*sigh*...ok, well, 50% isn't bad...

Got the first five chapters done yesterday.  Actually it was pretty easy.

For those who don't know my book is about two boys who find a time-travel enabling pocket watch, only to lose it to Professor Ferguson, who is bent on changing the past and altering the present.

The first five chapters are pretty much set up and the finding of the watch, and there weren't a lot of notes from Special Agent CB, which is cool.  Now the hard part begins.

And it always starts with a "What if you did..." fill in the blanks.

Personally, I think this is where the writer's creativity comes into play the most.  How can you take what you've already pictured, and add or change that picture pretty radically?  This is where the wheat is separated from the bread, or whatever.  Do you have what it takes to pull that part out of your story and give it a twist and then put it flawlessly back into the story?  It's not carved in stone - it's not like someone saying to Michelangelo that David's penis is too small - you need to buff it up some.  It's a fluid process whereby you trust your agent to know what it takes to get editor's attention, and you do it without re-writing the thing entirely or losing what it means to you.

It's tricky.  Can you do it?

OF COURSE YOU CAN!  DUH!  Read the title of the blog!!!   :)

Day 1 - Starting the Revisions

Ok - day 1 of the countdown.  I forgot to mention before (down below on the backstory) that I actually DO have an agent.  I won't reveal her name, so let's just call her Special Agent CB (no, she doesn't work for the FBI.  If you ARE the FBI and you're reading this post, I'm innocent.  I swear).  I'll post more about the querying process on other pages so you can follow along.  Took a good 3-4 months though.  Anyway, I signed up and we've talked about the manuscript and now...

I'm looking at revisions.

Revising sucks.

I've been staring at the pile of papers and marks and notes, trying to get myself jazzed up about making the changes, but let's face it, OPTIMISM says that I submitted the manuscript thinking it was great, right?  I mean, after all, my wife told me it was.

WRONG!

Special Agent CB's job (as is any agent) is to get the manuscript perfect for publications.  They know the editors, they know what they want, and they know what should sell.  So I have to trust her and talk with her about what makes my great manuscript PERFECT.

Optimism once again draws its sword against its arch-nemesis, Realism.  A fight to the death.

Or can there be a truce?  I can be optimistic that the book will sell, BUT I have to be REALISTIC in recognizing that it takes a ton of work.

Ok, by end of day today - Chapters 1-10 will be revised.  At least, the first cut.  Then I'll go through the 'revising the revision' stage.

Raaaaaaay....

Welcome to the Countdown!

Here at Optimism Abounds I will be taking you reader(s) through the process of getting published.  And getting a movie deal.  And sitting with top Hollywood stars as they shoot the movie based on my book (Note blog title).

I write middle grade fiction, and plan on having book and film success to rival Harry Potter and Percy and the Olympians combined.  There's quite a bit that's already happened, so I'll fill you in on the backstory in separate posts.  Until then, for all you future authors who can't wait to be sipping Mai-Tai's on location as they shoot your novel adaptation, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!