It's official

I'm a writer.

Well, not a published writer (at least not the kind of "published" I want to be, yet; I'm not counting the stuff I've written for work, professional association newsletters, etc.), but a writer nonetheless.

You know how I know?

I went to a critique group tonight. Yes, blogfans, I sat at a little table in the back of Half Price Books with two other writers and we read our stuff out loud and critiqued each other. It was fun. And not as painful as I feared.

Last weekend, I went to the local chapter meeting for the first writer's association I've officially joined (as in, paid the money, got the card).

Next month, I'll attend my first "real" writer's conference--although Best Southwest Bookfest will always hold a special piece of my heart, it's not the same.

These activities, small and large, make me feel like I'm part of a greater community...of writers.

Here's what I'm doing...how about YOU?

In between all the editing I'm doing for a rillllly huge project for the people who pay me, I'm trying to revise a few pages at a time on TF, write down scenes and ideas for GEW (Guilty Either Way...HEHE, how about THAT acronym?!) that are jumping me, so I haven't forgotten about them by the time I finally get to start working on it in earnest, and focus hard on the art of metaphor and parable.

Crazy days.

My "lyrics of the day" have fallen by the wayside for now, just in case you haven't noticed.

Ode to writing

If I could save time in a bottle
the first thing that I'd like to do
is to save every day
'til eternity passes away
just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
Ive looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

So said Jim Croce, although he was probably singing to a girl.

It's in the mail

Well, not the whole manuscript, but the 12 sample pages and synopsis I sent for my private read-and-critique session at the LaJolla Writers Conference. Scary stuff. My printer was moving about as fast as fudge moves through your arteries and I made it to the post office at 6:55 p.m.--five minutes before closing time! One employee was asking another if someone who usually closed the place five minutes early had gotten in trouble and wasn't doing it any more. As I left, I said, "I, for one, am very grateful you were open that last five minutes tonight."

Now, I can spend the next month revising to my heart's content so I can take a couple of printed manuscripts with me to the conference...you know, just in case. :-)

I ran the sample past a test audience the other day--my daughter's 12-year-old friend who is quite smart and witty. She told Emilie she loved it and and couldn't wait to read the rest, then wanted to know if she could show it to her parents. They are journalists and editors, and that was a little scary. Haven't heard any reaction from them, and I'm not really sure whether they read it or not...plus I had Emilie retrieve the pages from them this afternoon because for a few scary moments, I thought I didn't save all the recent changes I made before I printed it out. I had just pulled the wrong version, so no worries, but if they didn't read it yet, they won't be for at least now!

Moms, brothers, daughters, and close friends are one thing, but when the audience starts getting a little broader, but still known, it's kinda freaky! I think it might be easier to deal with the rejection of strangers!

So, that's the status of Trading Faces for the moment.

So close

I'm madly trying to refine sample pages from TF for the LaJolla Writer's Conference so I can get them sent in before 9/20 and madly working on revisions so if I do get a bite on it there, I can submit the finished manuscript. I am thankful I tend to revise as I go, although that's not always recommended, but I do it mainly when I'm stuck, so not so much procrastinating as letting stuff gel for a while. I do know I still have some major work to do before I can call it "finished," but I get nervout butterflies in my stomach as I realize how close I am and how close October 19 through 23 is!

On another note (hehe), I got some more inspiration on Guilty Either Way last weekend during a late night drive home from going to see Little Miss Sunshine with my friend Gail. (Great movie, I've actually seen it twice, which I rarely do at the theatre.) I saw something as I was driving and a light came on in the brain and I said, "Eureka! That's it!" Can't say any more, but I was excited. I do really want to make people think with this book.

One author I heard speak or read an interview of lately (and it actually might have been Jodi Picoult...or maybe Jacquelyn Mitchard) said her books were mostly written before she ever started writing. With all that's going on in my life right now, that might happen with this one. I've written several opening chapters, but there is so much more that is already written in my head. Just hope I remember when it's time to put it down on paper. I've tried to add to my outline as I think things through, but sometimes it's not possible (like in the middle of the night when my computer's finally off and I'm supposed to be sleeping...a common occurrrence).

That's all for now. I think I could actually fall asleep if I were ready for bed.

Ahhhhh-ed

Saw Jodi Picoult tonight at Richardson High School's Everyone Read One Book culmination for My Sister's Keeper.

She is simply amazing...in person as well as on paper. Please, God, can I PLEASE be Jodi Picoult when I grow up? I promise I'll be good!!!

On another note (maybe I should change my blog name to "On another note"...It kind of makes me think of "marching to the beat of a different drummer" if I think about it really hard. "That Julie, she alway sings on another note." I flatter myself. Heh.)

Anyway. On another note, I've been reading a recently printed really old book (1984 pub date) by a favorite author from my previous life (the one where I read a lot more romance novels). I'm not mentioning any names, but I'm shocked, appalled, and completely thrilled to see how BAD this early, early novel was.

Shocked and appalled, because it was, well, shocking and appalling. I think they re-released it as a hardback because she's gotten so well known, BUT...someone forgot to edit it, I'm pretty sure. She has an adverb, and a metaphor in nearly every sentence...sometimes in every phrase. Also, major uh-ohs. For instance, there's one scene where the author tells us the hero handed his guitar to another dude, then tells us "but (the other dude) had already left the room," and the next thing you know, the hero is stroking the neck of the guitar. Huh? What just happened? I had to read it out loud to Todd because it made me laugh so hard.

Completely thrilled, because if she's come that far, maybe I can, too. :) The last book I read by her (maybe 7-8 years ago?) was breathtaking.

I am typing in little tiny, pale letters to say that I typed "End" on TF Sunday night. I still have to finish writing an interior scene I partially added a while back before I can officially say I am finished with the first draft. Just saying.