The year has crept by, and Christmas is nearly upon us. These past eleven months have brought many changes for me - marriage, a new city, new clients, home ownership, a new publishing contract, and so on. I've even begun to teach Creative Writing, which is quite pleasant, except when other children are being irritating and knocking on your class door before running. This morning, two small boys hid behind the partition where the children hang their hats outside my class, so that they were concealed from view. Then slowly a small chubby hand appeared round the edge of the partition, making a very rude gesture. When I stealthily crept out of the classroom and rounded the partition, both boys started visibly before cowering. I think they expected me to be an annoyed student, not a teacher.
Me: "Hello."
Boys: "H-hello...?"
Me: "What is your teacher's name?"
Boys: "Mrs ______."
Me: "Speak louder please."
Boys: "Mrs______."
Me: "Oh, I have lots to do with her. I think she'll hear about your inappropriate behavior soon."
Boys: Gulp.
Me: "Well? You boys had better get out of here before you get into more trouble."
The boys fled.
These things - including classroom management - are all changes for me. Yet one thing has stayed the same. I'm still writing and probably will be till I drive myself crazy with it. Even what appears to be an onset of early carpal tunnel syndrome hasn't dissuaded me much. I now type with splints. I think my head would probably explode if I couldn't write.
One more change is going to come soon - probably early next year. But it begins earlier for me. Consort to the Shadows, the fifth book in my Fledgling Account series, is going to release. Books two, three, and four will attain their second editions soon. And while they appear on Amazon, I will be hit with 170,000 words of revisions from my publisher's editor. This is for me the most stressful part of getting a book published, hands down. I'm mentally preparing myself for it already. Two weeks never feels like enough time to go over your book for the last time before publication. Every time I do it, I think it will kill me.
Then I survive and push to get my next book published. I don't seem to learn.
I've seen a draft cover of book five, and it's awesome. I was rather overawed by it. It's also a great moment when an illustrator comes along and makes your book look way better than you ever could. Fantastic stuff. Be prepared for more dragons, pirates, conspiracies, treachery, and the greatest deception a good man has ever been forced to undertake.
In the meantime, I will return to writing my third book for the year. Editing deadlines mean I probably won't finish it before Christmas, but I will doubtless pick it up again. I always like to finish what I started.
It's the author's way.
Me: "Hello."
Boys: "H-hello...?"
Me: "What is your teacher's name?"
Boys: "Mrs ______."
Me: "Speak louder please."
Boys: "Mrs______."
Me: "Oh, I have lots to do with her. I think she'll hear about your inappropriate behavior soon."
Boys: Gulp.
Me: "Well? You boys had better get out of here before you get into more trouble."
The boys fled.
These things - including classroom management - are all changes for me. Yet one thing has stayed the same. I'm still writing and probably will be till I drive myself crazy with it. Even what appears to be an onset of early carpal tunnel syndrome hasn't dissuaded me much. I now type with splints. I think my head would probably explode if I couldn't write.
One more change is going to come soon - probably early next year. But it begins earlier for me. Consort to the Shadows, the fifth book in my Fledgling Account series, is going to release. Books two, three, and four will attain their second editions soon. And while they appear on Amazon, I will be hit with 170,000 words of revisions from my publisher's editor. This is for me the most stressful part of getting a book published, hands down. I'm mentally preparing myself for it already. Two weeks never feels like enough time to go over your book for the last time before publication. Every time I do it, I think it will kill me.
Then I survive and push to get my next book published. I don't seem to learn.
I've seen a draft cover of book five, and it's awesome. I was rather overawed by it. It's also a great moment when an illustrator comes along and makes your book look way better than you ever could. Fantastic stuff. Be prepared for more dragons, pirates, conspiracies, treachery, and the greatest deception a good man has ever been forced to undertake.
In the meantime, I will return to writing my third book for the year. Editing deadlines mean I probably won't finish it before Christmas, but I will doubtless pick it up again. I always like to finish what I started.
It's the author's way.
