The low moments of editoring

Probably the thing I loathe the most about being an editor is correcting galleys, over and over, until my teeth ache. I tend to rush when I'm tired. When I rush invariably I make mistakes, and that makes me nuts.

Recently a manuscript, IMO one of the best examples of the Last Rose of Summer, has been the cause of extreme bouts of agita--due to incompatibilities between the author's word processing program and mine. To the fault of no one, progress has become my worst nightmare.

It meant I had to read every sentence, several times to, among other problems, ensure quotation marks were present and curved in the correct direction, and consistent in appearance with the marks in the previous lines of dialogue. Ugh. Ick. Dreck. Ewwwyeew. Too awful for words. I thought I'd caught them all.
Not.

I discovered the "NOT" after I sent the galley to the author for her comments and changes. In most cases the author lists for changes are short.
This one went on for 38 pages. Count 'em, boys and girls, thirty-eight. No mistake, no exaggeration.
Most were relevant and responsible to the "readability" and overall clean, error free appearance of the book.
And, sadly, many of her comments regarded inserting quotation marks where there were none. Ugh. Ick. Dreck. Ewwwyeew. Shrieks, ranting, weeping and renting of clothes. Not a pretty sight.

But. . . finally, it is completed. A task that should have been finished in late summer now will go into final production by Thanksgiving.
Not fun. Not nice.
It's time for a nap.

Siochan

Finding inspiration when I wasn't looking for it

I recently decided the blurb lines for my blog sites and signature lines for my email addresses needed a shot of B-12. As I surfed the web today, I found a wealth of quotations which, while forcing me to recall the bad old days, also inspired me.

Margaret Thatcher: "I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds, and I very rarely change it." More women should take Madam Thatcher's advice. Then stick to it.

Bella Abzug: "The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromo-somes." I was reminded of the women who went through high school and nursing school with me. Bright, intelligent, hard working women who wanted to become physicians but were told they should not attempt something so rigorous for 1. it would make them unattractive and therefore would never find a husband or 2. could not absorb all that detailed information because after all they were just a 'girl'. Grrrr.

Joan of Arc: "I am not afraid . . . I was born to do this." If only more of us heard and heeded that inner voice.

That is for another day.
Suaimhneas

The Last Roses are Blooming!!

Each month of the year, the various lines at Wild Rose Press are featured. September is the month which focuses on the last roses. Since sales in the last quarter were the best ever for this rather quiet line [believe it or not, not all readers hold their breaths waiting for older heroes and heroines!] I took a look at the "Coming Soon" link on the WRP website.
Over the coming months we will release full length novels which involve an Alaskan adventure [Honorable Intentions, October] and two people who unite in their obsession to find a bone marrow donor for a critically ill teenager [The Trouble With Tessa, November]. Also slated for a November release is a darling short story with a Christmas theme [JD's Christmas Wish]. Lastly, in January we will be treated with A Fairy Tale for Gwynn, a widow with toddler twins and a tweenager with an attitude meets Mr. Wonderful--an actor looking for permanency.
We have some great stories scheduled for the first 5 months of 2010, including one of mine, but more on those later.
Siochain.
Kathy

A New Blog For Me

Some of you know I make tote bags for fun and profit, plus it keeps me off the streets.
Until recently photos of the bags were posted on my website, but this became too difficult to manage. Many of the bags on the website have been sold or "reinvented" into a different style. Plus, having made almost 30 new bags this summer, I would have been bugging the web mistress to add and delete bag photos every few days. Not fun for anyone.

So . . . while updating another blog, one of those "well, duh" moments struck. I'd recently learned another computer skill--adding photos to my blogs. I could do this.
And I did.
To see up to date pictures of the bags I've made this summer, go to www.KatsKarryAlls.blogspot.com
Peace

Sharing Gifts With Others

Recently two people [actually more than two, but these two are foremost in my mind right now] shared their gifts with me.
A member of my writers' group brought in copies of articles from the recent Writer's Digest. Not only was it an excellent, well written article, it was something this man did not have to do. Now that I think about it, he does this often. I shall have to make the time to thank him.

The other gift came from a second chapter member: one of our newest members [she recently rejoined after an absence of maybe 10 years, maybe less] shared memories and lessons learned from the founder of the chapter on our blog. it was a lovely tribute from one friend to another. I shall have to take the time to thank her privately.
Peace
Kathy

Toss out that loaf of stale bread

until recently if anyone asked me how to handle writer's block, I'd have responded with my favorite acronym: BTSOOM.
At a recent writers' group meetings, other members had abeen pushing writing to different audiences or targets, shorter romances, less than 5,000 words. Impossible, was my continued response--until I tried it.

What a difference it has made to my entire frame of mind!
Unbeknownst to me I've had writer's block for years, since finishing Try Just Once More back in 2006 I'd started many stories, outlined several, researched sort of for a few, completed nothing.

Until I wrote 2 shorts [less than 1,000 words] for an e-zine. I didn't think I could do it and almost gave up a few times. I submitted in the end of July and early August. They responded, saying they might go on hiatus and pick things back up again in 2010 and offered me the option to submit elsewhere.

So I did!!
I took one of the ezine stories and expanded it to just a tad over 3,000 words. It was a struggle at first finding those last 500 words, but I did it and submitted it as a stand-alone story but part of a series titles based on the vanDyke poem I call Those Who Love.
The second was somewhat easier to write due to the amount of external conflict [take back the night march].
I am quite pleased with myself.
More than that, I am feeling better about myelf and my writing than i have in a very long time.

Peace

What Writing Exercise Are You Doing?

I really must get my act together and post to this blog more often.
Have any of you ever participated in writing exercises?
My writer's group has one coming up: Pick a movie and change the ending.
Obviously, not all movies apply: Saving Private Ryan, Gettysburg, Apollo 13, Last of the Mohegans; you get the drift.
problem is, I can't think of an ending I'd change.
Oh wait. There's the first James Bond movie with Daniel Craig. The heroine doesn't die at the hands of the bad guys, but James decks her for her duplicity, then walks off toward the nearest casino.

Mrs Doubtfire: Sally poisons mega-annoying Peter Pan-wannabe Robin Williams and takes off with Pierce Brosnan, and has hot sex till she can't walk comfortably.

Gone With The Wind: After Rhett says, Frankly, my dear . . . he shoots Scarlett.

The Big Easy: don't change a thing; it's perfection unlimited.

Now I believe we should expand this to TV programs:
NCIS--every episode should end with Dinozzo, bound hand and foot, with electrodes attached to his head and I get to throw the switch.

Law and Order SVU, bring Adam Beach back and get rid of the ever-sneering Mariska Hargitay.

HGTV's House Hunters: every time some rich bee-yotch says she won't buy some house worth the high six figures; she doesn't like the bathroom because it doesn't have his and her sinks. I like to see a homeless person [who hasna't bathed recently] to burst in the door and ask how she'd like living with bathroom facilities down the hall, shares it with 10 others, and BTW there's no lock on the door.

Nanny 911. I'd send each of those beastly kids to dog obedience school a[in place of the family pooch] and shoot the parents.

The Closer: I'd give Lt. Flynn a love interest: preferably a nurse, an ER or ICU nurse, whom he meets at an AA meeting. She looks like Edie Falco with the same "Do You Feel Lucky?" look in her eye. they then bang like bunnies.

that's all for today, folks
Kathy