Now It Can Be Told

That’s “told”, not a mispronunciation of “cold”, although we could certainly use about ten degrees off the swelter. Okay, if it’s so hot, why am I wearing a swelter? Now that we have that out of the way, do you mind if I begin my post? Thank you.

I JUST SIGNED A CONTRACT on the first of a three-book series.

Many long years ago, I began a fantasy novel I called (and, so far, still call) SAGE. I finished it, read it to the Southern Indiana Writers group, edited it, and submitted it to an agent. I got an agent, who suggested rewrites but declined to wait for them. I did the rewrites, got another agent, who wanted rewrites but didn’t like them when I’d done them. Can’t remember who wanted what, but I went through about four agents and as many rewrites.

At length, I started reading the “finished” product to #4 daughter, who had grown up with the book. We both agreed that the book was dead. Murder by rewrite.

So I dug out all the versions. Taking the first version as my template, I took each version apart, isolated the bits I liked from each one, and patched together a rough draft that was massive but included everything #4 daughter and I loved about all the ways the story had been told.

I applied for, and was granted, a week’s writer’s retreat and used it to read through the entire manuscript and make notes of the many, MANY continuity glitches that resulted from switching scenes around for better impact.

desk at retreat – photo by Marian Allen

And now, the manuscript has been accepted by Hydra Publications, with the first book coming out early in 2013.

Happy? Why, yes. Yes, I am.

There may be more rewrites, but I can do that now without killing the book. #4 daughter would never allow it!

A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: It’s a clichéd story arc, isn’t it? That’s because it really happens, as it did to me: Somebody has a dream that gets hammered out of shape; when it looks like the dream is dead, the person takes hold of it and brings it back to life and the dream, at last, is validated. Write a scene from any point of that arc, making it fresh by making it specific to that character, that project, that setting.

MA