On the brink

Lots of fun stuff has happened since last I showed my face 'round these parts. The biggest news is that Three Girls and a Baby is finished. Like, done. For real. I can hardly believe it. It's been critiqued, beta'd, revised, edited and proofread several times over and I'm now at the point where I'm happy with it.

Mostly.

To be honest, a huge part of me is terrified that I've missed something, that I've made a mistake somewhere, that there's something I could have done to make it better. But I'm sure I would have felt like that no matter what. I think, for me, fear is the nature of the beast. So now the book is ready to be released out into the world--where it will be the subject of much acclaim and success, I can only assume.

In addition to a finished manuscript, I also have a lovely book cover. I hired Tamra Westberry, a wonderful graphic artist, to design for me, and I'm very happy with the results. I think the cover is cute, eye-catching, and screams chick-lit.

So the next step is formatting. Basically, when you publish to these various channels (print on demand paperbacks, kindle, nook, ipad, etc.), there are very specific formatting guidelines you have to follow. I decided to start with my paperback because it will take some time to get the proof (sample book that I need to approve) back. I figure while I'm waiting I can work on formatting for kindle and nook. If the proof copy of the paperback looks okay, I will approve it and...the book will be on sale the first week of July. That is such an exciting prospect I almost can't stand it!

In fact, the excitement is making concentration very difficult. I should be getting an approval from the printer in the next few days, letting me know the proof is ready to be shipped and I cannot.stop.checking.my.email. It's horrible. I need to be put out of my misery.

The best way to stop thinking about one novel is to focus your attention on another. I need to get my energy flowing in a productive way, and stop with all this waiting around. I need to start writing again.

So tomorrow I am heading up to the cabin, where there is no internet to distract me (or TV, for that matter). I plan to stay there for about two weeks. And during that time, I am going to finish the draft of the sequel, Three Girls and a Wedding. Finishing the draft will require me to write about 55,000 words. That's a lot. Like, really a lot. It's a crazy, huge, overwhelming, crazysauce kind of goal. But you can't be a writing rock star without kicking some ass. And that's what I plan to do these next two weeks.

And hopefully when I get home I will have a first draft in my hands...and a shiny proof paperback, all ready to be approved.

The highs and lows

First of all, it must be said, Internet, I have missed the hell out of you! Since the lovely people from at&t left 3 cable boxes and a flashy looking wireless modem at my house, I have been in media heaven. I forgot how wonderful Bravo, Food network and HGTV truly are. I have been on facebook, reading blogs, and checking out writers forums like its my job. Bliss.

Today I am going to make a conscious effort to unplug so I can tackle some writing. It's been a few days since I've put much on paper and I've been feeling crappy about that.

Let me briefly explain how the process of this book has gone thus far:
1.Maddie and I get all worked up about indie publishing, making our dreams come true, fulfilling our life's purpose, blah, blah, blah.
2.I write like a crazy person for a week and a half, knocking out close to 20,000 words.
3. I love, love, love my novel.
4. I wake up one morning and decide my novel is, in fact, the worst thing I have ever written.

Its crazy the way I can feel such different emotions about the same words on two different days. But man, once those doubts start to set in, its tough to even want to write. The whole thing has felt clunky and heavy, the opposite of what you want in a chick-lit novel. So I've been battling with myself for a few days, trying to get out of my head and just write. Regardless of whether its good or bad, regardless of whether I end up trashing the whole thing in revision. I need to just write. But I couldn't get myself there.

But then today I woke up with a vision. Fully formed in my head was a new way to lay the whole thing out and, hopefully, freshen it up and make it feel lighter. And now, again, I'm looking at my novel with a fresh set of eyes. It feels great.

I know this ease of writing won't last forever, I know there will be many more days where I am convinced I, and my book, suck. But for today I will take it and be grateful...and hopefully get a lot of words down on that paper.