Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Energy and Excitement

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It is a tiny bit out of my current project - but I'm so happy to say that the opening chapter of my book is done! Not just that I know what I want to say and I have an edited version I like; but it has been revised and edited and there was one final tweak (thank you, Ariel!) and I feel totally satisfied that this the How It Begins.

Yes.

What a feeling.

Part of the feeling is that I had the opening done for a while. I thought. I'd rewritten and reworked and edited and incorporated feedback and I really liked the changes.

Then, a couple weeks ago, there was an assignment in the Literary Kitchen and I was a little stuck about what to write. One night I sat down at my laptop and forced myself to just type something. "Make the assignment fit the memoir," I told myself and I did. There was one scene - no, let me take that back - there are several scenes or stories that have yet to be written, or where there are obvious gaps in what is there. This was one of those. Just put fingers to keyboard and type what you remember and improvise it if you aren't sure.

And I did.

And it was good.

And it was from much later in the book.

But when I cleaned it up a little and posted in to the online group, and read it again up there on the screen in the Lit Kitchen, I thought. "No, this is where the book will begin. I'll figure out the logistics of how they got there later."

So I did.

And they did.

And I took the feedback from that first posting. Made some changes based on that and from my own rereadings. And posted again. Then Ariel's incredible ability to hit on just the right word(s) I couldn't quite find - about six or seven words to alter in one sentence. Voila. Done.

The perfect opening to my story.

It feels good and has fueled my excitement as I continue with the editing. As June gets ever closer quicker and quicker and it will be here soon. And I want to have at least 25,000 words of this together in a near-ready format to submit to a book contest.

And I have a "grabber" opening.

Yes.
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