Writing is to Perfection as Editing is to Infinity
"Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa" is Latin. It means "don't blame the messenger just because you have to rewrite EVERYTHING.
---------
Barbara Rogan is a piece of work. I knew I sort of had a "thing" for her when she ordered a copy of "Abigail Dare" and told me it was the first self-published book she had ever bought. Now, I don't know what YOU do with an email like that, but I had mine bronzed.
Then I got the second email, suggesting a rewrite of the entire book if my OCD was sufficiently severe. Obsessive/compulsive? ME? Why, I've never... That's the sort of mental illness that makes people stop what they're doing in mid-sentence and count the commas! (4, so far)
My wife would kill me. She was there by my side from the beginning, when "Abigail Dare" was a mere poem (OK, more like "Beowulf" is a poem). She listened patiently as I turned it into a short story, and again when it became a novel. She was my sounding board for every change, however slight. She made those cute clicking noises when company came over and I pulled out the manuscript, although she quit doing that when I hid her Ruger.
You can imagine how thrilled she was to hear that I was taking Barbara's advice and rewriting "Abigail Dare" one more time. I recall the exact words she used, and the only thing holding me back from repeating them here is the "Goodreads Terms of Use" agreement.
A month later, it was done. I approached my wife with the request to listen to the changes, but the curare hadn't worn off so her answer was a little garbled. No matter. I fluffed her pillows and raised her feet above the level of her heart, sat beside her and began to read:
"Abigail Dare by Jon Etheredge. Copyright (c) 2012 by Jon Etheredge. All rights reserved. No part of this..."
The next evening, I finished reading it to her. Barbara Rogan was right, and even though she took a chunk out of my ego she was still right. That night, my wife told me she had heard enough of "Abigail Dare" a year ago to last her a lifetime, but this time it was on a different level entirely. This time, she cried, even though she knew how the story ends.
Barbara, let me say that I used to consider myself to be a writer of tales and an author of literary work. In reality, I was a half-motivated hack, too lazy to go back and read my own books. I am now rewriting "Dream Talker" and my three short stories.
I'm still half-motivated but I think I have transcended hackdom. No, that's not accurate. If I transcend anything, it's because I have been motivated by the judicious application of a size 6 open-toed sandal.
We'll see.
---------
Barbara Rogan is a piece of work. I knew I sort of had a "thing" for her when she ordered a copy of "Abigail Dare" and told me it was the first self-published book she had ever bought. Now, I don't know what YOU do with an email like that, but I had mine bronzed.
Then I got the second email, suggesting a rewrite of the entire book if my OCD was sufficiently severe. Obsessive/compulsive? ME? Why, I've never... That's the sort of mental illness that makes people stop what they're doing in mid-sentence and count the commas! (4, so far)
My wife would kill me. She was there by my side from the beginning, when "Abigail Dare" was a mere poem (OK, more like "Beowulf" is a poem). She listened patiently as I turned it into a short story, and again when it became a novel. She was my sounding board for every change, however slight. She made those cute clicking noises when company came over and I pulled out the manuscript, although she quit doing that when I hid her Ruger.
You can imagine how thrilled she was to hear that I was taking Barbara's advice and rewriting "Abigail Dare" one more time. I recall the exact words she used, and the only thing holding me back from repeating them here is the "Goodreads Terms of Use" agreement.
A month later, it was done. I approached my wife with the request to listen to the changes, but the curare hadn't worn off so her answer was a little garbled. No matter. I fluffed her pillows and raised her feet above the level of her heart, sat beside her and began to read:
"Abigail Dare by Jon Etheredge. Copyright (c) 2012 by Jon Etheredge. All rights reserved. No part of this..."
The next evening, I finished reading it to her. Barbara Rogan was right, and even though she took a chunk out of my ego she was still right. That night, my wife told me she had heard enough of "Abigail Dare" a year ago to last her a lifetime, but this time it was on a different level entirely. This time, she cried, even though she knew how the story ends.
Barbara, let me say that I used to consider myself to be a writer of tales and an author of literary work. In reality, I was a half-motivated hack, too lazy to go back and read my own books. I am now rewriting "Dream Talker" and my three short stories.
I'm still half-motivated but I think I have transcended hackdom. No, that's not accurate. If I transcend anything, it's because I have been motivated by the judicious application of a size 6 open-toed sandal.
We'll see.
No comments have been added yet.
