Chaeya

Yes, it’s been a while. Since I really don’t have a readership for my blog as of yet, I’ve played a little hookey.

I also took a break from my soon-to-be-published novel. It was a good break because after getting my book back from my critique partner, I was overwhelmed by the changes I had to make.

I cannot stress enough that every author should have a CP or a friend who will tell it to them straight. CPs see things we cannot and offer a fresh point of view. Because something makes perfect sense to us as the writer doesn’t mean it will convey well with the readers. Especially when the writer has a different way of looking at the world anyway.

Every time my husband asks me why I’m not done, I have to grit my teeth and attempt to explain why. Then he says, “but I thought you fixed those problems the last time.” Old problems get fixed and new problems pop up. Welcome to writing. I have to try and explain this to my musician of a husband. He who beats his man breast triumphantly after sitting up all night and recording a song from beginning to end. His take is, I’m a good writer and if I ran the spell check, why isn’t the story finished? If only the spellcheck were the brunt of my worries. Ha ha.

I’m a perfectionist. I’ve always taken a long time to do things because I do the work, then stand back to check it out. Then come the tweaks, the fixes, the “this no longer works for me” stages of the project. I won’t even mention the rewrites and the sections which get taken out, then put back in, then taken out again. I probably shouldn’t also mention all the other sections which have to be edited to support the parts that were taken out. Most writers should feel me here.

When I have attempted to explain this to the mister, I can see his eyes slowly glaze over. I get abruptly cut off with, well you need to get finished and it get it out there. I tell him why? It isn’t like I’m gonna get famous and make a lot of money. He gets angry and wonders why I’ve been “wasting” my time for all these years. Uh, because I just happen to really love what I do. And if I’m going to do anything, it will be done well, money or no money.

Some of you may think I’m being negative by saying I won’t get famous and make a lot of money. I feel I’m being realistic. It stems from being a singer/musician all these years. At 46 years of age, I’ve long come to the conclusion that I’m not going to realize my dream of being a famous singer. The “never know” thing doesn’t work for me. I find by telling myself I won’t do something, keeps my mind in a balance state and I’m able to simply do what it is I do. Write, sing, compose or even making a lotion. I do it and I put it out there. I get what I get.

However, when it does get put out there, it will be in top form. I’ve come across authors who have taken ten years and more to get books finished. My only advice is that if an artist chooses to create something, they can’t rush it. I’ve just come back to my novel to put more edits on it after leaving it alone for three months. I’m glad I did this because now I feel fresh. After my last hiatus, I feel I can finally complete it now. I no longer feel an aversion to reading it like I used to.

This is the point where an artist has to say they are finished. And in reading over it, I know I am coming to the final stages before publishing. My artist is nearly complete with the cover art, so I told my husband that I will finish the book by May.

So I’m sure some of you can empathize with me. It’s a long road from beginning to end, not a nightlong session. I also feel kind of sad. Those characters have been with me so long, it’s like I’m saying goodbye to them. But this I do know, after finishing this first book, the other stories I have waiting in the wings seem much easier. Some of them I’ve completed in my head while working on my current book. That’s a good feeling.

If you’d like to read an excerpt of my upcoming novel “Srae Iss-Ka-Mala,” you can find it under “Books.”