An Update on My IRL Writing Career
If you’re one of those people who thinks that bloggers categorically don’t deserve book deals, or if you don’t like my writing, then you’ll probably want to skip this entry.
I have an agent now, and she is awesome.
I’ve spent the last few weeks doing final revisions on my second book, which is a novel. Specifically, a Latina chick lit novel. But… a good one. A cute one. I think you’re going to like it. Who doesn’t like chick lit? Come on. It’s okay to admit here, among friends.
Writing chick lit is way, way harder than I thought it would be. This past year has been a long, long journey for me. The starting point of my journey was a little town called I’ll Just Write This Real Quick for Money. Since then, I’ve ridden a rocky road, and now the brightly lit city known as A Book You’d Be Proud to Put Your Name On looms on the horizon.
I read about other authors who allegedly finish chick lit novels within three days, and I simply can’t believe it. Even if I had a whole novel laid out word-for-word in my brain, and then three days’ vacation and babysitting time in which to write it, I don’t think I could physically do it. Not even if I typed a hundred words a minute.
So imagine a writer who doesn’t have her whole novel thought out word for word, and who’s furiously trying to finish it on her lunch breaks and after her kids are properly fed and homeworked each night, and you’ll understand why my friends and relatives all think I hate them.
“You’re still working on that book?” they say.
“Well, yeah, because I just talked to the editor, and she said they’d like it more if it had some escapism that’s still totally believable, and some hilarious quirkiness that doesn’t go so far as to put off the readers, and a little magical realism that’s not actually supernatural. So… you know. I’m totally rewriting the whole thing so that it’s what they want, but still something I won’t be ashamed to admit I wrote. But I do want to have dinner with you as soon as possible. I promise!”
“How much are they paying you for this thing again?” they say.
“Uh… At the rate I’m going, I’ll get around 75 cents per hour.”
“Right. Okay, fine. You don’t want to hang out with me anymore. I get it. Thanks a lot, Gwen. Go to hell.”
Click.
Luckily, my agent is actually letting me keep it real and take my time to get it done right, for once and for all. So, GOD WILLING, if I keep working like a house on fire, and quit babying my kids and my boyfriend by paying attention to them every other day, I’ll finish this book within the next week and then be back to report good news soon after that. Cross your fingers for me, okay? (Unless you’re a hater, in which case you can just sit on your hands and hush.)
In the mean time, I’m starting to worry that all this writing has been making me crazy.
Before I started working on this book, however, I was starting to worry that not writing makes me crazy.
So, maybe I’m just crazy. I don’t know. Don’t mess with me, okay? It’s not safe.
After this, I’m going to start my next book. I already know what it’s going to be. I’m torn between a really good idea that I really want to do, that may not be profitable, and another commercial plot that may be very sensational/successful. But I’m pretty sure I’m going to do the one that’ll make less money. I thought I wanted to do this for money, but now I know more than I used to.
Every year of my life, I get closer to figuring out what I need to do in order to be happy. As soon as I figure it out, I’ll share the secret with you.
In other Bloggers Gone Print news, Rob and Tracy are on their way to getting their own book deals, any second now. Congratulations, y’all! Your hard work and constant writing for free is finally paying off!
