Write to Write Another Day

Writing a book is thrilling and exciting, and at the same time an extremely difficult business full of rejection, critique, and struggle.

I have often been asked, how I take a nugget of an idea and turn it into a bound novel. So today, I thought I would distill it down to;

The Creation of a Book in Seven "Simple" Steps:

1. A writer combines their passion for words and storytelling with bits of their heart and soul to create a first draft.

2. To produce the best possible manuscript, a lengthy period of editing, rewriting, and revising follows.

3. With heart a' flutter that book baby is then submitted to editors and publishers to find a home.

4. Contracts are signed.

5. Further edits are completed at the request of an editorial team.

6. Cover reveal! Happy Dancing begins.

7. The launch. Happy Dancing continues.

However, this takes time, patience, and an extremely thick skin. Think Earth's crust magnitude.

Not mentioned in the above process are the rejections that flood in. Sometimes it is tempting to quit under the weight of the "no's", the "sorry this is just not for us", or "we like it, but not enough to really get behind this project." Ouch.

However, I am exceedingly stubborn and will not go silently into any good night (er' whatever).

To combat rejection woes, I have developed a (mostly effective) strategy. Perhaps it will work for you. If nothing else, you may find it delicious.

Three steps to overcome writing rejection:

1. I repeat over and over again the following mantras:

"Real writers write, they don't quit."

"Winners don't quit and quitters never win."

2. I write to write another day:

This is more than just a clever sentence. I find the best way to assuage the sting of rejection is to write myself back in the game. Essentially, I write to renew my passion, pouring myself into a new project. This creates the writing fuel I need to continue.

3. Chocolate:

Eat. All. The. Chocolate.

What are your salves for rejection?

Edits, Revisions, Rewrites. Fun.

Not sure why I thought I was done editing Forever Julia. Maybe because this summer I strengthened Julia's relationship with her boyfriend, tweaked her interactions with her best friend Annika, and merged two characters into one new, uber dude?

Maybe.

More likely it is because I am often a completely unrealistic dreamer. Somehow I thought I would skip merrily over the copy editing step.

Ou est copy editing you wonder?

It is the joyful line by line analysis of every single sentence.

I wish I could say this news filled my heart with a joy only writers can feel. Even more, I wished I Happy Danced around my laptop. I do love a Happy Dance. But I would be lying.

Sort of.

I do want Forever Julia to be the best book I've written, thus far. I want readers to pick it up and think,

"This is the BEST BOOK EVER, I need to read more of Jodi Carmichael's works!" 

But there is this tiny and almost impossible to hear voice, sucking its thumb and hiding behind my left rib cage*, whining,

"Come on. When is this ever going to be done?!"

Thankfully, I am a grown mature woman. I am married, with two children, and a healthy mortgage so sadly it must be true.

Naturally, I can shut up that whiny voice - fast. 

I only need to get myself in writing mode complete with fuzzy slippers, a pot of coffee, and half a pan of Nanaimo Bar. 

(Who am I kidding. I'll eat the entire tray.)

Nanaimo Bars at the ready.
(New York Slice for my American Pals.)

*That is right, that whining voice hides behind my left rib cage. This is also where one of my lungs went to recover after I played that extremely exhausting parents vs kids soccer game. Apparently it is a good place to chill.