Research, Research, and More Research

And some creative writing.

The more I read, the more I realize all I don't know about getting published. But that's why they write lots and lots of books about how to get published.

I have my book out to two editors to read and fix and mark all over, so my novel will be perfect when I send it to literary agents.

I'm writing my query packet. One more step in the process.

And creative writing about anything and everything in the mean time. Luckily, Sudafed is good for inspiration. At least the kind they check your ID for is.

Meg's Fiction in A Flash

Dennis Lehane, Shutter Island

From beginning to end, this psychological thriller has readers questioning everything they read. Lehane introduces characters in the Prologue that you come to know are real, definitively. Teddy exists. He is a real person. A U.S. Marshal, in fact. But by the end of this eloquently written, disturbingly, nightmarish thriller, you will question whether or not you, yourself exist.

Gals and ghouls, Lehane's book is not for the faint of heart. I am a professional reader and writer of the depraved, insane, unfathomably terrifying acts of evil man can commit. And this book, read before bed, gave me nightmares. Every. Single. Night. Why read it before bed, you might ask. I am one of those twisted individuals, who's a glutton for punishment in that regard. Nightmares end up being another form of inspiration for my writing, my second novel maybe.

By the end of this novel, you will want to go back and read it again and again to make sure you have caught everything. And to try and piece together the unraveling veil of reality Lehane has constructed and deconstructed right before your eyes. He is a magician of sorts, trading in the nightmares of the criminally insane. As I write this, I am flipping back and forth through the book, re-reading passages mentioned in the last chapter. Desperately trying to piece together some reality, any reality I can believe in. Alas, I am questioning everything I thought was fact 50 pages ago, 100 pages ago...in the prologue.

I will go see the movie to see if that illuminates something new, or solidifies some idea that's been bouncing around the dark corners of my brain. And I'm sure I will read this book again in the future, as I have read it before. Perhaps... Perhaps, Lehane wants me to remain confused and questioning reality. And perhaps that's what makes this book so great.

Yesterday

I turned my whole novel into my adviser/editor yesterday. She will read it, do her thing with it, and return it as a...well...who knows what it will look like when she returns it, but I am greatly looking forward to hearing her expert, objective opinion.

In the interim, I will pour over my Writer's Market 2010 Guide to Literary Agents to figure out how I'm going to get a literary agent, pour over books as to the best publishing houses for murder mystery novels, and figure out what exactly my query letter is going to say so I can sell my book to someone, anyone, the highest bidder, but really...anyone. Let's get this baby in print! It's about that time.

Well, okay, so maybe we're not quite there yet. But the book is almost perfected. So, it's time to move forward to the publishing, making money, another hard part because it's a first for me, but oh-my-God-we're-really-excited part!

To my editing friends, be looking out for an email with aforementioned query letter in it along with a sweet, polite plea for you to use your amazing editing skills to make my query letter great.

To anyone and everyone who reads this, please keep your good vibes coming my way. Writing the book is only half the battle, and it may not even be the hard half.

CORRECTIONS ARE FINISHED!!!

I finished making corrections to all 34 chapters. I now have 191 pages. Woo hoo! This last round of editing was long and arduous but it went well, it's finished, and I know it made the novel a lot better.

I have one chapter left to write. Maybe two. Maybe!

The last chapter I need to write may get written today, but maybe tomorrow. I might have to celebrate being finished editing 191 pages of my text. I'm so close to the finish line. I just have to push a little harder.

New things

First off, I have only eight chapters left to edit.

Throughout this process, I have written and developed something like thirty different characters. Today, as with a handful of other days, I learned something new about one of my characters. It really is an incredible thing when my characters come to life so much that they teach me things about themselves.

These kinds of discoveries lead to richer characters with more depth. I can't wait for people to read my work, so they can experience these living breathing people with me. And love them and hate them and understand them and laugh with them and experience their lives alongside them.

One of the things I love most about reading fiction novels is the ability to sink completely into a world that's not my own. This is only possible if the writer successfully creates a fictional world filled with people I want to care about. I think and hope when it's all said and done, you love all of the complexities of my characters as much as I do.

Avoiding a Case of the Writers's Craziness!

I feel like I have to ward off the Writers's Crazy at this point. To the point where I pray about it regularly.

This is a marathon, and I'm at the finish.

I pray every night for a timely medal-winning finish.

And not a case of the Writers's Crazy!!!

Today's Editing

1. "Your" and "You're" are Oh My God different words!!! How I got them confused for pages and pages and pages toward the end...let's just call it a case of writer's craziness. It hits us all sometimes. Luckily, in the light of a new editing day, we see clearer.

2. I finished editing my novel today. Tomorrow starts computer corrections, which is SO much easier.

Meg's Fiction in A Flash

James Patterson, Witch and Wizard

James Patterson only gets a couple of stars for this one. Not that there are stars for him to get, as we've previously discussed. Anyway. I'll give Patterson props for the premise of the book. He has created a sort of New World Order that is removing people, particularly teenagers, who are deemed to be threats to the new way of life they're trying to establish. While this plot is not a new idea, it is new for Patterson. His book is more interesting because he deviated from his traditional route.

Patterson also succeeds in that this story is told from the perspectives of two teenagers who are brother and sister and deemed to be a very powerful threat to the new regime. His language is easily identifiable as a teenager's vernacular, and he deals with issues of right and wrong and good versus evil from these teenagers's perspectives. He has made this book accessible to a younger crowd and tackles serious issues in a creative, magic-filled way that teenagers who don't read regularly might actually read. And for all of the book nerds out there, who spent their weekend nights as a teenager between the cover of a book instead of out and about with the popular kids...well, let's just say they'll be happy to have stayed home.

Okay, so the bottom line: this book may not be that innovative, but if you're willing to sink into this world and let your imagination run wild, you'll enjoy it!

Meg's Nonchalant Nonfiction

Anthony Bourdain, Kitchen Confidential

Anthony Bourdain is brilliant, funny, crazy, intense, knowledgeable, crude, crass, honest and most of all, himself in his depictions of life as a "restaurant lifer." He keeps readers entertained with anecdotes from his youthful, smart-assy beginnings in the restaurant industry, as well as, horror stories about the responsibilities and difficulties of running a kitchen as The Chef. Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant will be able to appreciate many of his experiences in the kitchen.

The last chapter is especially incredible and educational. Bourdain provides readers who want to be a chef some really practical advice including something like get to know your line cooks's nationalities because there is a big difference between Ecuadorian, Peruvian, and Mexican. And you DON'T want to get them confused, or worse, be ignorant.

I have no star system for good marks in these sections, but I would give this book high marks for "restaurant lifers" and normal folk alike. After reading this book, I have a greater appreciation for all of the men AND women who work in restaurant kitchens, even if they're just flipping burgers. In my mind, any book that can cause me to have a greater appreciation for my fellow man ia a very good thing.

And the editing process continues...

I call it editing. But it's editing, revising, rewriting, writing new sections, writing new chapters, all in lots of red ink on the all almost 200 pages of my novel. So, it's days and days of frantic, "in the zone" scrawling in red ink. Bright red ink, so I can see it and hopefully read it. Lots of arrows and boxes with text in them and instructions in the margins as to where this new bit of text is going to go and where that sentence should go and crossing out and rewriting and consolidating ideas, paragraphs, and sentences.

And lately it's been The Shins but before that it was everything country and sometimes it's Modest Mouse but not normally rap. Something inspirational with a good groove that will hopefully keep me moving forward. To the next paragraph, the next page, the next chapter...until I get to the end. And insanity. Lots of creative, beautiful, inspiring, wonderfully worded, and not-so-wonderfully worded insanity. It's intensive and tiring and lots and lots of hard work, but it makes me so freaking happy.

This is my novel. My first. My baby. And I love it. I love everything about it. All the rough, ugly, grotesque, beautiful, twisted, funny, scary parts. So I trudge forward through the mire of living, breathing, loving, terrifying words. Day after day. Only to be followed by days of making all of these corrections in the computer. Back to my novel I go...

Yesterday's post

Today went something like this:

Edit a chapter. Get up. Look out a window at the snow falling.

Edit another chapter. Get up. Walk around to look out another window at a different part of the yard to see how much snow has accumulated.

Edit a chapter. Get up. Follow my Dad around to see which window he's looking at the snow through.

Edit chapter. Put coat on. Step outside to marvel at the snow.

Edit chapter. OH MY GOD THERE'S FIVE INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND!!!

I don't even need to tell you, after this, all productivity came to a halt! There was snow on the ground after all. FIVE inches of snow! We must build snowmen. So we did. Mom, Dad, and I built three snowmen. Their names are Marigold, Percival, and Frosty! A really fun, really productive day!

The Editing Continues!

All day long! I got several more chapters edited today despite the fact that operations came to a screeching halt mid-afternoon. I got to CH 8 and realized that 2 of the most important victims just now died! The real problem here...I said in CH 6 they were already dead. So, we had to rearrange a couple of things, which meant I had to rearrange a couple more things. The beauty of a murder mystery novel? Everything has to be intertwined within itself a lot of times. Today, I got to unwind some of these layers of details and re-intertwine them (if I can say that) within themselves. Just in a different order. It was awesome! Well. At least doable.

Operations race full steam ahead.

Editing, Revising, Rewriting

And that's how the day was spent. The first chapter was majorly improved today. It was good to finally have a semi-fresh perspective on this chapter I probably wrote six months ago. I seriously appreciate the breath of fresh air!

The next five chapters received a nice combing through to increase their depth now that I know how the story ends.

Lots more editing to go!

The Importance of Reading Your Writing Out Loud

"He pulled in two extra reporters from another department to ensure we’re breaking every story first! We’ve got two objectives: make sure they stop and make sure we break the killer’s identity first!"

"We ask that if anyone has any information regarding the identity or whereabouts of this man, please come forward. There is a reward in place at this time for anyone who has information regarding this man’s identity and whereabouts."

"Who’s going to get it first? Who’s going to figure out who this killer is first? And you always want to be the one who’s first!"

"I am looking forward to running into you again very soon. We were together not too long ago, but you didn’t know it was me. And it wasn’t time to reveal myself to you yet. We will meet again soon, Leia. It is time. When you’re ready. When you’re ready to come and find me. Are you ready? The game is afoot!" (I don't think I need to tell anyone how not great this is. Thank God we write more than one draft! Yes, I actually said "the game is afoot.")

Notes, Notes, and Oh My Gosh More Notes!

I read many of my different chapters a million times during any given week, and I make all kinds of notes. I have note pads full of black notes, blue notes, the oh-so-important RED notes. I mean, the red notes, we really have to take seriously!

I have gone out of town a couple of times recently and forgotten my official note pads dedicated to my novel, so I have written notes on a million other receipts and various pieces of paper that I have since shoved in my purse and then dumped out onto the top of the other pile of random pieces of paper that comprise the official Notes on Novel pile.

"Go thru notes on novel" has been on my To Do List on more than one occasion. However, at this point, there are so many notes that it's more intimidating to actually go through the notes than to just read the whole novel again.

So, I read. And read. And read my novel. And avoid. And avoid. And avoid my notes. I figure they'll work themselves out anyway, right?

Meg's Nonchalant Nonfiction

Okay, diligent readers. I know I said I only read fiction. Normally, this statement is completely true. However, at this moment in time I find myself in the middle of three nonfiction books with another one arriving in the mail today. So, I'm going to try my hand at reviewing nonfiction too. Here are my real opinions on real stories...

Steve Harvey, Act Like A Lady-Think Like a Man

Ladies! All my ladies! I have read the Bible. Steve Harvey is the Messiah! And Harvey gives us all of the insider information we could ever want to know about dating, being married to, or just hanging out with any man. Steve Harvey is honest and sincere throughout his book. He shares information about his relationship with his wife to help readers identify with him, and in the end, I genuinely believe he is trying to help me, all of us, decode the language of the oh-so-confusing male gender. And he gives us power!!! Power to love! Power to speak our minds! Power to have REAL standards and STICK to them!

If you don't believe my enthusiasm, go onto Amazon.com and read Harvey's introduction to this book. It will convince you to read his book. If you still don't want to buy it after that, let me know, and I'll pass my copy around. Also, read his dedication page and his chapter titles. They are guaranteed to entice you!

Every chapter in this book had me laughing out loud but also really examining the simple tenets Harvey puts forth as the crux of men's inner-workings. There were several chapters I personally identified with and found really helpful and comforting as I brave the world of dating once again. I feel more empowered now and much more confident in my abilities to date succesfully AND find the man of my dreams!

Harvey's final chapter is entitled "Quick Answers to the Questions You've Always Wanted to Ask." EVERY woman will LOVE this chapter and his answers to these questions we've all thought over and over and over again. The book is worth the read if for no other reason than this last chapter.

Even when you know you'll have a crazy day, you can't avoid it, no matter how hard you try.

Today was a crazy writer day. Had to do some writing for myself and some writing for other reasons than the novel. Had to spaz out, and cry at the Sex and The City Movie, and write some more for myself.

And be euphorically happy and read a book out loud to my roommates and laugh A LOT.

I feel re-energized. And really, seriously ready to freaking edit this damn book tomorrow!!! And finish ALL of my little miscellaneous writing things! I'm going to do it, damnit! I will be productive!

For tonight, I wrote a haiku. So, I'll leave you with that:

I type my letters
To read across the distance
Today. And later.

A Low Key Day

Today I organized and geared up for the long, important editing days ahead of me. It's about to get serious.

I am now prepared to head into the thick forest of words and come out on the other side, in a few days, with a more beautiful copy of my novel in hand.

Here. We. Go.

Meg's Fiction in A Flash

Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol

I've been avoiding this book review because I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to say partially because I'm not sure how I feel about this book and partially because my opinions of this book have been influenced by some of my trusted literary friends' opinions. You know who you are. But here goes...

I really wanted to like this book because I really liked The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. However, I think this one is the worst of the three. There were points in the middle of the novel, where I closed the book to marvel at its thickness, and thus, the large amount of pages I had left to read. There were also points in this book where I wanted to roll my eyes and go, "Okay, Dan Brown, we get it. Masonic symbolism is everywhere. How many different ways can you really say that?"

On a positive note, though, I did enjoy this book for entertainment purposes. The plot was large and very detailed, per Dan Brown's style, so there was a lot to hold onto in the front of your brain. This is not a bad thing. There is something to be said for a writer who can expertly weave so many details throughout the entirity of the novel. I know. I've tried. And this kind of mystery novel is extremely difficult to write as I have said before because you have to keep juggling a lot of balls from the start to the finish of the novel. My hat is off to any writer who can do that, much less do it well.

Dan Brown also is good at portraying the love interest. It's not too much, and it does add something useful to the book.

OH MY GOD I FINISHED WRITING MY BOOK TODAY!!!

There's so much editing and revision to be done now but OH MY GOD I FINISHED WRITING MY NOVEL TODAY!!!

I'm so excited and in shock and awe. I have 200 pages worth of manuscript. 200! 200 pages of manuscript!!! I can't even believe it!!!

It was such a freaking productive day. Wrote the last four chapters. Love them! Love it! Love the whole book!

Going to celebrate now!!! Revision and editing will start again tomorrow!

The Beginning of the End

OH MY GOD I STARTED WRITING THE END OF MY NOVEL TODAY!!!

I've been avoiding it like the plague. Seriously. Not even kidding. I was hard core avoiding it.

But it finally started coming to me this weekend. So, I started from the beginning, which is the only part of it that I knew. It was as good a place as any to start. And I worked my way through the end of the story with questions. It went something like this. Ok, so this happened, so what should happen next? Over and over and over again.

It's going really well, and this totally reinforces my belief that I should only write what will write itself that day. It's always better, and if you put the work in, the inspiration will come with it. This is another one of those important lessons I have learned over the course of this process. I am so excited to get this book published and use all of these lessons I've learned over this course of this first novel to publish my second. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

It was an absolutely amazing writing day!!! And the prospect of publishing my first murder mystery novel makes me happier than I have ever been in my life!

Tomorrow I continue the ending. And maybe even end the novel. Maybe.