I'm working on a biography about a strong, independent woman who made her claim to fame in the early 1900s. I don't want to mention her name at this point because I'm superstitious about talking about books before they're written. Or maybe it's not superstition. It's more of a fact that when I talk about a book, I end up just talking and don't actually write.
Some good news about the book is that an editor I met at a conference has expressed interest it. The bad news is that she wants to see the complete manuscript. That was not what I was expecting. My previous books have all been written under contract, after I had submitted a first chapter and an outline. I'm not used to writing the complete book until after I have a publisher. But I believe in this book and my second choice publisher also wants complete manuscripts. So, I'm writing.
Unfortunately, staying on track with the writing when I don't have a publisher's due date is hard. The fear of having to return the advance if I don't meet the publisher's deadline is a great motivator for me. I've tried self-imposed deadlines, but they don't seem to work. That's probably because I know there are no real consequences if I don't meet those goals. So I'm trying a different approach. I've set a goal to put my writng first, doing that before my other work. That is going well because once I get my BIC (butt in chair), I'm completely into the writing and don't even think about anything else.
I've done a lot of research on my subject and I know her story well. Now I'm researching the time period because people don't live in a vacuum. Weaving in details about other things that were happening makes a person's story come alive. Setting is also important, so I'm looking for books that will show me what it was like living in New York City from about 1903-1915. If you know of any such books, please use my contact page to send me the titles.
In the meantime, I'm also working on a couple of queries for magazine articles. The first three chapters of my children's mystery have been with three publishers for a few months and I've had a picture book circulating. Unfortunately, I haven't had any "bites" on the mystery or picture book. I know the problem with the mystery now after having an agent critique the first pages at a conference. The picture book, I'm afraid, is clever only in my head. The idea isn't strong enough to stand out in such a competitive market.
I look forward to working on the mystery again now that I know what needs to be done, but I'll probably stuff the picture book in a drawer. I don't have the heart to toss out a manuscript no matter how bad it is. The mystery will have to wait for now while I focus on my biography, which is currently a very rough draft, but coming together.
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