This is Sam. He's my almost nineteen year old kitty. He leaves little landmines for me overnight. Which is one of the reasons we lock him in a spare bedroom at night. I love him anyway.
At nineteen - or about ninety-two in people years - he has a right to be a bit crotchety and forgetful. He's skinny to the point of bones and skin. His joints don't work like they used to, and neither does anything else. I also suspect that, because of his age and how things don't work properly as we get older, he's not as quick off the mark when the need arises. Or, he has trouble getting the right angle on things in a time of need.
So, I don't mind, really. He did it yesterday. He did it this morning. He may do it again tomorrow. But I know his time is short. He's old.
On the plus side of the ledger today, we got a hefty dose of rain and about a billion leaves fell off the Sycamore trees in front of our building. They're not yet dry enough or worn out enough to be soft. Walking down the street a little while ago, I felt like a kid again. No matter how I lifted my feet, unless I wanted to look like Peter Robin from the Pooh stories, I scuffled and shuffled and made a lot of noise. It was fun. Just like I was a kid. Is this second childhood?
Other things are playing out around me. The weather is key because I do like rain. I like the way it sounds and smells, the feel of the soft air and the crispness of the season.
At work I've tossed my hat into a ring and now I'm waiting to see if it gets tossed back. Initial signs are favorable, but the final decision won't be made for a few months and much can happen between now and then.
I also tossed two of my hats into the ring of a potential publisher for two of my stories. One got tossed back posthaste with a very nice 'thanks but no thanks' note. I haven't heard on the other one so, who knows. Another case of time will tell and I have the time, so I'll keep plugging away and plan on a different course for the one rejected.
That's part and parcel of writing to be published, though. You work your tail off creating the best story you can create but if it's not what the market is looking for just then, forget it. The one that got tossed back isn't what's 'hot' at this time. It may be again, but it's not now.
The other is an erotic romance story with humor and hot scenes and all sorts of stuff to make it interesting. This is what's 'hot' - in more ways than one - right now, so perhaps this will garner interest. At least it hasn't been rejected and, if it is, I'll shop it to a couple of other houses. If it gets tossed out there, I'll self-publish it.
I read through it again last night - all of it - and found only a few things to fix and tweak to fill in a couple of holes. A few punctuation misses. A couple of minor details and one straggler of a detail that needed removing (a scene that's no longer in the story has a passing reference that might be confusing). More details to be added - how did the men pursuing my heroine know where she was? Oh! A miniature GPS transceiver - available from many sources for cheap and only about the size of a quarter. Easily concealable in an item of clothing.
The biggest thing for me on this story though is getting the sequel going again. I've got one started. I'm about a third of the way through it and don't even have a title for it yet, but I know how it ends (I think, unless something changes). I'd like to have that completed before the first book is out so that it can follow in a timely manner and be of equal quality.
Would you think I'm weird if I say that I almost hope this publisher does send another 'thanks but no thanks' letter?
I don't think he will, though. I think, maybe, I got through round one and am in the running to go before the editorial board for consideration. If that's the case, I'll get a note asking for a sample of the story. Or maybe they'll ask for a synopsis. Which is the second bane of a writer's existence.
It's both harder and easier than the back-of-the-book blurb because it's longer, but without telling the story you have to provide the arc.
How does the story start? What's its middle and end? Usually in less than a few hundred words. They can, however, be extremely helpful in identifying problems in a plot.
When I first wrote a synopsis for 'Genevieve's Piano', I realized I had a Grand Canyon of a hole in the plot. Jean's husband wasn't developed enough to be integral to the plot - yet he was supposed to be. It led me back to draw him in 3D, to make him live and breathe as much as Jean and Win. What was his motivation? Why did he do the things he did? Like beat her into a coma that nearly killed her in the opening paragraphs.
So there is good and there is not so good and then there are landmines. And not all of those are left by kitties.
Tomorrow I "get" to spend a few hours doing crafty stuff. Taking glue and glitter and putting them together on Christmas ornaments for our company's Holiday party.
Digging ditches? I like doing that better than crafty things.
Fixing fences? I like doing that better than crafty things.
Scrubbing floors? I like doing that better than I like crafty things.
There are all sorts of stuff that I like doing - but not crafty things. They're too 'fiddly' and don't permit for large movements - like swinging a pick-axe or wielding a shovel or spade or hammer. Even scrubbing floors allows large movements - sweeping movements as you swish the brush across the floor.
But, I volunteered. Not for this, not specifically, but for the party in general and this is part of the party in general that I roped myself into. Stupid. I should know better. Oh well. This too shall pass as all things do and something else will come along.
In the meantime there are my stories and my hope that someone will like something I've written and will pick it up and read it and suggest it to friends and around it will go. Which means that right now, I should get back to writing.
Have a lovely day - enjoy the leaves and watch out for landmines!
Best~
Philippa
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