It’s time for another progress report to tell you whazzup with my writing journey!
As you know from my last report back on my writing progress in November 2009, I had three projects on the boil:
Project A: This project revolves around the novel I wrote as part of my Master’s degree in English. The long arduous process continues. I’m busy completing the revisions based on the editorial letter I received from literary agent Weronika Janczuk of D4EO Agency.
I’m so pleased with the way the novel is taking shape. I never guessed how much it could improve structurally. Although it’s hard work, I’m enjoying the process. I get a real thrill when I find just this word or change that comma, and it lights up the sentence, page and story in a new and vibrant way. I’m starting to feel like a professional writer for the first time. My confidence in my work is blossoming and all the anxieties generated by the countless rejection letters that this poor ms has received are slowly dissipating!
When I’ve finished the revisions (target date: mid-October) I’ve decided to put the ms aside for a month or two before doing one final check and then deciding what the next step is.
Project B: This was the story I started with the sole purpose of entering into the Harlequin Mills and Boon Modern/Presents 2009 competition. My entry didn’t make it. First and second prize went to romance authors who, although not yet published by Mills and Boon, are multi-pubbed by other houses. I wish the two authors the best of luck with their winning entries. The competition whetted my appetite for romance writing again. I duly submitted a romance to e-publishers Wild Rose Press.
I must compliment WRP on their professionalism, their efficiency, their interest in helping an author and their incredibly quick turn-around times. What a pleasure to deal with a romance publisher who understands, and is considerate, of the author’s needs! The editor I worked with loved the manuscript but, when I received an editorial letter asking for a third round of revisions, saying the novel was very close to publishable standards and a possible contract offer, it was decision time: did I want to write romances or did I want to concentrate on my other writing? Romance, or any type of genre, writing requires a very special set of skills including the ability to multi-task, to write prolifically and to concentrate on good story-telling.
Sadly, I concluded that I am not endowed with those specific skills. Unlike when I blog, when I write I like to work slowly, to concentrate on characterisation over plot and to do detailed research. I can spend two days on re-writing a single sentence until I feel it’s perfect. This is what gives me pleasure - the manipulation and careful layering of words and their symbolic meanings. And so I regretfully declined to complete the third set of revisions.
It’s a strange feeling having made such a final decision. In one way, it’s as if I’ve wasted the last ten years of my life, when I was so determined to be a romance author. To get so close (again–this is the third romance ms that has come so close to being published) and to consciously chose not to continue…ouch! I had to ask myself if I was more afraid of success than I am of failure. Was I self-sabotaging myself because of this fear of success? After much soul-searching I could say: NO!
In the past decade, I’ve evolved as a person and as a writer. I’ve moved beyond romances in both my reading tastes and in my writing dreams. Of course, my goals must alter too, but I was too stubborn, er, too tenacious, to admit years ago that I needed to re-assess my writing goals taking into account the obvious fact that I’m not cut out to be a Romance Author.

I have a huge respect for those authors who do choose to forge a career as a romance or chick-lit author—they are like master puppeteers, their fingers working dozens of strings at once—but I’ve accepted that I am not cut from that particular writing cloth. My writing skills and unique writing voice lie elsewhere.
So, while there is sadness at leaving an old friend behind, I have a sense of freedom too; a sense of commitment to my writing I’ve never felt before. That tells me I’ve made the correct decision to focus on literary writing, rather than genre writing.
Project C: For a variety of reasons, this project has taken a back seat. My research questionnaire to ex-Border War soldiers didn’t generate much response. Our friend, Colonel Young, who was helping me with it died tragically in January 2010 (my husband is still upset; they were friends for nearly thirty-five years). My reading list has morphed into this mass of books, which has taken over my studio. And another story I was working on before this idea came to me, has starting sulking because I pushed it aside, so I’m thinking of heading back to finish it first (Project E). I’ll keep Project C ticking by compiling a reading list, sorting the reference books into some sort of useful order and starting the reading.
Project D: I submitted a short story to The Literary Lab’s ‘Notes from Underground’ competition, and was chosen to participate in this exciting and experimental writing project. All proceeds are to go to charity. I must write 10 pages of any type of writing and submit it to the editors before December 15, 2010. The bliss of being able to write anything at all, with no restrictions except length, is exhilarating. I’ve decided to send in a mixture of prose, poetry and discourse.
Project E: I outlined this novel in March 2009 while Husband and I were in Bern, Switzerland. I put it aside when the Border War story started taking hold, but now that Project A is so close to completion, I’m drawn more and more to this story. It’ll be set in the same fictional land as Project A, so won’t need the research of Project C. I’m starting to hear their voices, but I’ll have to ignore them until January when Projects A and D are complete.
Blogging: I still have the final post on my series on punctuation to do; also, the final post for the South African Romance Writer’s website due in October (I’ll be focusing on overwriting). I have a few interesting writing topics lined up for my own blog; I’m hoping to do one a month over the next few months. I’ll continue with my book reviews of the novels I’m ploughing through from my ‘to-be-read’ pile. With all the non-fiction reading waiting for me for Project C, I hope I get to read some more of the tempting pile of novels that have been waiting and waiting. Oh, and I’m maintaining Husband’s blog, although that doesn’t take much time.
Writing Courses: I have two writing courses coming up.
In November 2010, I’ll be attending a 3 day “Basic copy editing and proofreading course” presented by John Linnegar, a well respected local editor and chairman of Professional Editors' Group.
In January 2011, I start a ten week Creative Writing Course run by All About Writing, and presented jointly by published author Jo-Anne Richards and scriptwriter Richard Beynon.
And that’s whazzup in my writing life. I may just have to stop sleeping to meet all these goals, as well as those Life’s Obligations that keep me busy, but I’m excited and energized at the upcoming challenges of the next few months! What are you busy with in your writing journey?