Friday, May 11, 2007

Edits, Jury Duty, and Other Things of Marginal Importance

"I will have poetry in my life. And adventure. And love. Love above all. No... not the artful postures of love, not playful and poetical games of love for the amusement of an evening, but love that... over-throws life. Unbiddable, ungovernable - like a riot in the heart, and nothing to be done, come ruin or rapture. Love - like there has never been in a play. "
~from "Shakespeare in Love"

Yesterday I got my first set of edits on Lost In Paradise, the novel contracted by The Wild Rose Press. I'm excited, 'cause this is the start of a whole new experience in my writing career, but I'm also a little nervous and overwhelmed. I really just read my editor's email, and glanced at the first chapter or so, to see her markups.

I like her, and I think she'll be okay to work with. But the big thing she wants me to change is my characters' inner thoughts. She wants them taken out or changed to third person. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, I understand her point that they can slow the action, in certain cases, but in many ways that kind of writing focus is part of my style. Hmm. Going to have to think about this and perhaps come to a compromise.

We do get to compromise, right?

Also yesterday, Judy befriended me on Facebook. I didn't even remember that I'd created a Facebook account! Whoops. I wonder if I should actually do somethng with my page there? Anyone have thoughts on that site? I view it as marginally better than Myspace, since you're supposed to have some kind of college/business verifiable email address (I think) to open a Facebook account. But I don't know.

My students are watching "Shakespeare in Love" for an end-of-semester treat today. Anyone seen that movie? It's charming, really. Won 7 Academy Awards in 1998, too, which I'd forgotten.

Well, I'm off to jury duty, for the 2nd time this week! My co-workers just keep telling me to say "Guilty" and they'll let me go without a word (which I'd prefer, so I can actually watch the above movie with my students rather than leave them with a substitute). Okay, Guilty it is! Or maybe I'll try for a more dramatic strategy...

3 comments:

Judy said...

I don't do much with my facebook page either. A friend from England sent me an invitation and I joined more for her than anything else.

I've always wanted to be called for jury duty, but I've never been :-( I always think it would be so much fun... or at least there might be something I could use as inspiration.

Anonymous said...

Glad you got your edits, but I understand your point about not being sure whether to change the characters' inner thoughts to third person. Good luck with your editing.

I received my galleys today for NEVER THE SAME so I'm excited. I feel like the print release date is getting closer all the time!

Emma Sanders said...

When you say she wants you to change it to third person, do you mean you are writing in first person?

Character thoughts slow the action to an extent, but it's also important. I enjoy being inside a character's head, but I like to be in the character's head when something is going on.

I remember how overwhelmed I was when I got my first edits, and I wondered a time or two how my editor could have enjoyed my story with so many mark ups, LOL. Good luck!