MY FIRST F

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each letter begins a story.

Today it's all about F.

So there my manuscript was…

In two 9x 12 mailing envelopes….

Back from Alice, the editor.

I just knew it was a raving review…

Excited, I tore open the first envelope…

Red writing everywhere.

Huh?

“Your story actually begins at chapter 3…

You’re doing a lot of showing, not telling…

You have inconsistencies in your plot, etc.”

Tears pooled…

My lip quivered…

Really? It was that bad?

I threw the manuscript into a drawer…

And proceeded to have a boo hoo session.

Just then my sister called.
“What’s wrong?” 
I could never fool her. So I told her.
“Open the envelope again.”
This time a cover letter came out.

“Your story is well researched. The

characters, believable. With some work you

could turn this into a marketable manuscript.”
“And she showed you how?” my sister asked.

I looked at the editor's notes again with dry eyes.

"Yes!"

FINALLY!

Someone to show me what needed to be fixed.
“So? What’s your next move?” my sister asked.

“I’m going to…

Ah, ah ah…

That’s for “G” to tell you tomorrow.

Always, Em-Musing

E-UREKA!

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each letter begins a new story.

Today it's E's turn.
So there I was with a completed manuscript….
An agent had loved the story….
But gave it/me a harsh critique.
Now what do I do?
I knew no other writers to give me feedback…
I had books on writing, but it’s hard talking to a book.
I did have a subscription to Writer’s Digest, though.
I read several issues…
Still clueless.
And then as I was skimming the back of one…
EUREKA! Editorial services!
Yeah, but which one?
So I prayed, and one woman’s name stood out…
Her name was Alice, from Chicago…
She offered a critique of the first 25 pages…
For a great price.
So I sent it. And within a week, she sent it back.
Basically she said the same thing as the agent had…
Just not harsh. She actually was encouraging…
So I sent the whole manuscript…
And when I got it back…
Ah, ah ah….
That’s tomorrow’s “F” story.

Always, Em-Musing

D-UH!

 

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each letter begins a new story.

D = Doubt

Somewhere along the way…

Of realizing that crafting a novel..

Takes work, dedication, and more hours…

Than I ever thought…

Doubt crept in my craw…

“So? Ya think ya got what it takes Bunkie?

Just ‘cuz you write advertising copy…

Doesn’t mean you can write a book.”

I listened to Doubt for a while…

But something in me...

Doubted doubt…

One day my saving grace...

Came while reading Writer’s Digest...

And I stumbled upon…

Ah, ah, ah…

That’s tomorrow’s “E” story.

While writing this post on doubt...

A thought popped up...

Seems every writer I know…

Has or had doubt…

So now I’m curious…

Are there any writers out there…

Who never doubted?

Always, Em-Musing

C ME

Each letter of the alphabet begins a story

Today it's "C's" turn...

When I first began writing...

It was bliss...

I did anything I wanted to...

Used Colorful adjectives...

Strew the pages with driving adverbs...

And I didn't know what backstory was...

Or P.O.V., or plotting...
Or the difference between literary...
And commercial fiction (really)...

I just wrote.

Then one day I learned about query letters...
And I submitted. And believe it or not...

An agent requested the full.

Woo HOOOOO!
Within a few weeks though she blasted back a rejection...

"Your manuscript is unedited, we don't have time, yada yada...

OUCH!
But after the shock, came the writing seminars...
And books and books and books on Craft, and...
Ah ha! Got it!
Well...almost...
"D" will have to tell you the rest of the story. 
How about you? When did you learn the craft of writing?

Always, Em-Musing

 

JUST B 'CUZ

 
The Alphabet  is a journey of 26 letters...
Each letter begins a story.
My B' story is  - Beyond the Mountains of Darkness…
The first title of my first book.
Yeah, not the catchiest…
Only I knew it’s significance…
That it’s linked to lore…
About two hundred fallen angels…
Known as the Watchers.
Its genre is Dark Religious Fantasy...
Yeah, I know...
A tough cookie to sell....
But I wrote that first novel with a passion.
Not knowing anything about anything...
And the first lesson I had to learn was...
Just b'cuz  I liked it...
Didn’t mean it was good.
Like all new writers...
I had lots to learn...
And the second lesson was ---
Ah, ah, ah....
That's tomorrow's "C" story.

Always, Em-Musing

A STORY

A = Alphabet = a journey of 26 letters...

Each letter begins a story...

But I'm not going to use  alphabet for my "A" story...
Rather, my "A"  story started many years ago.
It had been two years of writing...
Hundreds of random pages...
Of disjointed thoughts and concepts.
When one day my right brain said to me...

"Um, you know you're writing a book, right?

"Ah Ha! 
I knew all this writing had to be good for something."
I'm still not sure where those creative ideas came from.
Another year later...
I had pulled a manuscript together titled: B--
Ah, ah ah...not till tomorrow...
When it's "B's" turn to tell a story.

Always, Em-Musing