Lynn Raye Harris

Today, you can see what the editors think about my winning chapter and synopsis. Click over to I Heart Presents and have a look! This is truly a master class in romance writing!

So many things going on lately! Overnight, it seems, I became a working writer. Now, I sit in front of my computer and read my WIP and think, “Will my editor like this? Am I going off the rails in this scene? Is it too much?” I’m new to working with an editor, but I think she’ll rein me in if I go into left field too much. Of course my fear is that she’ll read my work and think they’ve made a mistake in picking me as the winner because it’s obvious I can’t follow directions. *G*

Seriously, I think these are the things that go through every writer’s mind when she sells or, in my case, gets an editor for a year. You suddenly wonder what they see in your work and whether or not you can repeat it. My answer to a friend who felt this way would be, “Of course you can! They aren’t dumb, and they know you can do it or they wouldn’t have chosen your story!”

So, I’ll take my own advice and stop fretting. Too much.

But really, I’m having fun with these characters and their story. I wrote two entries for the Harlequin contest; the Spanish Magnate was my second entry. I knew when I wrote it — when I was writing it — that it was special. I didn’t know it was good enough to win, but I knew I had something. I could feel the depth of emotion in my characters, in their situation, and I wanted to keep writing about them.

I’ve always heard writers talk about how they knew a certain manuscript was THE one. I felt that way about THE SPANISH MAGNATE’S REVENGE. I didn’t know if the editors would agree with me, but I had that feeling deep inside, that giggly happy feeling you get when you know something’s right. As a Presents reader, I was positive I’d get a request out of it, that it fit the line even if it needed a lot of help. The outcome was more than I’d hoped.

So I’m working on finishing, and I have editorial notes to keep in mind as I work. But it’s still fun, writing this story, and I still love these characters. And I know I can do it, even if I get twisted up with self-doubt from time to time.

Have you ever known a book you were working on was THE one? If you’ve gotten a revision letter on a mss, did it scare you or did you jump in with both feet? More importantly, is it Spring where you live and are you enjoying the warm weather and flowering plants? I miss Hawaii in the winter, but when Spring hits, I love the new leaves and flowers, the gentle breezes, the birds and butterflies and warm sun. Spring is about possibilities, isn’t it?

There comes a point, with every book, when you have to know when to quit. Not quit the book, but quit fixing the book. Quit trying to make it fit an ever-changing vision. When is that point?

Damn if I know. This is where I am today, sitting here after a painful day of trying to revise (the contest winner, no less) and wondering if I’ve totally gone off the mark. Do I have enough suspense? Does the dead body show up too late? Is the threat to the characters too simple? Not scary enough? Is this book category or single title? Is it too dark for category and not dark enough for S/T?

Truthfully, I do want to quit the book. I want to shove it in a drawer (or a computer file) and forget about it for the next several months. Can’t do it, though. It hasn’t seen the light of day, other than a couple of contests. I have a request for it, but I can’t seem to let it go, can’t seem to feel it’s right enough to send out.

I have other stories in progress, so I’m not just working on this one. But I can’t see this one anymore. I can’t discern the pluses and minuses. It’s all bad or it’s all good. I can’t see shades of gray.

So it’s the end of the day and I’m tired. I haven’t even thought about dinner (thank heavens for that new grocery store, right?). The hubby is on the couch, the cats are bugging me, and it’s raining. Hard. Calgon, take me away….

Do you ever reach the stage where you can’t see the book anymore? Where it’s just a big pile of rubbish you need to sort out? What do you do?

It sneaks up on you at the least expected times. You’re working on revisions, or maybe writing something fresh, and then all of a sudden you get this crushing feeling. In other words, you get overwhelmed by the thought of all you have yet to do. As I revise, every little choice I make — whether to cut a scene or add a scene — has a ripple effect down the line. And that ripple effect is starting to scare me.

At moments like this, I take a step back and try to think my way through the problem. I also make sure I have a separate copy of the document as it is now before I start making those changes. What if I decide the changes aren’t working and I want the original back? I never do, but at least I’m comforted by the thought I can go back.

I was searching for images that suggested overwhelm when I came across an article that, while not about writing, is absolutely spot on if you think of it in terms of your writing business. Go read The Five Things in Your Home That Can Kill Your Home Business and see what you think.

The guy talks about Time Termites, which I love. There are Busy Bugs, Doubt Daubers, and Clutter Leeches, among others. Awesome terms and really puts into perspective what happens as you try to run a business from your home (which is pretty much where we all write).

I know these things all get me at one time or another. Time Termites are the worst, though the others have been known to rear their ugly heads as well. Like Busy Bugs: it’s much easier to pretend to be busy, than to really be busy doing the hard work the business requires.

Knowing is the first step in conquering, so I’m being honest with myself and trying to shove overwhelm (and all that comes with it) back into the closet where it belongs.

Are you being invaded by the Time Termites or Doubt Daubers? Are the Busy Bugs misdirecting you? Did Clutter Leeches attack your desk? Is overwhelm perching on your shoulder?

I’ve had to rethink my Sven goals just a little. I didn’t realize that revising the first book would take as much time as it has, so I’m not actively working on the next WIP.

There seems to be mass confusion with the GH requirements. Some folks say to worry about the 55 page entry only, because if you make it to the finals and your book is requested, they’ll give you a chance to provide an updated copy.

Others say the book should be revised all the way through and as polished as you can make it. I guess I’m erring on the side of caution, but it’s making me quite unhappy to work on this thing non stop. The more I revise, the more I see what I could change to be even better.

And I know that’s a trap.

True story: when I was about 6, I had a playmate who was four years older. She had the patience of Job, because I remember one day wanting to play Barbies. I got Barbie and she got Ken. And I made her reenact the “meet” so many times it wasn’t funny. I came up with all sorts of scenarios, including casting Barbie as Jeannie and Ken as Tony Nelson (I Dream of Jeannie for you whippersnappers). I was never satisfied, and we replayed the meet over and over. Finally, I think she gave up.

But as I revise, I remember my 6yr old perfectionist. And I tell her we don’t have time to rewrite this story in every possible incarnation she can imagine.

How do you revise? Do you have a limit, say two times through, or do you revise until you’re satisfied? How do you resist the perfectionist inside (if you have one)?