What Even is Time?

I find myself once again going – where did the time go? Surely it hasn’t been two months since I last posted here. But alas – it almost has been.

Some days are just more dramatic than others.

The last time I wrote, though, I wasn’t expecting everything that was to follow: oven fire (everything is fine, though I went a month without the ability to cook anything that couldn’t be made on the stove top), losing my cat Ellis (everything is not fine – her death was unexpected, and I still miss her every single day), getting sick (cold not COVID), my editor choosing this time to send my manuscript back for edits. [strained smile] The things I did expect – the end of summer session grading and then the chaos of fall semester starting.

I just had major plans to use that week and a half to relax

But here I am, in the fourth week of the semester. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster without the safety harness – time is flying, and I’m just holding on for dear life.

Writing Buddy

I’m part of an online global writing group (which is actually attached to my workout program, My Peak Challenge, that I’ve been a part of for a year and a half now), and I love it. Having a community that is supportive and encouraging is such a necessary thing for a writer for so many reasons (at least for me). We share memes and resources and motivational posts. We talk about the challenges we are facing and the successes we have. We swap writing and give feedback. (It’s still amazes me that someone in Germany read my work and liked it.)

One of the things I talk about a lot on our group page is how important having a writing buddy has turned out to be for me. While the group is such a safe haven for me, my writing buddy is even more so.

My writing buddy is Jack Lelko, author of the soon-to-be published book Christmas Bitch. It’s a story full of sass and snark and complicated plot lines – just like Jack. (Kidding, friend. Sort of…) He’s read my stories and provided feedback. He’s hopped onto FaceTime with me when I’ve needed help talking through a troubled plot point. He’s even provided encouragement when I’ve found seeds of story ideas and helped them to grow. He talks about my characters like I do – as though they are living and breathing people walking about in reality.

Now, I’m a firm believer that a writing buddy doesn’t need to be another writer to be effective. Just needs to be someone who loves stories and can be honest with you (a writing buddy who is just going to fluff your ego isn’t going to do your story any good).

That being said, it’s FAR more rewarding when they are a writer because you can return the favor.

I’ve just finished up my third reading of Jack’s book, and it’s such a fun experience to see the way it has evolved since the first time. I feel quite honored to be trusted with his manuscript – to be trusted with giving my feedback. I enjoy getting to have chats about his characters, to see him work through a particularly tricky plotline. And I really can’t wait to hold the finished printed product in my hands (for which my multi-talented friend has also designed the cover). There’s a special spot reserved on my shelf, just waiting for this book.

If you are a writer (especially one who is feeling particularly isolated in your writing), I recommend checking out writing groups (whether in-person as it’s safe to do so or online). They can be game changers for so many reasons. But also – find a writing buddy that talks about your characters as though they are real people and who wants to see your story succeed just as much as you do.

If you are interested in holiday stories with sassy MCs, check out Jack’s social media:

Jack on Twitter

Jack on Instagram

Jack’s personal website and his Christmas Bitch website

I’m Still Here

I know it’s not news to say that life has been strange these last 492 days. (I used a date calculator to figure that number out – I’m honestly lucky I know today is Saturday…) It’s difficult for me to believe that I haven’t stepped foot inside of a classroom in over a year – and likely won’t in the Fall, either.

The last few months have been a struggle, and that’s saying something after this last year and a half. End of semester grading is always rough, made even more so with some “fun” health subplots (I’m fine thankfully). Then after what felt like a too-quick breath, summer session started, and it’s been nonstop ever since. I swear, I blinked, and we’re five weeks in.

Time really has no rules anymore, does it? (This is all to say sorry I’ve been MIA.)

In the midst of all of this, I did manage to get some words on the page for a couple new WIPs. I also buried myself in reading when I could fit it in. (If you have any interest at all in what I’ve been reading, you can follow me on Instagram.)

And I’ve been knee-deep in research Scottish fairy lore – which is helping with the writing just as much as it is making me pine to return to the country. (I was supposed to last summer, but, well… you know.)

Just know I’m still here, whoever you are that is reading this.

Writing Slump

On the morning of Friday, March 5, I received All Falling Things back from my editor. I asked for a timeline since they didn’t offer a deadline, and the response was by the end of April if possible. I returned the manuscript March 18. [strained smile] Any moment I wasn’t working or sleeping, I was editing. It felt really good to get back into Alice’s story after not visiting for over six months. Once the overwhelming feelings faded, I was just excited to see the story fill out.

After I sent the manuscript back, I decided to take what I had learned from the process and apply it to Lucy’s story (now titled Wherever Would I Be), which took about eight days. And then on to the YA WIP, which took about four. (They move quicker when they’re shorter. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) Between the three manuscripts, I added 11K words. And it felt GOOD.

I spent a solid twenty-one days editing. And I’ve been trying ever since to shift back into writing mode. But nada. I’ve gotten a couple hundred words down for the newest WIP, but it was a struggle, feeling like I was wrestling the words onto the page. To be fair, there’s been a lot of grading, and after spending an entire day staring at a computer screen, the last thing I want to do…is stare at a computer screen.

Writing is such a roller coaster.

Editing Alice

I will say this – the process of turning a manuscript into a book can be a humbling experience. I mean, here we are – finally ready to query. Because we’re done. The book is done.

[enter sad laughter here]

When I received my manuscript back from my editor, I felt like someone had doused me with a bucket of ice water. HOW ON EARTH did I feel like I was done writing Alice (All Falling Things)? It’s so strange to think there is this woman in New York (who I have never met) who is reading over and steering the fate of my book – but it’s also a really helpful process (at least it has been so far *fingers crossed*). My editor had done a detailed edit with tracked changes for the first fifty pages, which I was then to carry out through the remainder. Her comments, as well as coming back to the manuscript after not touching it for a good six months, let me see the story with fresh eyes.

I just email the manuscript back – and I already know Alice is better for this. 🙂 I’m looking forward to the next step in the conversation – because this book is not yet done.

Celebrate Good Times (Even During COVID)

A couple weeks ago, the U.S. passed 500K deaths from COVID-19. So many others have lost their jobs, their businesses, their homes. They’re struggling in ways they weren’t even a year ago. There is so much chaos and hate. It’s staggering. This last year has been nonstop.

It’s been 363 days since I’ve been remote for work. I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to work safely from home – but I am still so saddened that I didn’t know until the week was over that this was happening – that the last time I was in the classroom with my students would be the last time I’d see them in person. The last time I’d set foot inside a classroom for a long time. Remember that hope? We thought moving remote for two weeks was all it would take. We’d be back soon.

It’s also been almost six months since I first signed a contract for publishing my first book. In the midst of chaos and uncertainty, a dream came true. I haven’t told a ton of people about it just yet, partly because it hasn’t felt real, or like something could still happen that will rip this dream right from my fingers – but also because it feels a bit out of touch to be celebrating (even when rationally I know it’s emotionally important to celebrate the good things at times like this). I was reading an article a few months back in Bustle, an interview with Dan Levy about the added success his show Schitt’s Creek has found amidst the pandemic. In the interview, he said, “There are moments when I think it is important for your sense of self to also be OK to say, ‘Something good happened to me this year, and I worked really hard for it.’” This struck a chord with me. (Also, if you haven’t seen the show, what are you doing??)

On Friday, I received my manuscript back from my editor. She had gone through and edited the first three chapters to give me an idea of what she is looking for, and I’m to take it through the rest of the book before handing it back. My initial reaction, of course, was an emotional one. Not a bad one, just emotional – this is my baby – and a woman I have never met is telling me what to do with it! I understand the process, though, so I allowed my feelings to romp for a bit, throw their little tantrum, run off to Kavarna for some lunch – and then I set those feelings in the corner for a timeout so that I could get to work.

All I want to do is edit my book. That’s it. Well, edit and sleep. But there is life to attend to – there is work and cleaning and cooking. I have cats demanding snuggles sans laptop. Even so, I’ve managed to edit my way through a third of the manuscript so far, and I’m feeling good about the process and how the story is filling out.

I’ve also started telling a few more people the last few days. This step in the process is making it feel a bit more concrete.

In Today’s Research

In today’s research, I learned that L. M. Montgomery used her initials to mask her gender when she was trying to publish.

I also learned that Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was on the list of books that inspired her to become a writer, eventually leading her to write the Anne of Green Gables series (the inciting incident came from a newspaper article she had read).

The more I learn about her, the more I think that we would be, dare I say, kindred spirits. ❤

Looking for Lucy

I’ve got a working title for my work in progress! *pops champaign*

Titles are hard (as I’ve written about before). I don’t know why – but they are. I find that if I don’t have the title first, if the story doesn’t evolved from a pre-picked title, it gets incredibly hard the longer into the piece I go to find the title. I always love when a title appears somewhere in the story, so I’ve looked through to try and find something – but to no avail.

But last night I decided – I was coming up with a title – come hell or high water. I played with words, with themes, with the script of While You Were Sleeping. (It’s my favorite romcom of all time – and Lucy is, of course, named for the title character. The movie also makes an appearance as Shelly’s favorite movie, and they spend time at the train station where chunks of the movie had been filmed.)

The two others I’m rolling around with are Someday We Will and Wherever Would I Be, both bits of the script.

It was a bit of surprise with All Falling Things to discover that the publisher has the last say on the title. Rationally, I understand this. But I can’t imagine thinking of that book any other way.

I guess only time will tell is Looking for Lucy will stick. Maybe someday I’ll look back and not be able to see this book any other way.

A Love Letter to Scotland

I first fell in love with Scotland when I took a Scottish Lit course in college. Our professor, hands down, was the best prof I’ve ever had – I kid you not, when he taught History of the English Language, it was the first time in the university’s history that the course had a waiting list. His enthusiasm for whatever he was teaching was so infectious, it was hard not to get swept away. I took a course with him every single semester – whether it counted toward my degree or not.

In Scottish Lit, we learned all about William Wallace (and learned all the inaccuracies of the film Braveheart). We learned about Robert the Bruce. We learned about the poems of Henryson, Dunbar, and Douglas. I should also note that this prof is of Scottish descent and would share his own knowledge about the country and its history. He would share stories of his own adventures around Scotland, would wear his kilt on Scottish holidays, and break out the Scottish brogue whenever it was deemed necessary. (He could also speak old English and quote poetry in Latin.)

It was in this Scottish Lit course, though, that I learned about the magic that is Scotland, and I wanted to someday visit.

Cut to about five or six years later years later. I was working for a film company under my boss-turned-bestie. I was fresh out of grad school, and I missed talking about books, so we bonded over reading a couple series together and then coming to work and complaining in the morning about everything we disliked about them.

We also bonded over Scotland. Though my love of the country came through Literature, hers came through her ancestry. We joked for a bit that we should take a trip together someday, and about six years into our friendship, I finally asked – how serious are you? We started planning and saving.

We took the trip summer of 2018 – and I have to tell you, you cannot truly know the magic unless you’ve set foot on Scottish soil. I knew before we even left that I would be returning some day. (Was supposed to go this next summer, but obviously that is on hold.) I also knew I wanted to write something that involved Scotland.

Enter Lucy. My still untitled second novel. (Why are some titles so hard?? I’ve got a title and a backup for the new WIP – but Lucy? Nope.) Probably my first of many stories involving Scotland, Lucy visits places from my own 1200 mile road trip we took around the country (and a couple that are on my to do list for the next trip). The bulk of her trip centers around Isle of Skye. In the story, she describes a piece of scenery which I wrote side by side with this photograph. There was indeed a heart-shaped cloud that had formed in the sky above us.

And hard as I tried, as many as I took, I just could not take a photograph that captured Loch Ness – it is hands down the most incredible body of water I have ever seen in my life. As I write in the book, “It looked as though the loch were filled with black oil, a thin slick of water skimming along the surface.” The little doodle Lucy does is also something I took from the trip. (It was cloudy/foggy at the start of our cruise – the sky was bright blue and clear by the end of it.)

It was a lot of fun reliving the trip in this way, pulling up photographs to help me remember details. I feel so fortunate to have had the chance to see these places with my own eyes first, and I can’t wait to do it again.

Lucy is Now Luminous

I always require that my students title everything – and not just “Narrative Essay” or “Haiku”. I tell them, if the introductory paragraph or first few lines are like the first impression upon meeting someone, then the title is like catching eyes across the room – it is the thing that will get them to come across the room in the first place. And I’m not walking across the room to read “Narrative Essay.”

I also admit that I understand fully what it is that I am asking them to do because I hate writing titles – I would hire someone to write my titles for me if I could. In my own experience, I either have the title first, and the story or poem stems from that – or I finish what I’m writing and pull all my hair out trying to find something suitable to sit above it.

My nerdiest title is still PS129.I7646 2015. (I even have a version in case I ever published it under my pen name.) It’s the title of a poem that uses a book as a metaphor – the title is the Library of Congress classification for this metaphorical book. It took me four librarians to figure it out. 🙂 Librarians are magic rock stars. Seriously. One of them (Hi Carol!) even took the time to write out why she thought I should use PS129 (memoir) over CT25 (autobiography).

The title of my first book came about because I misread a billboard while driving. I can’t even tell you how I got from “All Feelings are Valid” to “All Falling Things,” but I’m grateful for it. 😛

My third book, the YA, I had the title for before I wrote it. My new work in progress I have title for that fits within the world it comes from – and I even have a backup.

But my second book? It has really been like pulling hair out of my head trying to figure out what to title it. I finished the first draft of this manuscript on Oct 31, 2020. I just called it “Lucy” after the main character knowing it would be a working title. Though there have been moments where I though, nope, it’s just gonna be the title ’cause I got nothin’ else, and I’ve written an entire other manuscript in the meantime…

I tried out a few phrases and words and tossed them around and sat with them. There was Looking for Lucy and Someday We Will and Wherever Would I Be. There was Catching Lucy. There was, for the briefest of minutes, The Girl with the Sun in Her Eyes (a lyric from The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”), but my beta readers thought it was a bit cumbersome for a title, and they were right. My beta readers even offered a few ideas of their own – Firefly’s Journey; Firefly’s Light; Path of the Firefly.

But still, nothing felt right.

I went down another rabbit hole of words yesterday, starting with a word and clicking through synonyms. Playing with sound. Looking up fireflies (I know more about them now than I ever thought I would). And somewhere along the line I stumbled upon Luminous. And I found I kept returning to it throughout the day, so I decided to sit with it overnight.

The next morning, it was still with me, so I passed it along to a couple folks, and they dug it. So that’s it – Lucy’s manuscript is officially named Luminous.

The hardest thing to know is that if this book ever finds its way into a traditional publisher’s catalog, that all this stress and worry could be for naught. Publisher’s have the last say on titles for a number of reasons, so there’s a chance they will come up with something else. BUT – one needs a title to catch their attention in the first place, so here we are.

Though now I’m back to thinking about Wherever Would I Be. [strained smile]