Now it's back to writing, what this blog is all about anyway. This morning I cleaned up Chasing the Alphabet, now entitled Alphabet Chase. I also included a cover letter and just sent it to my critique group. I don't feel like there's much else I want to do with this story- but my critique group has a way of making me change my mind, so we'll see. It's a hard thing to know when a story is finished, you know? Sometimes I'll be totally content with where my book is, ready to submit it, then I send one more "Seriously, this is the last time..." version to my critique group, and BAM. I'm back to revising...and those poor, unfortunate members of my critique group have to read yet another 50 versions of my story before the submission process begins.
To date I have sent the 'revised' version of Sally Circle (remember her?) to 5 publishers. Today I'll be sending it out to three more. This submission process takes longer than I thought- I'm really having to weed out the publishing houses that wouldn't be interested. I don't want to waste their time, my time, or my stamps. There are still about 3 UN-revised versions that I haven't heard back from. I'm only expecting rejections- I just wish they'd go ahead and come in. It's been about 3 months now.
So next month one of my adult short stories is being released by A Fly in Amber. I'll definitely link you guys over to it when it's released. FUN!
Recently I've been inspired to write a story based on this photo of my daughter:
Why this photo you ask? Because I LOVE it. Not just because it's a pic of my daughter, but because of what it represents to me. To me, this picture is the essence of my childhood. When I was a kid my parents drove us to all 48 states. Yes, all 48. In a car. Not to mention we slept in the car, like true hippies. We brushed our teeth in public restrooms, we squatted on the side of the road. This is how I saw almost all of America- through a car window. I used to stare out the window, passing the Grand Canyon, the Great Plains, the Pacific coastline...and I used to daydream. Oh, how I'd daydream. I'd daydream about riding a horse across the plains, I'd dream about flying over the canyon, I'd dream about mermaids in the Pacific ocean, sunning themselves on the rocky coastline. This picture of my daughter, staring out of the car window...that reminds me of me. It reminds me of my family. It reminds me of childhood.
Now that you've read through all of that, here's the question- where am I going to go with it? Should it be an adult short story? A PB? A YA novel? A poem? I'm so inspired when I see it, but I have no idea what to do with said inspiration.
Ideas, anyone?
4 comments:
All of the above, of course! Why don't you try some stream of consciousness and see what happens? Just start writing what the picture means to you (the traveling, memories of the car ride, etc.) and see what comes out.
I was going to suggest something along the same lines as Kris. Start writing what she is thinking, what she is seeing as she looks out the window. Get inside her mind. It might well lead to an idea/a story/a plot.
That is a fantastic picture. No wonder it's inspiring. Not sure what form your work should take but I would love to hear more about this trip with your parents. What a cool thing to have done. That really feels like fertile material.
Dena--I love that picture. And I think that you'll know what to do with the inspiration, once you let it stew for awhile! And, congrats on another great WIBIJ run--what fun that was!
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