Here it is! The promised update:

If you saw my Instagram post, then you’ll know that I’ve officially signed a contract with Lindsay Auld of Writers House.

She’s the agent from my Vague Publishing Update who first offered representation. We’ve now had two phone calls discussing edits for Thief and my writing career in general, and we’re very much on the same page. By the end, there were 6 or 7 other agents who asked to read the manuscript, but none of them offered representation. Some of them didn’t have time to read it by the deadline, some stepped aside without any feedback, and a few gave very detailed emails explaining the things they’d like to see changed in the manuscript before they’d be comfortable offering representation.

What’s really fantastic is that some of the issues the other agents pointed out were ones that Lindsay and I had discussed and already made a game plan to change. So it was really validating to hear that other people also thought those were weak spots. I’ll be on the right track with my edits. And I was ultimately grateful that no one else offered representation because it meant I didn’t have to make a difficult choice. I got to go with the agent I was already extremely excited to work with!

What I’m Working On:

The edits for the Thief story are fairly substantial… the overarching structure of the novel is staying the same, but some of the main relationships are changing and the world-building is getting a facelift. I told Lindsay that I’d like to get the revised manuscript to her by the time my kids are done with school (so about eight weeks). That sounds like plenty of time, but between the craziness of regular life with three kids, multiple businesses, and hospitality, and another side hustle I’ve recently taken on (and will get to announce in my next harbinger!), I’m not entirely confident I can pull it off. We’ll see!

If you stop by my house unannounced, you may find me like this:

What I’m Reading:

I just finished Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry and really enjoyed it. His writing is lyrical, atmospheric, quiet, and moving. As someone whose British hackles rise easily in the presence of sentimentality, there were a few moments that felt overly introspective. But, I’m also not a hugger (and once was so surprised by a friend hugging me at church that I thought someone must have died), so I’m entirely willing to chalk this up to a deadened portion of my heart and not a failing in the book.

Next up, I’ll either be rereading Gilead or hunting for a few recent Middle Grade novels to compare the Thief story to.

A Writing Tip:

Since I’m diving into revisions, I thought I’d share my big-picture process.

First, I write down a list of all the things

• I write down a list of all the changes I want to make (broadly) on a piece of paper.

• I start a new word doc as I reread through the manuscript and write out what what will need to be fixed/changed/deleted in each chapter. In the word doc, I have each chapter labelled and notes underneath it. In this case, I also noted what new chapters I would need to write.

• I tackle the biggest changes first. For Thief, one of the main characters is getting a complete transformation. So, I work through the entire manuscript and change that one thing (and make notes in my separate word doc of how that will effect other plot points/chapters)

• I also start a word doc called “deleted scenes”. Whenever I cut out a large portion of the story (or something that’s important but no longer works there), I stick it in this deleted file. It makes deleting some of my favorite lines or scenes easier, because they aren’t really gone. They’re in a separate word doc! I might get to use them later!

• After I’ve made the big changes that require working through the whole manuscript from start to finish, I go through chapter by chapter and fix all the smaller things. This is also the point where I reread through my “deleted scenes” file and see if I want to sneak any of those killer lines back into another place in the manuscript.

• Once I’ve crossed everything off my edit list, I let the manuscript sit for a few days, then I reread it for continuity. Usually I catch quite a few little things here because when you’re doing this invasive of surgery, you’re bound to forget to reconnect the intestines somewhere (sorry, that’s gross).

And that’s it! Sounds simple and effortless, right? Right?? Speaking of edits, it’s high time I start working on them now. Catch you next month!

Christine