Edit Edit Edit

Hey All !!

i know it has been awhile....

i have been buried in editing.... let me explain.

my version of I'm Not Crazy Just Bipolar for www.lulu.com has small margins and single spacing. it is just over 300 pages.

when i began the process of publishing it with AuthorHouse, and turned in the book file, according to their preset margins, my book would be over 40o pages !!! YIKES! ~

So it was back to the drawing board. I had yet another person edit. Already Heather, mom, me a whole bunch of times and Kim graciously had edited. Now I needed to call in another favor.

Carol McC to the rescue !!!!!!! I'm on my last 40 pages of the editing process. I will be sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy when it is turned in. When the book is done, has an ISBN # and can be purchased on Amazon.

Oh Lord, let this move swiftly. I am so done with this book. I want to move on to the promotions phase.

I want to begin writing DinerGirl.

I want to begin writing my book of love and search for sexual identity.

I am so done with this book.


Stay tuned all.


Thanks for stopping by!
xo luv me

Book Expo

Hey everyone!  It's your bipolar blogger here....

Went to BEA all weekend (Book Expo America) in nyc @ the Javits Center.  It was my first.  So I'm officially de-virginized by the BEA now.  I had no idea how huge is was going to be.  I know, I know, duh, it was at the Javits Center Wendy.  

I had high hopes of getting face time with an agent.  Who knew you needed an appointment?  Ugh.  That would've been too easy if I had met an agent at BEA, who fell head over heals for my book and was dying to sign me.  Realistically it goes like this:  new writer sends queries to 5-10 of her top picks for agents.  All but one blow her off.  Maybe one says 'yes send me sample chapters... or your proposal....'  etc. etc.   I had delusions thinking maybe I'll get to speak w/ an agent there, pitch, hand them my fabulously clever new business cards with reduced, also fabulously clever book cover on it, sample.  The'll flip through it, enticed by my cover (not the post it note on top !).... but they'll glance at it, like a little of my writing....perhaps cut to the back and see my article and see I was published somehwere in this galaxy thus far in my lifetime.  THEN maybe THEN they'd give me a buzz and say "I had a cancellation at 2 pm Sunday, can you meet me in an hour?"  I'd be there, wagging tail and all, and they'd be enthralled by my entusiasm, style and obvious determintaion setting me apart from the other 5,184 brand new writers who had contacted them that month, and set up an immediate appointment next week to discuss representation at their nyc office.  

Okay I never said anything about experience and I did just use the word delusional.  So get off my back okay?  

So here I am, knowing my book is calling to me because you can never edit enough. Although Heather  (who skillfully edited the book once, no make that twice already) thinks I'm done done, I'm not done done.  And a book is never really done done until it's in print.  Let's just get THAT point across to any aspiring writer who may not get that point yet.  It's never over until the fat lady sings.  And in publishing, that is when it is in print.  GOT IT?  Cool.... you're with me and that means you're right about where I'm at.

Sooooo here we are, finishing touches need to go on my proposal and I'm blogging.  In my mind I'm procrastinating by blogging.  But really maybe my fingers are getting their warm up.  I mean if I were TRULY procrastinating, I would be outside, at the beach, on this gorgeous day.  I deserve it, I put in a long weekend of BEA-ing.  Right?  Well, yes, but I don't have a 9-5 job so right now I need to be working.  And if I'm not clocking in, I damn well better be doing something that is going to contribute to my success as a writer.

Which brings me to my next item.  Writing.  When did you all know you were one?  I mean we all wrote when we were little, right?  Or no maybe not.  Maybe I did because I am a writer.  I mean essentially we all have things we're good at.  Some people were born baseball players, gifted at pitching or swinging a bat, or both!  Then they really get the big bucks.  But let's reel it back in because I have chosen, or perhaps have been given (and we are assuming I have talent in this area.....of course the jury is still not out on this one!)  So you have this propensitity to do something, to want to do something, some talent.   Some people always drew (Kim!)  Some friends were always wanting to learn sign language (Beth) and are gifted at that.  Some friends knew sooner than others what they were good at.  

For me, I was writing poetry alone in my room, when I was 8.  That's as soon as I can remember doing it.  Maybe it was 7? To play it safe, let's go with 8.  I have something dated then.  SO I'd fill up these little poem books.  Well never fill.  I'd do it in a book for a while then get bored of that book.  Or maybe in defiance, give up for a while.  Maybe I was waiting to get moved again.  You can't spit up poem after poem, day after day you know.  YOu have to feel it first, then it flaps around your brain like a roomful of bats flopping to and fro.  Until you write it down, the bats aren't free.  And who likes bats flapping around up there?  Terribly uncomfortable.  SOmetimes I can't write until it is terrribly uncomfortable.  There's nothing like pain.  Pain is a fabulous motivator for me to write.  Especially poetry.

So I wonder, all nobody of you who are actually reading this, at what point do you know you are doing what you are "meant" to do?  I thought it was when I was doing real esatate after escaping waitressing.  

Then I wrote my first book and I felt ALIVE when I'd be at my laptop for 8 hours straight.  Getting up only to feed my stomach making noise or my bladder that needed to be empty.  That's how I knew.  

Or when I was walking around the BEA this weekend and I couldn't stop writing an aricle in my head about it.  I couldn't walk around without the editing and writing going on.  Finally (amidst the obnoxious drummer that lasted two Donna Summers songs on my iPod later), I had to whip open my laptop and write the article til my laptop died.  Then my iPod died.  With no battery power left, the article was still there floating around, bats loose up there, all bumping in to eachother.  

So back to the beginning.  This frustrated poet, recently de-virginized BEA-er has warmed up fingers.  It's time to get down to business.  For this is, after all, a business.  Like anything else, it does involve dollars and cents and pays bills.  

By the way, this whole thing about being crazy?  I had put that term away, filed it years ago when I realized I had a chemical imbalance and who cares if you can't handle that truth about me.  Oh well.

Then, after leaving the BEA and realizing what a maze the publishing industry is.  And what my chances of publication are, I realized this buiness is making me crazy.  Hey, if you're bipolar and doing well....here's my advice:  don't try to get published.  You'll head right back for the "I must be crazy" line of thought.

Ta ta for now.

xo wendy

Lots O' Stuff

Okay well sorry it's been awhile.... (is anyone reading this anyway??)

Here's what's been going on. The Red Bank Writers' Group has kept me relatively busy. Planning the meetings has been a bunch of emails, a little time and exciting most of all! We had a great guest speaker last week, the fabulous Heather Lennon of Locust Point Publishing. She was informative and fun and everyone enjoyed hearing her speak!

Next is my article. I was looking to get published to begin building my resume. At first, I pitched an entertainment article to the Asbury Park Press. After I met the very energetic and motivational Miller twins (directors/writers/actors of the film Touching Home and authors of the book Either You're In Or You're In The Way), I was INSPIRED. And so I pitched my first article. It was a cart before the horse kind of thing, I hadn't written it yet. I had no Q & As done w/ the twins. The producer had not answered my email (*didn't think I was really doing the article...frankly neither did I!!) Anyways, I wrote it sans Q& A and it didn't go over as written. Was going to resubmit to the Entertainment Editor Kathy but couldn't get Jeromy the producer back in time. Bummer, opportunity lost.

As the universe would have it, I was meant to do an article on bipolar disorder. It is my fate or at least my order of the moment I suppose. Pitching the Asbury Park Press was my beginning though and I ended up doing an article entitled, "My Bipolar Journey" for the Two RiverTimes. It went over well and got on the front page of their Healthy Living section. I disliked my picture but I could've predicted that. :)

So about the book.... isn't that what this blog is really supposed to be about? Well the article w/ my book mention came out before I knew it would. It said my book was avx on www.lulu.com and well...it wasn't yet. Because Wendy hadn't uploaded and formatted it yet! Yikes. So I rushed home and sat down and did it. Hopefully the people who wanted to get it did. There was a day when the paper was out that it wasn't on line though. Lesson learned: find out in advance WHEN the publication will be out AND make sure you don't announce a book when it's not available yet. Oh I'm learning slowly. Never said I had it all together! ha ha.

Well seems as if Dr. Jay Carter isn't responding so I suppose he isn't going to endorse me. Okay I can deal with that. Such is life. I'll persue someone else. Hmmm..... but who? Hard to get an endorsement from someone really top shelf.

Working on getting the book properly formatted. Found some typos while reviewing again on lulu. Oh this is endless I tell you. Why oh why have I decided to embark on this tortourous adventure I ask myself?

That's easy. I'm clearly a masochist with no desire for a real income and time to kill while I pretend to be a busy real estate agent. As my boyfriend (or EX boyfriend I should say... !!) says anyone can fill up 8 hours a day. I suppose it takes a real man to work 8 hours a day and I am well....just a not so real woman trying to be a writer. So I don't clock in. But you better believe I average the same amount of hours. I just don't punch in anywhere. Maybe I should and I wouldnt' feel such a silly persuit of my dreams.

Maybe I shouldn't be aspiring to publish. Rather just to help other bipolars. But exactly how do I help a lot of bipolars if I can't get my book out. Maybe my book won't help bipolars per se. Maybe then, I should speak. Hmmm..... how do I hit the road and speak if I'm so broke I can just about pay my bills.

Just a thought. Stay tuned.

Wendy

Motivation time

Hello bloggers (does anyone even read this??)

Well to keep you up to date, just wanted to let you in to what I'm doing.  I'm working on getting articles published in local magazines and editing (yet again!!!) my book.  Ugh.  When does editing ever end?  I'm sure even when it's in print I'll find a hundred and two things wrong with it, but whatever right?

Hope everyone is doing well.  Happy spring.

Peace out,

me

NEW Red Bank Writers Club

Howdy everyone!!!

Well...I'm so happy to announce a new group I've just started called the:  Red Bank Writers Club.

We're on the website of meetup.com and I started it from the inspiration of the Write to Impact the World's group starter.  A guy named Brian that tutors my roommate.

Anyways...hopefully you'll check us out on line.  Maybe you'll even come to a meeting sometime.  Our first one is 2/22 but we're already full.  SO maybe you can catch us next time.  I'll try to get a bigger place lined up for the next time so everyone who wants to, can come.

We'll be meeting around the Red Bank area and focusing on our goals.  Of course it will be social but the primary goal is for us writers to start achieving (and of course that means defining) our goals.  What do we want to write and how do we get there?  What do we need to accomplish that goal?  We'll need the energy of each other for starters and that's why I created this group.

To Inspire.

Catch you next time!

: ) wendy