The Writing Life — Wind

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As part of this week’s mega update on all things processy, I decided to share the good, bad and ugly.

Because otherwise… well… I would be lying.

About how I pretty much think up great ideas in the morning and hang on the beach drinking pina coladas in the afternoon.

Most days are kind of not very much like that.
And some are the polar opposite. 

In fact, a whole bunch of those polar opposite days have hung themselves to the rafters of one of my manuscripts.
You know it as Wind but I occasionally refer to it as "that cursed Wind" or "that blasted Wind". If you get my drift.

So, a little backstory.

My very first drafts of this story are from 2003.

It lived at a publishing house (without a contract) for almost 2 years before being squeaked out of the final aquisition step.
Which was a bitter pill.

But I revised it and I got it back out there.

Blasted Wind.

And then, in 2007, it found its way into the waiting arms of Allyn Johnston (then at Harcourt).
We revised and revised and revised and it was about ready to go (with Marla Frazee illustrating) when I wrote All the World. And in our excitement over that project, we sort of kicked Wind to the curb. With every intention of coming back later to pick ‘er up and dust ‘er off.

Well. It’s later.
It’s been later for awhile now.
I spent a chunk of time in the fall revising it.
Again.
Re-imagining.
Re-writing.
One time I literally started from scratch.

It was as if I was getting further from understanding it the longer I lived with it.

So, in November, we decided to put it back on hold.
Indefinately.

Cursed Wind.

Sometimes I wonder if its role in my life was just to introduce me to Allyn and Marla so we could get All the World made.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s just been a very long and sustained exercise in futility craft.
And then other times, I’m sure that the hold is temporary and that it will see the light of day as a book someday soon.
I’ve dreamt about it more than once.
(But then, I recently had a dream about my husband eating plastic children’s toys, so don’t give too much credence to my subconscious…)

The truth is, I don’t know what’s next for Wind, but I can tell you that you needn’t be watching the catalogs for it.
Not now.
Not yet.

36 Responses to “The Writing Life — Wind”

  1. carmenoliver

    Liz, Thanks for sharing your process. Your blasted, cursed Wind will find a home one day. I’m sure of it. And readers everywhere will rejoice. They might not know the struggles you’ve gone through to get it there, but they will rejoice. Like we do whenever we’re allowed to hold your work in our hands – it’s like a little piece of magic, heavenly.

  3. tamarak

    Oh, honey. I so understand.

    xoxoxoxo

    And you know, if WIND brought you to Allyn and Marla, I think WIND has done a stellar job already.

  4. Anonymous

    Tanita Says:

    Ach. Liz, I know how hard this is — and how it’s almost impossible to know when to set something down/aside/away, how it feels sometimes that you can revise something into mush, and all the life/lights spark out of it. I have a book like that. It’s been years and years. And it may never see the light of day. And that baffles and infuriates and … humbles me.

    Thanks for sharing.

  6. kellyrfineman

    Oh, this is hard. And heartwrenching.

    I’m sorry to hear that Wind has stalled, for now. I hope that the calm you find yourself in will allow you to figure out how to propel it forward again.

    Hugs.

  7. saralholmes

    “further from understanding it the longer I lived with it.” Yup. I know just what you mean. How can that be? How can all our devotion and hard work come to such a unsatisfying place? And the really tough thing is that despite this, it’s nearly impossible to leave such a story alone. Cursed Wind, indeed!

    May the gentle wind be at your back again soon.

  9. Anonymous

    you never know….kirk might enjoy a nice plastic toy every once in a while…