Off to Reviewers

Well, my book Hamilton's Pond made it through its first big hoop: the editor. As far as she's concerned, it's a go! Now it's off to the review committee. I'm not sure what that means--whether it's something of a formality or yet another potential obstacle. At any rate, I'm glad to have news. Now it's wait, wait, wait again for the reviewer feedback to come in. That should be several more weeks.

I'll be interested to see whether any of the reviewers question the use of the word "asphalt." I hadn't thought of it before, but today during an email exchange with my editor, I decided that the word was perhaps a bit old for children the ages of my intended audience. I did "field research" on three subjects ages 5, 10, and 12. Neither the 5-year-old nor the 10-year-old knew what the word meant. The 12-year-old did. (Incidentally, the 12-year-old is my son.) I suggested "tar" as a possible change from my own text since I talk only of how somethings smelled--not what it actually was.

Add One to the Booklist

A friend just brought me A Beginning, A Muddle, and an End: The Right Way to Write Writing by Avi. So I'm adding that book to my to-be-read list. This should be a good week for getting some reading done . . . and hopefully some writing as well.

Tomorrow (which is, I guess, today) I hope to do further research on Lovers of Laundry. I did some Bible study yesterday and attempted to outline the book. My thoughts so far are rather unwieldy: too broad, too scattered, too nebulous. I'm hoping that looking at other books of a similar genre will help me focus on what I want to accomplish with this book.

Books I'm Reading

While I wait for word on my latest project(s), I'm continuing to write. But as most (all?) good would-be writers do, I'm reading, too. Here's what's on my recently read list:

Heartbeat (Creech)
How to Study the Bible (MacArthur)
The Old Man in the Corner (Orczy)
Kitchen Privileges (Clark)

Here's what's on my to-be-read list:

Sometimes a Light Surprises (Turner)
How to Speak Shakespeare (Pritner & Colaianni)
Peace Like a River (Enger)
another Sharon Creech book

What else should I be reading? Any suggestions for me?

Spy Network

My daughter and her friend ran into my editor yesterday. The editor told the girls that she was eager to read my revised manuscript and that it was next on her list. So perhaps that means that I will hear something this week. The editor also mentioned that she could already see some of the illustrations and who would do them. Now doesn't that seem hopeful?! To be continued . . .

Hamilton's Pond Revisited

Yes, it's true. I re-submitted my children's book story Hamilton's Pond with a revision that added a child who is involved in the plot. My editor will get back to me at some point. So it's the waiting game again. For now, I'm continuing to work on our summer play, which opens Friday. After that, I'll try to find time to do some research on Daniel's Day and Lovers of Laundry. Both pieces have been stagnating for some time while other projects pushed them out of the way.

An Ending in Sight

The End is near! The story Hamilton's Pond has made it through my daughter and now my husband. His comments involved questioning how asphalt is laid (who knows?), remarking that my placement of an odor in the story was odd (it was), and wanting me to add some more details (I did). So now everyone's happy, but I still need one more pass before I'm willing to let it go back to the editor. Hopefully, I'll be able to do that in the morning before I head to the ticket office for the day. Perhaps my quick turnaround will inspire a quick turnaround in others. :)

It's All About the Ending

And I'm having trouble with mine. I just can't seem to get it right. It doesn't feel or sound finished yet. The reader needs to feel a sense of "Oh. Wow. That was good" when he reads the last line, I think. I'm hoping to spend some time this weekend massaging that final paragraph and then back to the publisher. But right now I'm headed to buy a dog leash and doggie treats for our summer play. First things first!

Add-a-Kid

Rodney Robbins. That's the name of the boy I added into the Hamilton's Pond story that I am revising. I did a reworking on Wednesday in ABC then tested it on my 14-year-old daughter. She had some good insights: things like, "Who's Rodney talking to when he says . . . ?" or "Would a kid really send an email to the mayor?" (I decided that this particular kid would. But it's helpful to think about things as a genuine first-time reader does.) I've now given the story two days' rest, and I'm going to go back at it this afternoon to see what I think now that I have a little perspective. I'll probably read it aloud, too. It's amazing what that exercise will point up.

I'm reading a memoir of Mary Higgins Clark right now (Kitchen Privileges), and she states that she submitted her first short story 40 times before it was published. Wow.

A Chance to Revise

I heard from an editor at one of the publications at which I've submitted a story yesterday. The word was a "no-but-if-you-care-to-make-a-change-we-might-be-able-to-talk." I'm taking this as an opportunity to learn and grow and what's more, get another story published. The editor felt that my story Hamilton's Pond was too adult (where have I heard that before?) in that it features an adult with an adult problem solved by an adult "albeit with humor" (her words). She feels that I need to write some children and childish thinking into the story. I couldn't agree more. But I just didn't see it before she said it.

Take one of my favorite children's books: Officer Buckle and Gloria. Officer Buckle is an adult who has an adult job that he loses, which is a very adult problem. However, it is a child, Claire, who states the theme of the story in one of her star-shaped notes to Officer Buckle: Always stick with your buddy. So now the question before me is whether I can accomplish this with Hamilton's Pond. Stay tuned.