NaNoWriMo... NOT! or I So Totally Don't Rock

Bawk, Bawk! So, I chickened out. I'd been recruited by a friend to join her in the month long writing fest which is National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo for short. The idea is to start from scratch with a new book idea and write 50,000 words between November 1st and 30th. It's all about quality, not quantity, though any self-respecting writer is going to be thinking quality with every word he or she writes.

According to the website, "If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge. We'll post step-by-step instructions on how to scramble and upload your novel starting in mid-November." They also say, "Win or lose, you rock for even trying." I so totally don't rock.

To all my nanowrimo friends out there, you guys rock!

The reason I opted out is because I'm currently at 55,000 words on my YA wip THE SECRET KEEPER - somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 words away from completion. I can taste the ending, and it reminds me of chocolate fudge ice cream cake - yeah, baby, I'm thinking it might be that good. (I love this picture so much! I'd love to see something similar on the cover of the book.)

Of course, it's a first draft, which looks like a skeleton compared to the final draft, which looks more like Ashton Kutcher with his shirt partially unbuttoned giving me "that look." (Is it getting warm in here?)

I don't know if I mentioned this, but an agent has asked to see TSK in FIRST draft format. This is beyond frightening, since it takes a whole lot of vision to "see" the ms for what it "can" and hopefully "will" be. I have faith in this agent, though, and am hoping their vision will be similar to mine, if not a thousand times better.

IN OTHER NEWS...
Phillies: WTF???? My cat Zoro is not a happy camper.

Spread Your Wings & Fly or Before, After, Wow! What a Difference!

Here are the pictures you've been waiting for all your lives. The back of my head before and after my hair straightening. No, no, you don't have to thank me. I'm here to serve.



Um, sure, Debbie, whatever. You've finally cracked just like we knew you would.

What, if anything, does my hair have to do with writing, you ask? Plenty! I've done several posts on the difference between first drafts and final drafts, but the subject - at least for me - never grows old. These pictures of the back of my head represent "first draft" vs "final draft." For my purposes here, final draft means the point where you, as the writer, decide you're ready to submit your work to agents. From there, the manuscript is almost always edited further by both literary agents and editors at the publishing houses, so rarely is it ever the final, final draft.

The picture with my wavy hair represents the first draft. Every piece is there, ready to be teased and combed into place. However, it's a mess. It's gnarly, knotted, unruly, and not too nice to look at. My straight hair illustrates the final draft. It's perfectly structured, well-defined, and elegant. Months of focused, detailed, concentrated work is needed to transform the unruly mess into well-defined elegance.

If you're anything like me, getting to the point where you feel your work is "done" is one of the most difficult aspects of the writing process. I could literally edit my "final" draft over and over ad nauseum until the cows come home or until hell freezes over or until (insert your favorite cliche here) and never feel "done." So, when I got one request that quickly turned to three for a novel I'd finished months ago, I felt I needed to "review" my final draft before I sent it out.

Over the last 10 days, I've had the pleasure of revisiting my novel SPARKS FLY SOMETIMES: CONFESSIONS OF A ROCK PRINCESS. While it still needed editing, it was better than I remembered. I read through the entire manuscript, deleting unnecessary words, tweaking dialogue, and tightening scenes. It was a gift because it allowed me to see how far I'd come as a writer in such a short period of time, and because it gave me a chance to fall in love with the characters and story all over again.

And, I'm happy to say, SFS is complete! Until an agent or editor tells me otherwise, it's a "final draft." Like my sister, Laurie says, "Before, after - wow! What a difference!"

I've sent my baby off to those few select agents and, like a good parent, hope it will spread it's wings and fly.

And now it's back to the wild, unruly mess that is the beloved first draft. YA novel, look out, cause HERE I COME!!!