Monday, October 15, 2007

Checking in...

to say that I have been sooooo busy the past month, I've not blogged. My favorite real estate agent, excuse me, Realtor, has sent me five emails wailing and whining about nothing new to read on the blog. So now she's more addicted to me than Perez Hilton. (Did I win or lose?) Of course she could sign in under whatever name she wants (I'm thinking something like LocationLocationLocation). OK, well, maybe not.

I want to blog, really I do, but I'm writing an historical romance. Well, that's not exactly it, either. I mean I am writing a novel, but that's not really getting in the way of blogging. I just don't have the time to get into anything in depth...I mean if you want in depth, go to Robin's blog . Lately she's trying to drive me mad with a HUGE compilation of the stuff you need to know about what to do with a book when you finish writing it. Reading Robin, for me, is not unlike constantly chasing this great, big, orange carrot. I want Robin to be my agent...oh wait, I have to finish the book first. But really, if you're writing a book or know someone who is (besides me, I mean), send them to Robin's site for her 10-part series...maybe it's 12 parts. It's good. Right now Robin is serving as my all-volunteer editor. I got the newest version of MS Word, and I send her 75 pages and she sends them back all marked up in red and blue and green notations that say things like "I demand a rewrite," and "What, really, does this mean?" I cannot believe she makes me rewrite the passage until it sounds like the gorgeous thing I meant it to be. I'll tell ya, these volunteers are brutal. And commas....I am a comma addict, and Robin is allergic to them. I think they are elegant, she thinks they are preposterous dots with unseemly little tails. ::sigh:: I'm so lucky...and I love my life (and all the commas I can fit in it!)

Anyway, if things keep going as they are, I might even get a finished book out of this!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lest T.T. deceive y'all, I must admit I'm not serving as her editor pro bono. We have a contract with generous terms for me, although I admit T.T. was wise not to elect to pay me a percentage. Finance is her thing, after all. (laughing)

I'd love to serve as T.T.'s agent, but she probably won't need one unless she wants to throw her royalties away. She has all the attributes of the ideal author publishers are seeking—except the finished manuscript, but that will come.

Meanwhile, I'm hoping to gain practical experience and wishing T.T. were as interested in this end of the book business as I am, because she'd excel at it. Those of you who know her will undoubtedly agree.

P.S. - Notice my extravagant use of commas!

T.T. Thomas said...

Robin said: "She has all the attributes of the ideal author publishers are seeking—except the finished manuscript, but that will come."

Oh from your lips to each of our respective bank accounts! Thanks for the vote of confidence.

P.S. I do take issue with you calling your usage of commas 'extravagant.' No, I do
believe the 86-word sentence I wrote somewhere in the first 25 pages of the manuscript involved an extravagant usage of commas---and good grief were they ever necessary!

A good editor is a terrible thing to waste...heh.