The Seeds of a Story

institutechildrenslit.net
This is actually a close cartoon likeness of me.
Except the desk is missing my clutter, coffee cup,
& "cartoon me" has much tidier hairdo.

Not to state the obvious, but a lot of work goes into publishing a book. Yup. Thousands of hours of labour.

It begins with creating the characters, building the story, and adding details that make the reader avidly turn every page.

To develop your story, deleting words, phrases, and passages that you have painstakingly created can be a painful step.

In the writing world this process is called, “Killing the darlings.” All those cutesy, fanciful passages that don’t carry the story along, although they make you feel like an ever-so-clever writer, have just got to go.

Constructive criticism is crucial and an open mind to receive it, is imperative. A great way to get feedback is to join a critique group of genre specific fellow authors.

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Once you are confident your manuscript is the next best thing to follow Harry Potter’s adventures at Hogwort’s, you begin the Submission Process.

This is slowly followed be the Reception of Rejection. It can take three to six months to hear back from publishers and unlike constructive criticism it doesn’t matter if your mind is open to it or not, it’s a’ comin.'

Then, if you have actually written a decent story, found the right publisher, and you’re willing to listen to their ideas for its future place in the Universe of Literature, you will receive an offer to publish.

For my novel, Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons this will be a five year process, from the moment of conception to publication this November.

But really the seeds for Spaghetti and the seeds for all my story ideas germinated in me when I was a child.  My mom always looked for free ways to entertain us, so we spent almost every winter Saturday at the Centennial Library, our noses buried in books. My brother and I would grab a stack and race each other to one of our favourite reading nooks. That’s when my love of reading began and was further nurtured by my mom’s love of poetry.

A.A. Milne was our house favourite and our copies of Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young both lost their covers as a result of our love of Milne’s words.

My favourite poem from A.A. Milne is, Halfway Down.

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Halfway down the stairs
Is a stair
Where i sit.
There isn't any
Other stair
Quite like
It.
I'm not at the bottom,
I'm not at the top;
So this is the stair
Where
I always
Stop.

Halfway up the stairs
Isn't up
And it isn't down.
It isn't in the nursery,
It isn't in town.
And all sorts of funny thoughts
Run round my head.
It isn't really
Anywhere!
It's somewhere else
Instead!

Fellow readers, when did you first get hooked? Can you remember what book was the “one” for you?

Fellow writers, when did you know, “I am a writer?”

One Step Closer to Publication

This may be my shortest blog, yet. Possibly these words will be the fewest written in the history of blogging. I can’t be sure, because I am too excited to do the research.

I, Jodi Colleen Carmichael, am on the very cusp of publication.

Drew told me to keep calm and maintain a professional composure. Ahem. Who did he think he married? Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth?

The reason for my uncontainable joy?

A wonderful publishing company in The United States of America is interested in publishing Spaghetti is NOT a Finger Food and Other Life Lessons. Connor’s story soon may be found in a bookstore near you! Five years after I began writing Spaghetti, I may be months from seeing it on Amazon. Incredible.

Wish me luck as we discuss their terms. Discussing terms. Ooh, doesn't that make it sound so official?

P.S. Maybe, you shouldn’t mention this blog entry to Drew. He may not consider such reckless outbursts of elation “Queen appropriate.”

New Year’s Resolution #1 – Submit Work to Publishers

Sounds easy, right? Print off your manuscript, stuff it into an envelope, and plop it in the mail. How hard can this be?

It’s the business end of writing and like most creative folks; it’s what we least like to do. There are rules to follow. Ick. There is planning to be done. Blanch. And patience is required. Groan.



So here, in my humble opinion, are the steps needed to get that manuscript off your computer and into the hands of the gatekeepers of publication – the editors.   

Checklist for Submission: 

1. Write stellar, out of this world, "no one's heard this story before" book
2. Edit 100 times
3. Read to your Critique Group, making copious notes on suggestions
4. Edit 100 more times, massaging every word and rethinking every comma
5. Write equally stellar, out of this world, “no one’s heard before” one page Synopsis of your novel
6. Search the internet for publishers, compiling a list of publishers interested in your genre
7. Fine tune list to those open to Unsolicited Manuscripts
8. Read over submission requirements and follow them to a T or t or tea – whatever they ask for, you must painstakingly provide
9. Write individualised cover letter that will blow away selected editor – seriously. Blow that editor off their chair, into the hallway, and down to the senior editor’s office where they collectively drool over your written words
10. Mail, email, send by carrier pigeon your submission, as requested by targeted publisher
11. Wait
12. Wait and cross fingers – helps to have friends and family cross their digits, too. (This can and should include toes. Just sayin’.)
13. Wait, cross fingers, toes, arms, legs (find friends who are double-jointed), and most importantly don’t give up hope

 Finally you will be given three possible outcomes –

•  You will receive an offer for publication – this, of course, is the best outcome. You will receive this news in a calm, professional manner, with slow head nods and a heart-felt thank-you. Or you can scream into the phone, deafening your new-best-friend-editor, and happy dance around your house, with children and dog trailing behind you. Your choice.
• You will receive a letter requesting further edits – this is not a guarantee of publication, but it keeps the writing hope alive. Hope is key to returning to your computer and pounding away at your manuscript making the next 100 edits, as required by your hopefully, soon to be new-best-friend-editor.
• You will receive a rejection letter – this, as the name implies, is not what any writer wants to receive. Honestly, it’s what keeps us up at night. However, it is a sign that you are taking the biggest step towards publication – you are submitting your work. Writing that story and shoving it into your top desk drawer will never get it onto a bookstore’s shelf, where we all want to find our books. If you do not give up and keep improving your craft, you will eventually find your new-best-friend-editor.

I have oodles of rejection letters. Some are generic form letters, many are encouraging, and one made my heart shrivel a tiny bit.

But most importantly, I have one acceptance letter. It keeps the hope alive, that one day my books will be printed and bound with beautifully glossy covers.

So, if you’ve written a novel, what are you waiting for? Your new-best-friend-editor is dying to meet you, but you’re going to have to make the first step. How do I know this for sure? Well. I don't. Not exactly, but I have a lot of hope that I'm right. 

And if you’re low on hope, may I suggest finding yourself a supportive writing group? That or a well chilled Pinot Grigio.

Again your choice.