Land, Ho!

I'm no longer lost at "Cea" of rewrites! My middle grade novel has reached shore! Well, for now it's enjoying the warm sandy beach and will soon be sailing into the hands of my colleagues and then who knows what that tides will bring in! Now I'm immersed in the synopsis. Reading jacket flaps in the bookstore and everything I can find on the Internet. Up all night writing one then awoke early to write another. Met with my critique partner who was pulled in by my early morning version. Last night yet another draft drifted in. So my process continues as I prepare to submit my work to a couple of agents. Next I'll be wading through the query letter. If I need a life jacket, I'll let you know.

Inspiration: My Grandparents' Trunk

Last Saturday, my boyfriend and I cozied up on the couch to watch "Midnight in Paris." I love Woody Allen's quirky characters and I was looking forward to discover some new ones. Owen Wilson fit right in Woody's family but I was disappointed with the other members in the beginning. The time travel scene is where the film began for me; it was extraordinary- loved it!! And those  members in the beginning worked for me in the end. This film triggered memories of photos I had seen of my grandmother on the beach in the 1920s.

On Monday, I ventured out to visit my mom and dig through the photo albums buried in my grandparents' trunk that use to be on their car, back in the day. I hit the jackpot, not only did I find several old photo albums to scan including those 1920 s beach photos, but also I found inside a brown paper bag, my grandfather's Mason hat which was folded up in a satin pouch and apron which I thought had been given away. Under the flap of his apron was the date he joined 1/9/1928 along with a "passing date" and "raised" date. On the back of the apron were blood stains! Ooo! Intriguing, don't you think? Next I discovered one of his masonic ring with the inscription "virtus junxit, mors non separabit." which means "What virtue unites, death will not separate." A little mystery and old photos = inspiration for one of my next  books! It's a rainy day so back to my Cea of rewrites of my middle grade book where I see land once again!

Agents Day - Info Overload

Yesterday I attended a SCBWI conference with four agents and two authors. "Revise, Edit and Polish and repeat fifty times before you submit" seemed to be the core message. Then there was all the other aspects of the biz-editors, publishers, promoting, marketing, sales etc. Though it was a good experience, I was left with info overload and the land disappearing behind a wall of fog in my "Cea of Rewrites." A good reality check I suppose which my Pisces dreamy delusional self didn't like and my Aries ( the baby sign on the wheel) Moon screamed how much more patient can I be? A lot more, was the answer from somewhere. I do enjoy my rewriting process but I can't wait to see land again!! I found comfort in Brian Selznick's beautiful & brilliant book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" when I read that his editors took two years working on it and it's only 26,000 words which is just 2,000 more than my middle grade book. After reading that, I wondered how long it took him to write, revise and polish it, not counting the amazing drawings. I'll have to check into it but right now it's sunny out so time to take a beach walk!