I’m a year older now. Don’t feel it, sure don’t act it.

Hmm, I’ll take that back. Last week was a rush one with an editor requesting the full of COMMON BOND, getting it printed, off to her, then the wait. You can read the blow by blow on my March 8 blog on Writeminded.

As I was reading BOND, I couldn’t believe so much time had gone by since I’d first written this story. Seems a lifetime away since it finaled in contests, yet the book is so much better after my last rewrite. Even now it felt fresh to me.

Not perfect, mind you. In my opinion most novels benefit from editorial imput. Mine are no exception.

The majority of writers have trouble letting go of their work, me included. I can always see something else that should be done. I’ve woke up in the middle of the night with a better way to say or do something in a work that I entered in a contest, or submitted to an editor or agent.

I listen to my published friends describe their editorial revisions and hope I get the chance to improve my stories as well. Only time will tell.

That’s the thing about the writing life. Age isn’t a barrier. Neither is location or health (for the most part). Time often stands still while we’re deep into putting words on paper.

Writers write and submit to agent and editors. And then start the next book so they won’t go crazy waiting for a reply.

Readers hear of the overnight success stories. Those first books that are snatched up and the writer becomes rich and famous overnight.

Writers know it’s generally a long hard road to publishing. We write. We submit. And we wait for the call.

However long it takes.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 7th, 2006 at 10:39 am and is filed under Jan's Posts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.