Update on my book. A lot of #amWriting #amEditing progress. =)

I’m excited to update you on my little book project because it’s crowning.

I’m experiencing the circle of fire.

I’m giving birth to the book.  Right now.

These contractions are killer but there’s progress.

I met my goal last year to have a rough draft finished by December 31, 2011!

That was no small feat.  Intentionally, I put down my book-writing pen for 3 months to get some time away from the 100,000 words that I have amassed.  By the way, most memoirs are between 40,000 – 60,000 words.  So. I have a TON of editing to do.  Mostly, I wanted to see what stood out to me as crappy and what grabbed me after 3 months away from the manuscript.

Now, I’m offically editing.  I can honestly use the #amEditing hashtag on twitter instead of #amWriting. Now, that’s something to get me out of bed each morning, eh?

I’m excited too, because I’m working my way through an online workshop to help you focus and finish your memoir.  I can tell the momentum is gaining.

I can almost feel a finished book in my ancy little fingers.  I can see a completed book. I made the fake cover (above left) to help me see, feel, taste and own that a book WILL BE born.  I have a book and now all I have to do is push it out of me.

PUSH! PUSH!

When asked “was it difficult to sculpt The David?” Michaelangelo the creator of The David once famously said, “no.  It wasn’t.  It was difficult to find the right block of marble that held The David.  After I found it, I chipped away everything that wasn’t David.”

Bam.

That’s where I’m at.  Chipping away everything that doesn’t move the story along.

As I was reading through some of my edits the other day, I felt relaxed unlike the times I have completely freaked out in the past.  I’m okay if it’s out of order, since I’m working on a page-turning story arc.  Before, I could stay up all night torturing myself about what order to put the book in.  Now, I’m working on narrowing the focus. I’m so relaxed right now, IT’S RIDICULOUS.  CAN YOU TELL?!?!

I’ve been ingesting other memoirs and continuing to add to the books I’m reading about writing and applying that knowledge to my edits.  (If your interested in the list, I’ll post it below). Sometimes I feel that the book is good, actually worthy of being published.. that it IS a project FULL of potential.  But, most of the time I still wonder if I’m just crazy and stupid for trying to get a memoir published.  Not just any memoir, but MINE.

I try to quiet my inner terrorizing demon but it’s hard, yo!

This is why I’m very, very , very, very, very thankful for each and every one of you who ask how things are coming along or encourage me through facebook replies or blog comments to keep writing, to keep going.  I am now solidly convinced I have at least 15 people who will buy my book the day it –prayerfully– launches simply because you know and love me.  That’s no small thing.  I know that at least 15 people believe in me, and that’s something.  It really is.  It really is. Now, here’s hoping there’s like 15,000 other people who will buy it because Oprah or someone else told them to! =)

~

Books I’ve read in the past year about writing (or memoirs to learn from):

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Published – By: Jennifer Basye Sander & Sheree Byofsky
• Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) – By: James Scott Bell.
• How to Write a Great Query Letter: Insider Tips and Techniques for Success by Noah Lukeman (–which is FREE on your Kindle or ipad or iphone)!
• The First Five Pages: A Writer’S Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman
• How to Land & Keep a Literary Agent – By: Noah Lukeman (Ok, so I really like Noah.  He tells it like it is).
• On Writing Well – By: William Zinsser
• Inventing the Truth: The art and craft of the memoir – Compiled by: William Zinsser
• Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt’s deeply moving, touching, WONDERFUL, AMAZING memoir.  Holy crap.  It’s so good y’all.
• Fearless Confession: A Writer’s Guide to Memoir – By: Sue William Silverman
• Shimmering Images: A Handy Little Guide to Writing Memoir – By: Lisa Dale Norton
• If You Want to Write – By: Brenda Ueland.  I really liked this little book written so many years ago.  The advice is timeless.
• Your Beautiful Book Plan – By: Danielle LaPorte & Linda Sivertsen.  Still making my way through all 400 pages, but I know it will be very helpful!
• I’m Down: A Memoir – By: Mishna Wolff.  So funny!
• Write Good or Die – By: Scott Nicholson Gayle Lynds, Kevin J. Anderson, M.J. Rose, Heather Graham, Douglas Clegg, Alexandra Sokoloff, J.A. Konrath, Harley Jane Kozak, & Jonathan Maberry
• The Writer’s Manifesto – by: Jeff Goins. Necessary if you want to write!