writing

My Stages of Editing

/ Cheryl Harper / Leave a comment

It may possibly be too early to say that these will always be the same but here’s how editing my novella has gone so far.
Stage 1-Receive email and immediately open letter to assess the damage. At this point, I’m optimistic and eager. I usually try to stick with “All Things Are Possible” in life and everything. And the letter is so encouraging. I read through it and the issues new-best-friend editor raised and then I put it aside. To sleep on it. You know. At this point, all I feel is relief because there are 3 issues, only one of which is a challenge to address.

Stage 2-wake up at 3 am, my mind a swirl of ideas…none of which are related to this story.

Stage 3-check my email, Twitter, blogs, and Twitter again to be sure I haven’t missed anything.

Stage 4-settle in front of document and read all the comments. Fight the urge to sit under my desk because some of them are so good and so obvious.

Stage 5-tackle the big issues.Forcing my mind to work through them was major. That’s just a conditioning problem, right? Right. Make quick work of the easy thing: different chapter heading. Work in spurts on the rest all day with frequent Twitter rests.

Stage 6-walk the dog.

Stage 7-finish the first pass at dinner time and decide pizza is the only answer.

Stage 8, Day 2-clean the house. Believe me, this will take all day.

Stage 9-re-read the mess I’ve made while trying to answer each question and point made. Laugh at my own jokes again because that’s how I roll.

Stage 10-(I think, I haven’t actually made it to this point yet-goal is Monday). Fix. Write up a nice letter. Hit send.

Stage 11-Pray.

Under construction (with photo of an ex’s hammer, not a euphemism)

/ Cheryl Harper / Leave a comment

I appropriated this handsome hammer from an ex-boyfriend. He wasn’t an ex at the time, of course. Handsome? Face, yes. Manners, eh, not as much. When I use it, I think of him. I think two things:

1. If I’d put up with the cray-cray a bit longer, I could be a gay happy divorcee by now instead of just a footloose and fancy free woman of the world.

2. At least I have the hammer.

But this post isn’t about that. I just needed a photo.

This post is about what to do when things get real. Being published has been out there, glimmering in the hazy distance, for a while. Now that it’s getting closer, there are things that must be done. Blog: CHECK. I’d really like this spot to be all official and authory. But to be Real, we’re looking at lots of boring daily life. I hope you like that sort of stuff. It’ll show up here sooner rather than later (had an editor say that to me about a submission-she’d get back to me sooner rather than later. It sounds good. What do you think it means? Four weeks? Six weeks? Four months? But probably not four days, right? I mean, that would be just too needy, right? To email and ask her “How about now?” Right? I just don’t know.) Twitter: CHECK. Facebook: CHECK. Other than the obvious (WRITE SOMETHING ELSE, girl), what should I do?

When you least expect it…

/ Cheryl Harper / Leave a comment

I’ve been writing all my life but I’ve been trying to get someone else to call me a writer get published now for four years. I’ve been a “serious” writer for three months, although I don’t know how serious I can be given the amount of time I spend improving my brain with reality television. Research. That’s what it is. But then, when I least expected, I sent something off…an answer for a call for Valentine’s Day submissions that I wrote in two weeks (right before the deadline because I like a lot of stress and pressure motivation) and I GOT A CALL FROM A REAL LIVE EDITOR ALL THE WAY UP IN NEW. YORK. CITY. Woo. Hoo!! Now I’m anxiously awaiting edits which I will rejoice in. And a cover. And holy moly who knows what else. Right now, it’s titled It’s Now or Never. And it’s funny, cross my heart.

This call came just in the nick of time. I had reached the “all is lost, there is no hope, despair, agony on me” stage of waiting. (It really doesn’t take that long, you know?)

Welcome to my website. I think this is going to be fun.