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| image by dev null via Flickr Creative Commons |
I made it through content and line edits! I did round one edits in the spring, but my editorial letters for rounds 2, 3, and 4, each complete with line edits all came during the summer. It was tough, but I'm done! And right now, my manuscript is in the hands of a copy editor.
My kids made it through what has arguably been the MOST BORING SUMMER EVER. (Apparently stressful deadlines for me = no fun for them.) And they went back to school today! I now have kids in three different schools, with six different drop off / pick up times. 7:45, 8:15, 9:05, 2:15, 2:45, 3:30. Crazy much? Maybe just a little. Benefits to having the most boring summer ever? My kids are actually, for the first time ever, mentally ready (and possibly even a little bit excited) for school to start. Huzzah!
I recently okayed my author bio, wrote my dedication, and worked on my acknowledgements. :'o) I haven't finished them, though. Holy hardness-- they're tough! So much more difficult than I anticipated. Oh! And I made a book trailer! Aaaand I can't show you for like ten months. But it's awesome! (You're just going to have to trust me on this one for now.) It was crazy time consuming and had to happen right during crazy deadlines for edits in order to be used at list launch, and possibly made me a little crazy, but it's done. And my agent is going to use it to pitch my book to foreign editors, which makes me crazy happy. Plus, in ten months from now when I'll probably be crazy busy, I'm going to take a few minutes to sit down, kick my feet up, and be so glad I'm not in the middle of making a book trailer.
I actually worked on book 2 this past weekend! I went to a writing retreat and got SO MUCH DONE. I'm still living off the high from accomplishing so much. Especially because I'm generally a slow drafter, so what I got done in 2 1/2 days amounts to 7 good weeks of writing. For a moment, though, I didn't think it would happen. I was wandering outside the resort, talking and plotting (because I plot best when I wander. And it's even better when I do it chatting on the phone with someone than when I'm just talking with myself...), and I saw this:
I took this with my phone, standing directly in front of our place, looking at the Park City mountain that's so very close to us. That stuff in the background? Those aren't clouds! They're the first billows of smoke from a massive forest fire. I thought for sure we'd be evacuated. The writing gods smiled down on us, and we forged on.
I swear, guys, I am back, and I plan to blog like I love it again. Because I really do. I figured I'd do a few industry posts, too. I think it's so good to know what you're getting into every step of the way, and the best way to do that is to read about the same things from different people. Things are just so vastly different between publishing houses, between genres, age groups, editors, authors-- it's good to hear all of it. So I think I'll post this week on List Launch--- the thing I knew the least about when I got my book deal. Plus, I think I'll post on how to have a successful writing retreat, because it could've just as easily become a chat-a-thon as a write-a-thon.....
So tell me what you've been up to this summer! You don't have to write a post-length comment, of course. It is, after all, my fault I haven't been around to see what you've been doing. But if you do decide to leave a post-length telling of your summer, I am so VERY okay with that.
27 comments:
Great to hear from you again, and congratulations on the most recent hurdles in your publishing journey! Curious: did you do all the concept work/etc., on your book trailer, or was this a collaborative with your publisher?
For my part, I've been querying one novel and working furiously on a second, which is now in the 'put it aside and forget about it' stage. Which is a good stage to be at since we're in the process of moving daughter #1 to college this week. Egads!
Good to see you back!
It sounds like a busy but exciting time. Welcome back to blogland.
Welcome back to bloggyland! Good luck with the school schedules, wow. We've had a nice chill summer around here. My son got a job and I'm still chipping away at my latest novel.
This summer I did a lot of nothing, other than a two week period when my husband was home on R&R. Then we did fun stuff. My kids were pretty bored all summer too.
I wrote zero words all summer long. Until I went on a writing retreat this last weekend and tripled my WIP's word count. I was fortunate enough to go with an amazing group, including a creative, talented genuis named Peggy. Not only is she amazing but she is also hilarious.
P.S. I'm glad you're back!
Great news on all fronts! Sounds like you need me to send you some outstanding cookies!
Wow, Peggy, you DID get so much done. Good for you!
I have been busy, but mostly with fun things like camping, company and going to celebrations.
Most of my blog posts have been posting pictures of our adventures, but not writing long or investigative history things. I am behind on my visits and commenting though.
Glad you are back on here and that the kids are happy with school. Glad that fire didn't come over the hill too.
Kathy M.
Let's see, what have I done? 1) dogged my friends at a writing retreat; 2) not finished my revisions for my R& R's 3) .....*crickets*.... um, that's it! You were a little more productive than me ;).
You accomplished a lot while you were away from blogland. I need to do that--get away from the web. I think maybe I'll go on a writing retreat or something like that.
Welcome back and congrats on the edits! So...umm...no chance of a leaked book trailer then?
Good to hear from you, Peggy! I can understand why you've been a bit quiet on the blogging front. You sound sooooo busy!!! Whoa! How did you find time to start book 2?? I am so impressed... And you are sooooo forgiven for not being around!!
Glad you are back! I have missed not being able to chat as often!
I'm glad you're not dead. For me this summer has been round after round of colds for the kids. Not much writing getting done but every now and again I tweak my query and synopsis and send them out again.
And to think that in the midst of all this, you took the time to be a guest on my blog. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Peggy, you're awesome!
Congrats on the progress, the book trailer, surviving multiple rounds of edits and all the hard work you've done over the summer! I have this feeling that the payoff will be grand!
Glad your back! So jealous about the retreat. Wish I could have been there. Looks beautiful!
Congrats on getting so much done! Wahoo!
A very productive summer! My kids have felt a bit neglected too, and I've had to rely on the X Box a little bit more than I'd like - but I can't stop the momentum for the summer or I wouldn't start again until Christmas... and then the kids would be on holiday!
That retreat sounds like something I could do with.
Great to see you back in the blogosphere! :) Welcome back.
Congratulations on finishing all those edits, your book trailer, and your writing progress over the weekend! It sounds like you've had a busy, busy summer.
Glad you're having a great summer. It seems like a lot of people have been MIA. Good to see you back!
Great to see you're back. Sounds like this summer has been crazy busy for a lot of folks.
At times (or, more like all the time) it is hard to keep up with the blog posts. Life does keep us busy :-)
Glad to have you "back."
Wow have you been busy and accomplished a lot! How exciting! I can't wait to see the trailer and read the book! And I'm looking forward to your upcoming posts. I have spent the summer visiting colleges and trying to keep up with things - not nearly enough new writing! Maybe in September when the kids are back at school....! Great to have you back :)
Welcome back! You were BUSY! I am just stunned summer is over. Where did it go? This week I was saying I did not get any sleep in days like I used to, but at least stuff got done. :)
That's awesome Peggy! You've gotten so much done! (The school schedule, btw, makes me hurt a little.) I'm excited for the trailer and the book. :)
Looking forward to you blogging again. :) i can't wait until I can go on a blogging retreat!
So glad to see you blogging again, and to know your edits went well! (The fire looked scary. YIKES!)
Me? I self-published a book over the summer and went through what seemed like 50 revisions and edits before I uploaded it to Amazon, Kindle, Nook and eBook! Then someone told me they found a couple of typos...UGH. (I'm extremely detail-oriented, so this frustrated me; but I'm NOT a writer, so I think I can handle it.)
Other than that, I started blogging more frequently on my website, providing tips in my area of expertise -- a lot like what it sounds like you're going to do with writing and publishing. Can't wait! Thank you, again, for being so generous with your knowledge.
Way to go, Pegasus! High-freakin-five. :D
As for me, I'm knee-deep in content edits. Woo!
Hi, Peggy! Sounds like you had a productive summer. I no longer have a child to send off to school, but I remember looking forward to that first day of sending my son back to school each year. : )
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