David Morrell (First Blood, The Brotherhood of the Rose) said in an interview, "Writers need to be tough. This (writing) is not for the weak of will. And we have to realize that yeah, it's never good enough."
I know, pressure is often self-induced. I live a "It's a Wonderful Life" reality. Florida to Massachusetts, we split the year. I have a husband of forty-seven years I adore, who adores me. We are fortunate to enjoy good health and we stay active. We don't need to worry about our shelter, our food, or our kids.
So what's my problem? I write. It's self-induced pressure, till you sign a publishing contract. Till then, you have to finish the manuscript. Then you have to rewrite it. Then you have to rewrite it again. Then you send it to a professional editor. Then you rewrite again - portions (I hope) or all. My second manuscript is at an editor now.
I am really excited about this book called, A Survival Guide for Grown Children with Elderly Parents (Who Have All Their Marbles). It consists of lighthearted rules for grown children to survive the care-giving days, based on humorous anecdotes about my parents, Ev and Walt, who lived into their nineties.
It's also a practical guide. The rules in the last half of the book are based on my experiences dealing with hospitals, rehab units, and skilled nursing facilities in Florida. There's even an addendum for easy reference called, "Useful Notes, Definitions, Websites, and Phone Numbers."
The first email I got from my editor said the title was "clunky." I probably agree with her - after all, I hired her to make suggestions like this. So right from the get-go, we have to brainstorm.
The same email showed suggested changes for the first three pages. The changes were marked in dotted lines and arrows that go up, down, right, and left. I don't know what triangles or circles mean either, since my first editor and I made changes to Minor League Mom the old-fashioned way. We sat down with hard copies in our hands. Before I make changes on the new manuscript, I must watch a tutorial video.
Then there are the query letters to agents that will follow or proposals to publishers. And the ongoing weekly blog or emails and newsletters and mail from others who write or mail to writers who may end up writing blurbs for my book. Not to mention the marketing...which has already begun!
Of course, I could self-publish and skip the last two paragraphs. However, even self-published authors have to spend a year marketing, once their books appear.
After the release of Minor League Mom, a friend asked me why I would want to go through the process again. Answer: a writer wants to write! Especially if there is potentially an enormous market for the manuscript. I love this quote from Caitlin Moran, whose How to Be a Woman is part memoir, part rant, part manifesto: "...if you're complaining about something for more than three minutes, two minutes ago you should have done something about it."
