What I’ve Learned Wednesday: Where’s the End

The End. That’s what a book concludes with, right? While writing a book, the ending (I will call him Chuck), decides to take a vacation but never tells you the destination. While Chuck is on holiday, he didn’t leave you a phone number, email address, twitter name, nothing! He just skipped town, leaving you struggling to finish your story. All the while, you eat pounds and pounds of chocolate (at least that’s that's what I do). Eventually, Chuck returns and wonders why you look so disheveled and exhausted.

You tenderly take Chuck in your arms and say, “It’s ok. I finished the story without your help. I made you better than you were to begin with. Now, you owe me big time!”

So, your story is finished. It’s sparkling, glittering, like a vampire. Hehe!

Right now, I want to finish my book more than anything, but Chuck keeps wriggling his way out of my fingers. And what do you know; I’ve decided to do a huge overhaul on my manuscript. Yep, Chuck is so not in sight anymore. He is being very naughty, much like a puppy. I can’t teach him to stay, or to come, or to poop outside. What am I to do with the little Chuckster? Just keep working until he obeys, I guess.

What I’m alluding to is: Writing sometimes feels like a long road with a mirage glistening in the distance. You think you can catch up to it, but you can’t. It keeps lingering in the distance, taunting you while it sneers and wickedly laughs at you.

But Chuck, the end of writing your story, will come. It can be caught, tied into a beautiful, perfect story. Well, more perfect than you ever thought it would be. How do I know this fact when I’m only working on my first book? I know it because I’ve been to libraries, and book stores, and I’ve read a lot books. Those books are physical examples that Chuck can be wrangled in. The end of writing, editing, revising, and rewriting your story is within your grasp. Finishing your book takes perseverance and time, with an added couple hundred cups of patience, too.

Follow the rainbow until you reach it, finding your pot o’ gold—your finished, stunning book.

Have you ever felt like Chuck’s left you stranded? How do you cope during these times?

 
PS: Don't forget to enter to win an ARC of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth on my blog. Follow this link to fill out the entry form. Good Luck!

Manuscript Fresh from the Printers

On Saturday, I printed my complete manuscript for the very first time. Printing it made the whole writing experience more real than I would have expected.  It's one thing to view your story on the computer, but when it's hundreds of pages printed out in a huge stack, it makes it more tangible—more real. Printing it made me feel like my thousands of hours plucking away at the computer wasn't for nothing. I couldn't believe that I actually made it this far with my book. The smile couldn't be wiped off my face for hours after the said printing. The poor girls working at the print shop probably thought I was going to pass out due to the thrill of the adrenaline punched excitement that was rushing through my veins. 

Of course, I captured the moment with some pics for a blog post.  Just wait until it is my very own ARC, or better yet, the published book.  It'll probably look like my head is about to pop off.

My weekend consisted of a mad 500-yard dash of revising. Saturday was my deadline to release it for the first time in its entirety to a couple people to edit/critique it for me.  Before that, I only had a critique partner work on a few chapters at a time. Anyway, I stayed up late on Friday until I was about to drop dead of exhaustion, and awoke early on Saturday and finished another edit.  Tehehe!  Plus, I wrote the book's ending which has been stashed away in my head for months now.  I finally wrote it.  And. It. Is. Beautiful. 

All you writers out there, how did you feel the first time you printed off your manuscript?  Were you as jubilant as I was, speechless, or did you really pass out?  

Big Reveal - The Name

I decided that I want to introduce the name of my baby (my book). The book is called...

***Drum Roll***

"Felicite Comes"

Felicite will be Coming soon!

Love,

Julia

Update on My Book

I am still in the editing process. Have about 110 pages left to edit but I know that a few important and crucial elements to the story need to be added so it will be more than 110 pages to edit. Anyway, I have set another goal to finish my edit by August 14, 2010. Then my dad gets to be the first person to read and edit it. Yikes, this is scary that it is almost to the point that I am letting others read it and edit it. This has been such a huge part of almost eight months of my life and I am about to release it to the public (well my dad). Scary but exciting!

Another important item to discuss, I am going to two community education classes tonight.

#1: How to write you first novel
and
#2: How to publish your first novel

I have high hopes that these classes will aid me in my writing and publishing process.

Wish me luck!

Rough Draft Done... Editing Process Here!

Last week I finished the rough draft. That pretty much was a surreal experience for me. I did not ever think I would get that far with the book and what do you know, I did! It was five months in the works. I am now on to editing. It is turning out to be a great experience. I am tweaking it and trying my hardest to make it make sense! I hope that it develops into something even more fabulous than it already is! Wish me luck! I wonder though how long this is going to take me? Yikes! I should make a goal! That is how I got the rough draft done so a goal for the first editing should make me very motivated! What should the date be? I will have to think it over!

Coming Together

My book was at a little bit of a tight spot that I did not know how to get out of. It is like when something is tied in a really complicated knot and you have no idea how to untie it. You have to look at it from many different angles and then you have it untied.

Well, that is what was going on. I had already written the end of it at the beginning stages of writing and when I got to that point I knew that some major tweaking had to take place and I just could not get a hold on it. I had to play around with it a lot and voila, it is untied and I am able to proceed.

Phew!

It is coming along.

Finding the Perfect Chateau

Dear Followers,

I am in the process of finding the perfect Chateau for my book. It is interesting. It is like I am in the market chateau; like I am going to purchase it for myself. Well, if I could buy it for $100 then bring it on. Nope just finding it for my imagination to become a reality!

WritingJewels

Some Writing Jitters

I think that I was having a little bout with writers block this weekend. I wrote but it was not super exciting to write. Usually I get enthralled in my writing but this time it was more slave work than anything; not exciting in the least. I did have a headache at the time so that may have played a role in my lack of desire. It was sort of a difficult part to write. I will need to re-evaluate the chapter and make it all the better. Well, I guess that this is all in the name of writing... Sometimes it's great and other times it's drudgery. I am at 204 pages now. I will keep ya posted.

My Novel

For those that do not know, I am in the process of writing a novel. I sort of wish that I had been blogging about it during the process of writing but just thought that I would start one now.

Here's how it began, I had a dream in December (yes, really I had a dream that inspired me). The dream just kept on bitting at me all day long while I was at work. For those that know me really well, I have dramatic, vivid and sometimes crazy, terrifying dreams. This one was not necessarily in that catagory but close enough. Over the period of a couple weeks, the dream still was just as vivid in my mind as it was the night I had it.

I decided that it was time to develop it into a plot line. I had tried to write before but to no avail however one very sleepless night I formed the beginning stages of the book in my head. I began to write in early January 2010.

Now, four months later, I am at 198 pages and some wrists that get very sore after writing for a while.

All I can tell you about the book, is it is set in Paris. My trip to Paris last summer paid off even more than just being able to see Lance Armstrong riding in Le Tour de France. I look forward to finishing the rough draft by the end of May 2010 and progressing forward through the editing process. That is the part that scares me but I will be fine.

I am completely dedicated to making this work a published piece of literary genius. Well, it sure won't be Tokien but close. :)

Check back for more information about the book and book signings to come. I will be doing that though. I am positive.