National Novel Editing Month!

Yes kids, it's that time again!

National Novel Writing month has long since passed us, and if you can remember way back to November 2007, you may even recall that you wrote a novel (or at least attempted one) in that cool, gray month! If so, then get it out, dust it off, and get your inner editor out of the trunk in the basement. It's time to turn loose that nitpicking, insufferable prat!

National Novel Editing Month (or NaNoEdMo for short) begins tomorrow, March 1st!

Much like the goal for novel writing, the goal of this exercise is to log at least 50 hours of editing during the month of March. I did it last year, and while it was the single hardest writing task I have ever undertaken, it produced enough of a coherent story from my 2006 NaNoWriMo novel to give it life here in 2008. I just entered it into the Fort Bend Writer's Guild Spring Novel contest!

My only fear is that they will love the first two chapters that I submitted...and ask for the rest.

The "rest" is not ready, so I am using "EdMo" to get it prepared, in the event that a fabulously wealthy, literary agent from Fort Bend county should show up on my doorstep and demand that I allow him to present my heartbreaking work of genius to Harper Collins.

Care to join me?

No, not in delusions- in editing.

Head over to http://www.nanoedmo.net/xoops2/ and sign up, or if you're just curious, check out the pages and see the bizarre cast of characters that shows up for this annual event of self-abuse and loathing.

Best regards for a safe and sane March! (isn't that the name of the mad hare in Alice in Wonderland?)

Gary

Manuscript for GOOD HOPE submitted to FBWG Great American Novel Contest

I'm going to bed now...

I worked very hard this weekend. I took a crude, cluttered manuscript and hammered it into shape. Then, with the help of many of my Humble Fiction Cafe friends, we took that image and refined it into a beautiful mosaic, selecting each perfect pebble with a discerning eye.

I think that is as close to a physical example I can come for what it takes to write a novel. The story and plot must be cut from the marble of your imagination, but the selection of the individual pieces, the true "word-smithing", is an art of delicate discipline.

For those of you who have followed my blog, let me refer you to my 2008 goals. "Enter a novel contest in February" is an achievement that I can now scratch off the list.

I want to thank my friends for all of their help. Many of them have links to their blogs below, so maybe you can go and visit them as a way of paying forward my blessings and respect to them.

I haven't slept properly since Thursday. I'm looking forward to sleeping tonight, and, at least for the moment, I hope to NOT dream of Tall Ships, the Elissa, or of Good Hope.

That will have to wait for March and NaNoEdMo :)

Gary

Split Review

I checked in with my mom yesterday, who is still reading Split, (which is available now at LULU.com for those of you who can't wait for it to appear on Amazon or Barnes and Noble).

She hasn't read everything, maybe a story or two each week, but here are her impressions so far:

Her favorite stories in the anthology- (Aside from the obvious high praise regarding her grandson's Knowledge story): Fade to Grey, and Prisoner of Time.

As a mother, she could really relate to Prisoner, and when I first asked her about her favorites she said she liked the one by "Teresa Laws," and then told me the title. Teresa is one of our contributing authors, and I'm sure she will be glad to know that she now has "name recognition" among our early (that is, first) readers.

Regarding Fade to Grey, from contributing author Kelli Meyer: My mother said she was so shocked and surprised by the events of the story that she would stop reading and start over from the beginning, "then I'd cry a little bit, and keep going." She said the story was "horribly believable," and that she could really picture something like that happening, and is sure that it has, but, given the circumstances, we would never hear about it, because "families are so good at keeping such nasty secrets". If you'd like to know more about the story, then why don't you order a copy of the book? :)

I told her to keep reading and asked if she would like to submit a review to LuLu when she is done. She said she'd love to, and I'll get all the information from her next week.

Overall she says she loves the book, because the stories are just short enough to enjoy when she has a break, but the themes and ideas are thought provoking enough to stay with her for several days, and this is coming from a woman who struggles with memory loss.

I can't think of a better compliment.

Well, so far, I think that should count for one satisfied customer :)

Let's hope there are many more.

Gary