Easter Sunday, April 16, 2017
Working on a novel is like having a newborn: it lets you know when something’s wrong and you can’t ignore that cry. When there’s a mess you change it and you forget to brush your teeth because personal hygiene falls by the wayside while you are in service of a new life.
One more milestone in this long journey: As of 1:40 AM this morning the .docx and a PDF of my current Peach Seed Monkey manuscript made the instant trip across the country to D.C. where, upon waking, my editor found them in her inbox like an Easter egg. I have entered the final round for getting the manuscript ready to shop around for the Final Amen (i.e. publisher).
While my editor reads, my reward for reaching this point (after ten years) is ten weeks to worry and work: start the next project. Thinking about rescuing a 30-year-old manuscript from floppy disks.
My fellow writers out there can testify to this feeling that falls somewhere between “apathy and despair”—as described by Kenneth P. Kempton (The Short Story, 1947). AJ Verdelle, my editor, shared his emotional trajectory with me two days ago—just in time to put words to the vehement roller coaster of the past two months— which is likened to a manic-depressive psychosis.😳 I can relate.
Meanwhile, after being immersed, researching and creating fictional worlds from 1803 to 1961 to 2012, I come up for air only to find the continuing horrors of (what my husband calls) The Trump Train. How can my worlds help but be influenced by knowing too much about this “dystopian future”? That requires caution & craft: I have to transform my rage at the idiocy of Sean Spicer; the horror of Gorsuch and the terror of having shaky fingers on the triggers of war. The writer’s job is to turn furor into fodder—compost the crap to help grow characters, plots and story lines— and shape the all important worldview.
Speaking of…
While I was submerged an inspiring Meet the Press interview surfaced: Chuck Todd interviewing elder statesman Jerry Brown, governor of our great state of California. Nice to have some good common sense to go up against that Trump Train —so I will leave you with this: (click on photo) or here’s the link:
YOU ARE SO DEAD-ON! Thank you for your genuineness . And don’t feel bad, it’s taken me 30 plus years to finish one book of poetry, i.e. MATTER OF TIME (pun intended) and I’m still making changes…
djHouston
Great interview…gave me a smidge of hope……but YOU my dearest give me HUGE hope and I am soooooo looking forward to Peach Seed Monkey !!!!! Wondering if you ever a time for pancakes? xo Tura
Penny Patch – A million congratulations and on to the next step. It took me five years to draft and re draft 45 pages. Hugs, Penny