L'LL BE THERE

The alphabet is journey of 26 letters...

Each one begins a new story. 
So after making the changes to my query…
There was only one more blank to fill…
Label it.. a.k.a. what genre.
Ha!
Easy!
Not! 
The story was part fantasy…
Because there were other realms involved.
It was also a thriller…
Because tick tock...
The end of mankind was nigh.
Was it religious?
Because the story was based on a Biblical ambiguity…
And Jewish lore?
But then what about those gnarly creatures doing horrific acts.
So? 
Religious horror?
Dark Religious horror? (is there such a beast?)
Dark Urban Fantasy?
Spiritual Thriller?
Dark Spiritual Thriller?
Religious Thriller?
Trying to figure the genre…
Made my head spin…
Like Megan’s in The Exorcist.
(and is The Exorcist Religious horror?)
After weeks I was feeling lost…
Until the day I finally found —
Ummm, “M” will tell you the rest tomorrow.

Always, Em-Musing
 

K?

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each one begins a story.
Your first time…
Were you giddy?
Where were you?
Did you wonder where it would lead?
What happened next?
Kiss!
I’m talking about your first kiss.
Well, those early day of editing…
Felt like my first kiss…
(well, kinda. NOTHING is like a first kiss)
I was giddy…
And I didn’t know where it would lead.
Sure, I had my fantasies...
But fantasies only satisfy to a point.
I had to get back to reality...
And plan what I needed to do next...
Of course. it was..
Send a query letter…
Again. 
But according to Alice the editor...
My current query missed one critical element...
I still had to figure out what in the…
He, he, he “L” will finish this tale..

Always, Em-Musing

JOY-JUICE

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each one begins a new story.

I look back at those months of editing and smile…
As a neophyte…
I had so much…
Joy.
I was Juiced up!
(creatively speaking)
I downed her input...
Like shots of tequila lined up at a bar on ladies night.
(not that I've ever done that)
And then the fantasies began...
Me? A published author?
My own thoughts intoxicated me...
I was dizzy with anticipation...
It felt so good in fact....
It was as if I just experienced my first...
Ah, ah, ah…
For the rest of the story, you’ll have to wait for “K”. K?

Always, Em-Musing  

I's GOT IT

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each one beginning a new story.. 
For the next few months…
I Ingested Alice’s notes.
Structurally it was all wrong…
“Chapter 3 is really your first chapter…
It’s where the action begins.
Dump the backstory…
Weave those details into the story.
Show, don’t tell.
If you’re going to spew blood…
Make the reader see the blood…
Feel the blood…
Taste the blood…
Without adjectives.”
And those comments were just the beginning.
And so I edited with…
Sweat, tears, and thankfully, no blood…
But I also edited with a whole lot of…
Ah, ah, ah….
Tomorrow “J” will jump on this part.

Always, Em-Musing

H's SONG

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...

Each one beginning a new story.
So after a night of drinking mucho Kahlua and creams…
While reading the editor’s red remarks on my manuscript…
I woke up with a massive…
Hallelujah chorus…
Singing in my head, Messiah’s that is.
I got it!
The edits!
I didn’t need to have the sense knocked into me….
Because everything the editor wrote made sense.
She was honest…
Brutally so…
But I knew she was helping me…
And Lord knows, I needed it.
I also knew she included more than what I had paid for…
And I appreciated and respected her for this.
So this time I sat down with a cup…
Of my favorite Trader Joe Sumatra coffee…
(unspiked)
And…
Ah, ah ah…
You know the drill…
The rest of the story will be told by “I”

Always, Em-Musing

GEE SPOT

The alphabet is a journey of 26 letters...
Each letter begins a new story...
Today it's "H's" turn.
So after hanging up from my sister…
I made a large Kahlua and cream…
Grabbed my manuscript…
And plunked down on the couch.
After scanning the first few pages…
Of Alice the editor’s red penned notes…
I sighed, grabbed my glass…
Took a mouthful of the creamy elixir…
And gave up!
I gave up feeling sorry for myself…
I gave up feeling like a loser.
I gave up thinking I was perfect...
I gave up my ego.
I mean, Gee?
Why did I think just because I created a good story…
That it automatically made me a good writer?
That I didn’t have to pay dues…
To learn this craft...
Like every other published author? 
And besides…
Alice did have encouraging comments…

“Chapter 20 is a page-turner. I couldn’t go to sleep

till I found out what happened to Mira.”
I downed two more Kahlua and creams…
(yeah, I’m a lush)
While I skimmed the rest of the manuscript.
I then decided I’d digest it all again in detail tomorrow.
The next morning when I woke up I…
OMG!
Had such a...
Ah, ah, ah...
That’s for “H” to tell you the rest.

Always, Em-Musing