Wow, what a great week. I sent the first 58 pages to my agent on Monday (was able to smooth out a new plot point on Amtrak enroute to NYC which my subconscious had devised on Sunday). Then the agent wrote back that she was delighted! I was over-the-top to hear that she liked what I had written. True, I've been having a lot of fun with these new characters for my romantic novel, but it's still such a huge relief to hear that what I've been laboring over is working.

And then today - 1361 words. I think it might be a new record... Plus, I liked the spunk of Robin, the character I worked on today. Great tension between her and the small town lawyer who is momentarily in charge of her destiny. (I know this doesn't make sense, but suffice it to say that it worked!)

Okay. I'm back. I've been busy doing all sorts of things like moving from Alaska to California, flying from the WC to the EC, and sending my son off to college <big gulp>. For those of you who have never done that, it is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I did not expect the empty nest to be so, well, empty. Consequently, I've done what any other writer would do under the same circumstances: I developed a charcter who is sending her only child off to college, too. Trust me, it helps.

Most days, I have been working hard on my new novel, a romance set on Cape Cod. Some days, it goes well. Other days, not so good. Today was a good day. I only got 376 words done, but I also added and subtracted a lot, so that number could be higher. The important thing - again - is I wrote. The alternative would have been to clean off my desk or unpack some of those items which are still in boxes... Oh, and I also made chili. (It's very good.)

I also spent way too much time updating my website which still needs much work, but at least the Home page is current: http://www.barbaralarmonfailing.com

What now?

A wonderful surprise arrived in the mail this week. My friend, Leslie, sent me Ann Patchett's, What now? It is a book that summarizes a graduation speech she gave at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence. It wonderfully and succinctly describes the feeling we all have as we teeter on a precipice wondering, "What now?"

The other point Ann makes is that to be a writer, you have to do a lot of what she calls staring. As in, sitting in one place, gazing out at nothing. That's how she gets a lot of her ideas. I stare a little. Mostly, I think right before I'm drifting off to sleep. I once tried to recreate this moment of subconscious thought by hopping on top of my bed in the mid-afternoon, closing my eyes and thinking. It worked. Another technique I have is to walk.

And I'm happy to report that just the other day when I was walking, I thought of three terrific plot strands that I knew would work. Only problem - it's for a different WIP...

Thinking

It's been awhile since I've written, but that doesn't mean I haven't been working. I've actually been working hard - doing a lot of thinking and reading. There seems to be lots of revision necessary for my latest WIP, so I've been trying to decide how to approach it. I'm not usually that attached to a manuscript once I submit it, but this one has parts that I really love, so without specific line-by-line guidance, it's been hard to chop it up.

So, what I've been doing is trying new plot strands to see if I like what's happening with them. Normally, I LOVE the revision process, but this manuscript is a little tougher to clip, so I need to see how I can do it so that it feels right.

Anyone out there feel the same??

Waiting...

It's done. It's finished. It's ready. That is, my manuscript is ready to be read by my agent. I could have gone over it another 20, 30, 40 times. Really. But I also wanted to send it to her by the end of April. So I did. April 28th, to be exact.

And now I'm waiting. 

I don't like to wait. It's especially hard because I usually have a number of other readers before I send it out. But this time, in the interest in time, I just had one: me. I'm very critical, but I'm still me.

This me is wondering every third minute,  "Is it good????  Will she like it????"

I don't know. I don't have any answers. But in the meantime, I will try - very hard - to be patient.

Stay tuned. I hope the news is good...

Done!

I'm done. That is, I do indeed have a first draft.

What does that mean, exactly? You may be thinking, "Well, I thought she had a first draft on March 31."

That first draft was the real First Draft which really should be called the first rough draft. This new draft is the first smooth draft.

This draft means that I've been through the manuscript several times on the computer. It means I've dotted as many i's as I could find and crossed the same number of t's.

It means that I think it's organized and coherent. I think it flows and makes sense.

I am printing it out, right now, as I type this post. My next job is to read through it, make changes and then, do that several more times.

And then? Whoopee - it's off through cyber-space to my agent.

Double Yippee!!

Done?

I---- think---- I'm---- done?

Maybe done. Maybe have a first draft. Here's the last line: So he got the peppermint treat which guarantees sweet dreams.   

I don't know if it will stay like that, but for now, I like it. 

Next step: read through this messy, rough first draft page by page. There is a lot of organizing, foreshadowing, streamlining and expanding to be done. But I'm feeling so happy, contented and thrilled that I have come this far. 

The word count: 47,777. Remember when I wanted to get to 40,000 words? Then 50,000? Then 60,000? The word count is a helpful, measurable goal when I'm starting out. But at some point it doesn't matter because I know I'll get to the end, and I know it will be long enough.

Yippee!!!!