The Age of Valor: Heritage - take three!
Yesterday was the long awaited day, the meeting with the editor. Even though I have known Laura for a dozen years or so, this was not about two friends getting together to chat. She'd read my entire manuscript more than once, made notes and had changes to suggest. This shouldn't have been a big deal, but as my brain tends to go for the dramatic, it was. Let me tell you why.
I started writing my first book when I was fourteen. A relative of mine was also writing a book at that time, and since my dad was a less-than-attentive parent at the time, I asked this relative to take a look at what I'd written. I mean, I had a fan club in school, granted it was only about six people, but it was a fan club. They pestered me every time they saw me for more. They discussed my characters and plotlines like they would a good book assigned to them in English. That had to mean it was good! So I sent it off to my relative in a letter, and got back a murdered dream. Sounds dramatic, right? You just do not even know.
My entire first chapter had more red colored pencil on it than ink from my pen. Keep in mind, I was fourteen, and this was like someone telling me that I better not quit my day job. I had a whole other chapter's worth of notes that were sent back with it telling me what was wrong, what was bad, what didn't work, what was confusing. I mean, there was nothing positive in the notes. And I was shattered. Until I read a bit of their writing, was bored to tears, and decided they clearly didn't know what they were talking about to begin with.
I thank God that did not end my expedition into writing right then. I can only imagine the absolute lunatic I would be if I didn't have writing in my life.
So back to the present. My meeting with Laura. It was far less painful than I thought it would be. In fact, her notes and suggestions made me excited to revisit this book and make changes. I'm really just so thankful to her for her honesty and really going after reading this so I can polish it up enough to start shopping it around.
It looks like I should be able to do that before the year is out, and I cannot even tell you how excited that makes me. I have every confidence in saying that, by this time next year, I will be a published author. It's not pride or anything, I just know God gave me this story to write. In everything I have written in the past sixteen years, nothing has ever felt as solid, or real as this does. God and I had a lot of conversations over this puppy, and I know His hand is in it.
And I am so flippin' excited to see what is going to happen next!
I started writing my first book when I was fourteen. A relative of mine was also writing a book at that time, and since my dad was a less-than-attentive parent at the time, I asked this relative to take a look at what I'd written. I mean, I had a fan club in school, granted it was only about six people, but it was a fan club. They pestered me every time they saw me for more. They discussed my characters and plotlines like they would a good book assigned to them in English. That had to mean it was good! So I sent it off to my relative in a letter, and got back a murdered dream. Sounds dramatic, right? You just do not even know.
My entire first chapter had more red colored pencil on it than ink from my pen. Keep in mind, I was fourteen, and this was like someone telling me that I better not quit my day job. I had a whole other chapter's worth of notes that were sent back with it telling me what was wrong, what was bad, what didn't work, what was confusing. I mean, there was nothing positive in the notes. And I was shattered. Until I read a bit of their writing, was bored to tears, and decided they clearly didn't know what they were talking about to begin with.
I thank God that did not end my expedition into writing right then. I can only imagine the absolute lunatic I would be if I didn't have writing in my life.
So back to the present. My meeting with Laura. It was far less painful than I thought it would be. In fact, her notes and suggestions made me excited to revisit this book and make changes. I'm really just so thankful to her for her honesty and really going after reading this so I can polish it up enough to start shopping it around.
It looks like I should be able to do that before the year is out, and I cannot even tell you how excited that makes me. I have every confidence in saying that, by this time next year, I will be a published author. It's not pride or anything, I just know God gave me this story to write. In everything I have written in the past sixteen years, nothing has ever felt as solid, or real as this does. God and I had a lot of conversations over this puppy, and I know His hand is in it.
And I am so flippin' excited to see what is going to happen next!