Dumping the Peanut and Moving On

A few people have asked where my boot camp book word counter has gone. (The actual question was, “Where did that crazy looking peanut thing that counted your book go?”) Remember him?

Well, I retired him. First, he was obnoxious. Second, I kept forgetting to update him so he was never very accurate in terms of my writing “mood,” although the word count was usually correct. And third, I have moved on to another writing project for the time being. I promise I am not being flighty. Although I will fully admit I am a stronger starter than I am finisher, I do plan to come back to Love and Other Stunts soon.

I was writing Love and Other Stunts for a particular reason but not because it was really the book I wanted to write as my sophomore effort. 

Later this week I'll discuss how the "trying to get published" process (with a large publisher) works for a newbie writer. Let's just suffice it to say it's a difficult process and the response time from editors is long. Like 6-9 months just to hear back about a one-page query letter.

So when a big-name romance publisher was having a “fast-track” submission opportunity, I jumped on it. The editors were calling for new writers to send them 1) A query letter, 2) A synopsis of the book, 3) The first chapter. Writers did not need to have the manuscript completed in order to send. The program closed on April 23.

The greatest thing about the “fast-track” program – the publisher promised to respond to all queries by May 18. A three week turnaround!  Much better than the 6-9 months I may have to wait to hear about my first submission: Unbreak My Heart.

The “fast-track” program was the sole reason I was writing Love and Other Stunts. It was a story I hoped would fit that publisher’s niche and word count. So I took April and got through about half of Stunts, and figured out where the rest of the book was going. From there, I was able to write the synopsis, polish the first chapter and sent it off to the fast track program.

But I’ve decided that unless the publisher likes it and wants me to send them a manuscript, it’s not the story I want to really tell right now and put all my effort into. So I’m going to put it aside for a little while.  

Instead, one of the many stories in my head has caught my attention.  About a girl. And a guy. And a murderer. Fun stuff.  So I’ve started a word counter for the new work in progress (WIP) I’m calling See No Evil (although I’m sure that won’t be the final title), so I can keep track and you can peek at the numbers if you’re into that sort of stuff. I am hoping to have it finished by the end of the summer, but don’t have an anticipated number of words yet, so although I’m starting the counter goal at 50,000, that will change.

And so project #3 begins… with project #4 (a non-fiction book about running that a friend pitched to me yesterday) hovering in the wings.

Four open projects. It’s like having four children; each with their own needs, developments, and personalities…

Good thing I have a little experience with that.