Yesterday I completed my first writing goal for the month, to submit my latest manuscript to my publisher. Now I begin the waiting game to see if it is good enough for publication. Every time I submit a manuscript I go through the same thing, the worry that what I've written won't be well received or that somehow I will disappoint the editors who have been so supportive of my past efforts.
Books like this one are the hardest to send, ones that are different from what I've done before. This novel isn't my typical boy meets girl while overcoming some outside forces together. Rather it explores the challenges a married couple face when adversity comes knocking on their door. I'm pleased with the results, but will my publisher feel the same way?
Even more difficult is the fact that I'm not already in the middle of a project. It is so much easier to press the send button when I have another novel started, one that is demanding my attention. My problem is that I have too many options and I still haven't figured out which of those possibilities are the most compelling right now. Not to mention that I have to start naming characters again. I hate that part!
So my goal for the day is to make a list of possible names for some of the novels I want to write...and to write something, even if it's only a page. Maybe that will help me forget that I'm playing the waiting game. :)
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3 comments:
I love naming characters! (I have a hard time naming books; I usually don't find a name I like until the third, fourth or fifth draft.)
My favorite resources for naming characters:
http://babynames.com to look up the meaning of names I know and to look up names by meaning.
http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/babynames/ to look at the top 1000 most popular names in a given birth year, to find age-appropriate names.
http://nymbler.com to find names by "style," including origins, popular time period and the more subjective "feel." (although I prefer the book nymbler & the next site were based on, the Baby Name Wizard).
http://www.babynamewizard.com/voyager Baby Name Wizard's Name Voyager, visualizing popular names over time. (The blog also talks about naming trends.)
I can't wait to get back to drafting. I'm hoping to start something new next month (right before I submit!).
Good luck!
Traci,
My Mothers name was Alora, I have never heard that name before or since. My Grandmother said that when she was born she was full of light and it reminded Grandma of the Auroa Borealis. Mom passed away in Dec 1995 and I know she would love to have her name in a book
Julie,
I may just do that! Alora is a beautiful name, and definitely one I wouldn't have come up with on my own. :)
Traci
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