June 20th, 2011 by Theresa

The End.

Never in my life was I so glad to type those words.

So I failed the “challenge.” It was friendly competition, but the lesson still stings. It took me 11 weeks to finish my short story.  I pushed myself through fatigue and sickness. At the very end I got just plain mad – dropped some “f” bombs and typed until my fingers jerked by themselves in spasms. But it’s over, all done.

To be clear, the story that I burned to write, that kept me up at night, I wish to never ever see again. I lost my plot halfway through, I think. Sub plots that I didn’t notice appeared. And the ending? It’s so  lame even I don’t think it can be fixed. But it’s over, all done.

All that’s left now is to send it off to be critiqued (to be read as ripped to shreds, set on fire and put out with Kool-Aid ) and put it in the rewrite pile. My plan was to get it done and sent off to a publisher now. Fat chance of that. I wouldn’t show this manuscript to my dog – and she can’t read ( that I know of ). But it’s over, all done.

The moral of this story is a life lesson – nothing so grand as how to plot, or what to do to fix a broken manuscript. This one is pretty simple – know thyself.  I know now how I work even with what I believe to be the simplest of tasks. Yeah.. I won’t be promising any editor or publisher anything in less than 12 weeks from this point on. Even then that will be pushing it for editing, critiques and rewrites.

space adventure, WIP, writing

April 9th, 2011 by Theresa

So my writing buddies and I have started a spring/summer challenge. My part is to write a novella – 40k words,  finish it, get it critiqued revised and submitted – but June 15th.  Winners get a limo ride and fancy dinner. Losers have to cook a full three course meal for the rest.  Yes I have lost my damn mind.

Look out agents and publishing houses! I’ll be shopping “The Captain’s Man” this summer!