Faerie Radio

I discovered something very cool today on the Internet. There's a free faerie radio! Just go to http://www.faerieradio.com/ and you can navigate to it there. I also added it to my links sidebar. Prana Island doesn't feature any faeries--or fairies, but I have a soft spot for the magical creatures. I love the wildness and the feminine power that today's fairy art has. If you're planning on attending the SCBWI summer conference in August, you can spot me by my fairy t-shirts I'll be wearing. And for the Red themed gala I have something especially magical in mind to wear.

My Inner Toddler

My grandmother made me a clown cake for my first birthday. It had a wonderfully enormous red frosting nose. I’ve been told the story so many times that it’s as if I remember it myself. I was completely mesmerized by that red nose. I sat poised on my sister’s lap with a spoon just waiting to pounce. There was this great compulsion to smash it. But my sister—who’s six years older—watched over me and stopped me every time I came close to the cake. I waited until prayer was being said and all eyes were closed—even my sister’s!—then . . . SMASH!

That’s exactly what I felt today as I drove my boss’s Hummer down to the dealership in West Covina. Here I was traveling down the freeway in a gas-guzzling truck emitting tons of carbon fumes and all I could feel was . . . I wanted to smash something. But in a good way. Like the way I’d felt when I was one and couldn’t resist the urge to slam my spoon down on that clown frosting nose.

I would never buy a Hummer myself for all of the environmental and economical reasons that are fairly obvious. But since my boss bought one I thought I might as well enjoy the ride. It didn’t have much power—you just can’t speed in a Hummer. It’s like driving a tank with really comfortable seats. I would have thought that would be boring . . . but it’s so not. Driving a tank is fun! I glanced at the hills around West Covina longing to drive over a tree just for fun. My only real concern in driving my boss’s car was when I changed lanes. It’s hard to see anything that’s on either side of you or behind you so I was constantly afraid I was going to run over a Prius or something. But no worries! I made it there casualty-free.

But my inner-toddler was shouting, “I want to go smash!”

Back in the Saddle Again . . .

I heard from another one of my friends who read my novel, and now I’ve got more work to do. Yah! (boo)

I’m glad that I’ve sent the novel to different writers, because I’ve gotten back different types of critiques. Nothing that’s contradictory (thank goodness); just weight given to varying matters. The first person who sent work back really focused on line edits. It’s amazing the things I didn’t see in my own work. How I sometimes used repetitive phrases such as “And also”. Just how many times the word “just” appeared. How some of my sentences went on and on, like this one, and should be broken up into two. She pointed out areas where my characters sighed a lot (Maybe there’s an excess amount of oxygen on Prana Island.).

The second reader focused on broader concepts. She pointed out sections when the dialogue wasn’t strong enough, where chapters were too long, places where characters were weak, and made suggestions that would reinforce the themes and make scenes work better for me. These changes are more difficult. I have to think through the comments and make sure that they work for me. But, they are also incredibly useful. I really believe my novel will be greatly improved by most of her suggestions.

I haven’t sent my novel to agents or editors yet so I haven’t experienced the pain of rejection yet. Many of my friends have, though, and trust me when I say their manuscripts are excellent. If these experienced writers are getting turned down, then it’s a really cold, hard business. Even little things will result in a No. So I’m deeply grateful to the writers who are reading my work with a close eye and providing feedback. Whether it’s line edits or broader comments on story progression, the comments are invaluable. In the end, I hope that the revisions I do now will get me a Yes.

WHERE IS EVERYONE???

I’ve asked that question about a dozen times in the last couple of days. Not because I’ve spent my weekend locked in a dungeon—far from it. I attended a military ball on Friday night. Saturday evening my husband and I walked through Shoreline Village in Long Beach drinking mai tais and enjoying the nice weather. And even though my husband was sick today, I still wasn’t alone. So what could possibly be freaking me out?

It’s waiting. I’ve sent my novel out to various trusted writers and now there’s nothing for me to do. But wait. Okay, I’ll admit one of the writers read it at warp speed and sent me back some really great line edits (I so love her). But no one else has said a word to me—or emailed—or texted—or anything.

My husband points out that it’s only been a matter of days and I’m being completely irrational. I know it! But I can’t help it. I’ve gotten through that phase where you have an idea but you have to research characters, plot, etcetera. I know what it’s like to write the first draft the novel. Then work through the draft until it’s polished. What I have real trouble with is the wait and do nothing part. I’ve had writers tell me that the best thing to do after finishing a manuscript is to put it away for a couple of weeks. I honestly don’t know how they stand it. Not working is driving me crazy.

I started plot work for other books. I checked my email. I finished reading and critiquing a friend’s novel. I checked my email. I watched the latest Doctor Who episode. I checked my email.

Maybe I need to cut back on the caffeine.