Wednesday, July 8, 2009

The waiting game

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. :)

Thursday, July 2, 2009

What next?

I can't ever resist a challenge. With that said, my friend Tristi Pinkston is doing another BIAM (Book in a Month) this month on her blog Tristi's Challenges, so of course I had to sign up. I'm already a little behind since it started yesterday and I'm still trying to figure out what my goals should be.

The first thing I want to accomplish for the month of July is to submit my next novel to Covenant. It's written, it's approved by the CIA, and now it's in the hands of my very capable sister-in-law (Rebecca) for that last edit or two. So today, instead of trying to start a new project, I've been working on the submission materials that will accompany my manuscript.

My second goal is to complete the edit of Crossfire. My editor at Covenant e-mailed me to say I should be getting that back from her next week, so I will definitely make that a priority when I receive her edits.

My last goal is the hardest. I have to decide what to write next. Do I write another Saint Squad novel? Do I start a sequel to Royal Target? Should I try something completely new? I'm not sure what the answers are to these questions, so my final goal will be to start something. I don't know what I'm going to start, but I hope to have at least a chapter or two written by the end of the month. Wish me luck!