Pushing “send” is one of the great joys of a writer’s life and one of the few where she has a degree of control. I experienced that joy last night and thought I’d do an account of what happens before and what I expect will happen after that happy event – at least in this case.
Before:
· An intense passion, dormant during my teaching years, but gaining momentum on my first visit to the de Grummond Children’s Literature Collection
· Many, many hours that turned into days and then into weeks and months of research at the de Grummond
· Having my fire stoked by my own interest and the interest of others who now seek my expertise on this passion
· Completing a manuscript and submitting it for an SCBWI critique
· Editor critique that says what I have written will never sell, but suggests a different approach
· False starts, filled wastebasket, rewrites, filled wastebasket, deletes, filled wastebasket, manuscript actually taking shape
· Encouragement from a different interested editor for the new turn
· More days at de Grummond, more rewrites, more polishing until a manuscript emerges
· Six (6) final drafts, (no count of the number of wholes and partials before the finals), meticulous rereads (once out loud all the way through)
O, Happy Day – Push “Send”!
After:
· Intense relief – I did it! – Now it is in the editor’s court
· A giant crossword or a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle
· Ideas, shoved into my brain’s closet until this project was complete, bursting through the now-open door shouting, “Me, next! Me, next!”
· Two days in, beginning to wonder how long it will take to hear
· Second thoughts – Did I – ?; Should I have –?
· By one week in, why haven’t I heard anything already? (Past experience should tell me this is early since it once took a year!)
· When I get an answer (yes, no, rewrite, other), my loyal blog readers will be the first to know!