May 02nd, 2018

Blog 5-2-18
 
Be Careful What You Say
 
Last Tuesday I had the perfect book launch.  Over thirty people attended, my wife served the best Irish tea cake on the planet, and the audience asked intelligent and interesting questions.  The event lasted just an hour and people lingered for another thirty minutes after my presentation buying books, asking more questions and having me sign their books.

In all the presentations I’ve made about writing I always make one point, that for me at least, as proven to be true – that is, the real writing begins with re-writing.  For a 90,000 novel it takes me about 11 months to finish the first ROUGH draft.  I always put the draft aside for at least a month.  The next thing I do is read the rough draft just to see if it is a story worth re-working and polishing.  I have been lucky, with all three of my novels I’ve found them worth undergoing the re-writing process.

As I was packing up books following the book launch my publisher approached me.  She said she had a question that she didn’t want to ask during my presentation.  I couldn’t imagine what question she wouldn’t ask in front of the audience.

“Did you really mean what you said about re-writing?”  she wondered.
“Yes, of course, I really think the real writing happens in re-writing.”
She smiled and her eyes twinkled ‘gotch ya’. “Well, would you be willing to re-write Murphy’s Troubles? (My first novel).  What could I say?
“Of course.”

“Sure, just rip it apart.  Start all over if you want.  I have this image for a cover.”
I thought fast to recover from understanding the size of the job I just agreed to undertake.   “It will give me something creative to do again – not just promoting books.  I don’t know how long it will take.”

“Doesn’t matter.  I have to drive back to Milwaukee”

So there you have it.  I’ve made a commitment to re-write my first book.  When I am honest with myself and the world I know it needs the work.
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So, fellow writers, be careful what you say – especially when your publisher is in the room.