Revising and looking back

I was reading in Maisel's, A Writer's Paris, where a woman had been writing for a long time and finally she got a major advance of $15,000. Her husband said to her - "Let's see. If my calculations are correct, that means you made about 22 cents an hour." (Sounds like CFMan.)

When I pitched MOL in Shreveport it was at 82k. FIMB was a nearly complete novella at 14k. I returned from Nola Stars with a request from an editor and an agent for a partial on MOL and FIMB, and finished them. Then, I started slashing some indepth sub plots and a couple love scenes out of MOL to see if it would work as a 65k novel. That put me into early April.

It is now the second week in June, and I'm just completing revisions on the partial manuscript to submit next week. Amazing how much I've accomplished since the close of crawfish season. The good news is that I set June 15th as an achievable goal a couple months ago and it looks like I'm on target.

Now, I know that getting a first novel ready for submission takes longer because of the learning curve, applying the craft you've learned in the process, working out critiquing relationships and conventions with writing partners. I also had to work around the job and Joe's seasonal crawfish business.

But it's daunting when you look back at three months work and you didn't start anything new. My CP's been busy, submitting two and starting two. Of course one of mine was full length and you might as well say that now I have two versions, 65k and 90k. I also have partial wips of some connected stories that can be developed fairly quickly and I've been collecting characters and situations for RCM.

The thing is I'm happy with the product that's been produced and I'm doing it for a lot less than 22 cents an hour right now. And I know now that if I never sell - great racking shiver...

I'd do it anyway.

A Noisy Mind

Do you get so twisted up with life's vagaries, family problems, insecurities that you have trouble writing?

Eric Maisel gives 7 principles in his book Deep Writing that we should learn in order to make our writing MORE. He is a therapist and creative coach who will be at the RWA conference in San Francisco this year.

'Human beings are psychological creatures. This may seem self-evident, yet the writer who does not write, or who writes but does not write deeply, rarely turns to herself to ask, "What's my nature, and what in my nature is the problem?

A writer is much more inclined to take a hundred workshops than to stop and say, "My parents did a terrific job of controlling me and maybe I've turned into a control freak myself. That's a real problem? If I'm spending all my energy trying to control things, there's no chance I can write deeply."

...we can get twisted up early on and never get untwisted.'

WHOA! Did that hit you like it hit me? I could quit there. He's hooked me.

The seven principles:
1. Hush the mind.
2. Holding the intention
2. Making choices
4. Honoring the process
5. Befriending the work
6. Evaluating the work
7. Doing what's required

NUMBER ONE - My mind stays noisy. I figure if he can help me 'hush' it so that I can focus on the creative process, his advice will be priceless.

The point is to write deeply - actually , I gather the point is to delve deeply (is that a sign!) into our experiences, our brain, loves, losses, trace memories, to a 'quiet state of readiness, empty your mind, activate your mind', your being and your heart empty fully into the process.

He ends the intro with this profound statement.

'Our psychological issues really do prevent us from holding ideas, starting projects, maintaining momentum, and respecting ourselves and our efforts. We need to get well, or at least better, because we deserve relief from the pain and we need emotional freedom.

That sense of (healthy) wholeness and well-being must be a wonderful place to make art from.'

I'm sure you can relate. I wish I was going to be a RWA to meet this guy!

Important stuff!