Monday, July 2, 2012

A Break in the Babble

First – I’m alive.

Second – A brief explanation.

The initial weeks of summer at Casa Babble burst with activity. Once school lets out the Day Job takes a three month hiatus, but the free time does not last long, replaced almost instantly by a vortex of camp, lessons and family visits. But after those initial days of insanity wind down, something magical occurs, something I call…

GOYBAW - Get Off Your Butt And Write!

GOYBAW 2012 was made possible by the unyielding bravery of my Mom and Dad – who (sinister laugh) volunteered to accompany my spawn…Err…children on a two week vacation.  (I see a rest home upgrade in their future.) And at the end of that little adventure – Boy Scout Camp – yeah baby!

Wondering what GOYBAW is all about? (No? – Well I’m going to tell you anyway, so buckle up Buttercup!)

Last summer I completed my first full length manuscript. I liken the experience to the first pancake out of the batch – edible, but not pretty. And after multiple rounds of polishing, the MS grabbed the attention of a few respected literary agents, each gracious enough to offer personalized feedback. For those non-writers out there, let me explain the magnitude of this step on a publication journey, receiving one-to-one feedback from an agent is like the Pope offering to baptize your baby – RARE and a BIG deal for my little MS – to say I was grateful is a gross understatement.

After all the feedback, revisions, resubmissions and multiple rejections, I learned two vital things.

One – Depression cannot be offset by consuming your body weight in cheese.

Two – KEEP WRITING!

Now here’s where GOYBAW comes in.

While MS #1 waits patiently in the the inboxes of the Publishing Gods, I’ve been hard at work on her sister, MS #2 – and aside from the dreadful  #2 connotation, she’s a decidedly more attractive first draft than her predecessor.

GOYBAW allows me the freedom to outline (GASP!) the storyline without distraction, a technique MS #1 (a seat-of-my-pants story), never received. 

My Beta Buddies (fellow writers’ who read my work, critique, and send chocolate when necessary) have commented on my sunny disposition during GOYBAW. In fact, I’ve recently been described as “less of a deadline phobic Howler Monkey.” Such love.
Bottom line – the next month is all about the writing – blog posts, freelance gigs, mind-sucking social media and all other distractions (with the exception of basic hygiene and cheese) will have to wait. I’ll be stopping by my favorite blog buddies for a quick check in – but until then – Babble is going dark – see you all in August!  
Happy Summer!
Going to miss me too much? Check out my blog roll on the left side of the page – some fabulous people to follow! 

2 comments:

sally apokedak said...

Love this post. GOYBAW is a wonderful idea, and three cheers for Mom and Dad. You'll have to give them top billing in the acknowledgments of your first published book.

Happy writing!

Kathryn Elliott said...

Thanks Sally! By the end of the month I should have a few strands of hair left!