This is a euphoric moment: I have finished my first draft!
I know from past experience that it’s useless to try and keep myself contained and realistic. My imagination is running like wild, far into the future…past the submission process (there’s no guarantee my book will find a publisher at this point)…past all the work that will need to happen if it should be accepted…none of that is on my mind right now.
What is running through my mind? I’m conjuring up phrases from the fabulous reviews I imagine my book will get: “Wooldridge has done an expert job of weaving historical background into Emily Post’s life”; “Wooldridge has fleshed out a woman who had been reduced to an icon”; “What Emily Post stands for is a breath of fresh air in this down-and-dirty political climate.”
It’s an absolutely ridiculous exercise, this mental writing of glowing reviews. But a necessary one. I may be in for some hard knocks. The book may not find a publisher at all and, if it does, the editor who takes it on will not find it as perfect as it seems to me right now. So it’s good, right at this point, to dream soaring dreams, imagine my book getting starred reviews across the board and winning every award imaginable. I need to allow myself some time to love my book, to believe in it, to come to the firm conclusion that it deserves to be out there and read by millions.
Because in just a moment, I’m going to begin the revision process. I’m going to read my manuscript from beginning to end and be embarrassed and disappointed and frustrated by what I find. In just a moment, I am going to start trying to turn a stumbling, bumpy, disconnected, badly written piece into a book worthy of the reviews I just conjured up in my mind.
I have a first draft. Now the real work begins.
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Connie Nordhielm Wooldridge, Author
Biography | View
- Just Fine They Way They Are (Calkins Creek, March 1, 2011)
- The Brave Escape of Edith Wharton (Clarion Books, 2010)
- Thank You Very Much, Captain Ericsson! (Holiday House, 2005; Berndtsdotter Books, 2012)
- When Esther Morris Headed West (Holiday House, 2001)
- The Legend of Strap Buckner (Holiday House, 2001)
- Wicked Jack (Holiday House, 1995)
Speaker / Presenter
Connie is an experienced speaker and presenter who enjoys sharing her passion for writing and her experience as a writer with readers and writers of all ages. She has presented to students, community, civic and professional organizations, writing groups, library audiences, and seniors – wherever book lovers gather!
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