A manuscript is a funny thing. It’s just a pile of pages, really, but somehow a manuscript creates this tangible tie between you and the people you’re writing about. Once, when I was having coffee with a friend and talking about my forthcoming book,
I was sitting in a café, wondering, once again, what I was doing here, alone, working on my projects, while others surrounding me were meeting and working together. This is when your newsletter arrived in my mailbox. I read it.
I do not feel as alone anymore. I actually feel that maybe I made the right decision by quitting academia and writing for the public. Thank you for presenting the challenges of being a writer as they are, so truthfully. You also write beautifully about the deep attachment that we develop with our characters. When I finished the first revision of my manuscript with my publisher, I knew that the next ones would be more about corrections related to language and grammar. I was not going to make my characters live and feel anymore. I am still mourning this.
But they live again every time you reread and tweak. And they will live in the minds of all the readers you reach. That is the strange thing -- they die, in a way, but they also live on. Onward to the next book!
Interesting to learn of the writing process from an author. I have often wondered how one goes about conceiving of and then writing a book. Thank you
Thanks for reading! There will be more about process and writing along the way....
I was sitting in a café, wondering, once again, what I was doing here, alone, working on my projects, while others surrounding me were meeting and working together. This is when your newsletter arrived in my mailbox. I read it.
I do not feel as alone anymore. I actually feel that maybe I made the right decision by quitting academia and writing for the public. Thank you for presenting the challenges of being a writer as they are, so truthfully. You also write beautifully about the deep attachment that we develop with our characters. When I finished the first revision of my manuscript with my publisher, I knew that the next ones would be more about corrections related to language and grammar. I was not going to make my characters live and feel anymore. I am still mourning this.
Thank you Leah!
But they live again every time you reread and tweak. And they will live in the minds of all the readers you reach. That is the strange thing -- they die, in a way, but they also live on. Onward to the next book!
So hopeful that the characters will live on. Thank you!
Yes, Philip II looks super judgy!