Jenny: The Calm Before the Rewrite
We finished the first draft Monday. Then we sat in Vermont, St.Louis, and Cincinnati, and went, “Wow.” Considering this all started last year in the bar at RWA National in Reno when Eileen said, “I have this great idea for a story, there’s this shapeshifter and whenver she tries to have sex, she turns into the guy’s mother,” and I said, “Have another drink, Eileen,” and then several months later we signed a contract to do an anthology of three 20,000 word novellas, and then a couple of months after that we said, “Hey, let’s put on a show in the barn!”, no, we said, “Hey, let’s write a collaborative novel instead!” and now we have a novel of 103,000 brilliant words, and we’re going to do a final rewrite at RWA National in Atlanta and then send it off to our brilliant editor . . .
Well, we’re just gobsmacked, that’s all there is to it.
We’ll let you know how the rewrite goes next Wednesday. There may even be pictures. Of us strangling each other.
One hundred and three thousand words. Who knew?
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Congratulations to all of you! This is the coolest news. Someone please buy the ladies a drink in Atlanta. They deserve it.
I love the photo of the manuscript with Rosie right next to it. “We can do it” indeed. You COULD and you DID. Bravo.
Kim:)
Am I the only one who looked at that picture and thought “hmmm, I wonder if I can blow it up enough to read the first page?”
Congrats, ladies! Hope everything goes well next week- I know it will be a busy one!
How exciting! Can’t wait for this.
Kudos to the three of you! I know I’ve said it before, but I LOVE the concept of this book. Best of luck on the re-writes in ATL.
Anon–no, you’re not the only one. I did, too. Are we desp–I mean eager for this book or not?
Anon…
No, you are not…I had the same thought…If only.
Congratulatios to you three.
Looking forward to reading this book.
Do a fast rewrite and off to publish…..get to us faster…I wish.
Okay, I bite. What is “gobsmacked”? I learn so much from all these blogs.
Good luck finishing on Wednesday. With all that is planned at National how do you have the time. Make sure there is some down time for partying. /.
penny
Woo! You need any first readers lemme know
LOL - me too! All I can get is something about Mare’s shorts being thrown away.
i think Dee was throwing away Mare’s something. shorts? and something about Dee looking like a Celtic princess. or something. dang, couldn’t they type it a little bigger?
i am so happy this was made. yeah! you guys are all awesome and seriously, we are all VERY open to reading part of it. you know, if you need it. or, you know, want to tease us a little more.
here is the excerpt i was able to read. Jenny, you really need to post pictures bigger so it’s easier to read.
(yes, i am desperate.)
her something something cat, Pyw—, paddled down the narrow stairs with dignity…
“Didn’t we throw those away?” Dee said, frowning at Mare’s (?).
“You tried,” Mare said.
Dee looked like a Celtic princess, Mare thought, auburn(?) hair and ivory skin and (?)-green eyes, assuming(?) a princess had an up-tight job at an up-tight bank that made….
yep, that’s all i got. we need more Jenny. do you see what you have driven me to do?
I finally gave into temptation and clicked on the picture. I spent a ridiculous amount of time and eyestrain trying to read it. I think I actually figured out the whole thing…minus a word or two.
OH filling in the blanks for you:
Her tiger-striped cat, Pywackt, padded down the narrow stairs with dignity…
“Didn’t we throw those away?” Dee said, frowning at Mare’s shorts.
“You tried,” Mare said.
Dee looked like a Celtic princess, Mare thought, auburn hair and ivory skin and green-green eyes, assuming the princess had an up-tight job at an up-tight bank that made…
Which will be followed on the next page by something that is sure to be a brilliantly humorous simile of some sort.
I’m sure your can’t tell that I’m really flippin’ excited about this book. Don’t regret a minute of eyestrain. Totally worth it.
srwyb: So really wicked your Bob.
lori: if you got the first paragraph, share, share! (well, none of them seem to be giving us excerpts)
Its that first paragraph that’s the problem. Its too fuzzy.
SC: gobsmacked. Verb. To be smacked with gob. I’m sure its from the Latin something or other. Where’s Tal when you need her?
No charge. Glad to help.
Well, I was trying to be well behaved. Since I’m not so good at that, here is what I’ve got for the first paragraph…
Mare Fortune headed down the stairs of the family home just as the wind caught the front door and blew it open, catching all the Fortune sisters off guard. Dee in the act of taking down their mother’s jewelry chest from the ancient armoire in the living room, Lizzie in the middle of her metallurgy(?) book at the battered dining room table at the back of the house, and Mare, herself, late to breakfast as usual and not caring as usual, although she leaped the last stair to catch the door.
Now, mind you some of this is this is iffy, but its the best I could do.
llchosbx: Look lady, chose hastily or suffer Bob’s eXplosion.
And you thought it was hard writing a book with just Bob–I can’t imagine doing it with TWO other people! And how was writing with women different than writing with a man? Were you more or less on the same page, so to speak, since the girls all share the basement, or was it as frustrating as hell? I’m curious, to say the least. Oh, and I second inkgirl–you need someone to do a read-through, just let me know! I write killer reviews for Amazon and elsewhere, also! *wink* Just ask Alesia and Robin and Lani….
PS–have fun in Atlanta, but I don’t want to hear about bras being exposed in the bar–well, then again, maybe I do!! *grin* I remember the story…
pabrgntv–Politely, Andy brought really good nachos to Vicky.
damn, that’s a lot of book. Of course, I print all of my first drafts in single space to save paper, and the work never progresses as fas as a second draft.
I think there’s something about a storm rolling in too. Pretty sure I see the word ‘thunder’ and something about a ‘big old Beldare storm. Might not have Beldare right but that’s what it looks like.
McB: I thought that was the second paragraph and y’all asked for the first. Sorry, my bad.
Here you go:
“Big one coming in,” she said, and shoved the heavy door closed with her butt, yanking down her faded blue running shorts at the same time. “Big old Beltune/Beldare(?) storm.” Her tiger-striped cat, Pywackt, padded down the narrow stairs with dignity, and she made kissing sounds at him, which he ignored “Lightning on the mountain just for us, Py baby”
so now my question is, is this the beginning of the Mare section or the beginning of the whole book?
umm, Jenny, we kind of need page 2 now.
Gob=mouth
Smacked=smacked
Or, you could have hit me over the head with a hammer.
Scope Dope: should you look this way again,
Gobsmacked
1. smacked with gob
2. The amazed and astounded feeling one gets from being smacked with gob.