Control

Wow! It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I last blogged. My sister prodded me last night into writing to you explaining why. Sorry for being incommunicado for so long.

December has been a crazy month, and not because of anything to do with the holidays. I started a new job (nope, nothing to do with my writing career, more of the "put food on the table" sort), so I was very busy with that, plus trying my best to do the rewrite on Despite Them so I can get the new manuscript to Grace in early January.

You know how life happens just when you least expect it.

I was talking with a fellow writer the other day and he was saying how he's not sure how to deal with losing control of the story he wrote when it goes to the publisher.

After having total control of my books for all these years, I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with it when I go to a big publisher either. It got me to thinking about this reality, and I realized that doing this rewrite could be construed as such (losing control), however, I feel it's making it a better book.

So, does that mean losing control can be a good thing?

I've heard stories of writers getting editors who want them to change the entire story. My reaction to that would be to get a new editor. One that had the same vision I had when I wrote the book. Either that, or the book wasn't good enough to begin with, but apparently an editor thought enough of it to want to work on it. Who's to say?

It's a hard process having your dream ripped apart in front of your eyes. I could have taken that attitude, but when I really thought about it (and after I got over the crush of Grace telling me my characters fell short), I understood why she and the two publishing houses rejected it.

I'm about 2/3 done with the rewrite now and can honestly say, even those who've read my first three books are going to see the difference. I can't wait for Grace to read it again to give me her feedback, then pass it along to the publishers knowing it's the absolute best I can give them.

Happy Solstice and Holidays from the coast of Maine!