors promote their books. This fall, he asked authors to choose their 3 favorite books from the past twelve months of reading, and all of those lists are now up and discoverable; here’s the link to mine (though none of these books will be a surprise to any of my blog regulars).

As an author, I really appreciate this chance to dig into the links between what I like to read and what I write. And as a reader… well, who knew that Robert M. Pirsig (author of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance) also wrote a book that takes place on a boat?

While nothing can replace the joys of wandering through the physical aisles of a local bookstore, sadly that option is not available to everyone. So, start with my page… or if you want a (much) wider perspective, Shepherd’s own Best Books of 2023 shows what 883 authors (including me) selected. You can filter by fiction, topic, and even search only for books published in 2023.

I can’t wait to hear what you think about this new way to browse for your next favorite read! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go dig into that new sailing book…

Got a favorite way to find books? Share it in the comments below, or send me an email. I read every single message, with gratitude.

The post New Book Discovery: My 3 Favorite Reads of 2023 appeared first on Carol Newman Cronin.