Sept 16, 2012

First and foremost, you gotta get your ass in the chair and write something. I know, crazy, right?

In all honesty, finishing the story is the first step and that means getting it to the state where it has no major issues that needs to be solved or revised. I mean, it's kind of common sense.

What I found helpful this weekend was hearing the agents and publishers talk about next steps. The query letter and formatting your manuscript are important but don't mean a thing if you don't have a finished product.

Now, the dilemma. In the process of sitting through this weekend's sessions, I found myself having several epiphanies regarding current projects and projects waiting in the wings. My goal, however, is to finish the novel I am working on so I can revise and start submitting. I feel like I am halfway up that mountain and I am being called by other projects that want to take me away from the novel. The Mom Project especially. It seems like it might be an easier thing to finish now that I have decided to make it not only about my mom, but include stories about other moms. Then there's a paranormal story that I'd like to start researching for and even have a rough first chapter started.

No matter what I work on, getting my butt in the chair is the key. I'm gonna try not to fret over what projects get put on hold, or the fact that I should have been pursuing this more actively about twenty years ago.