Something New
I started the follow-up to Plain Jayne yesterday! Simply Sara will release in the winter of 2011. I’ve only been done with Plain Jayne for a short while, but if I’m not writing, I really don’t know what to do with myself!
While I’m excited to have started the next book, a part of me is still exhausted from finishing Plain Jayne. Writing a book is hard work! I think too often people envision writing as a kind of thoughtful communion with the inner storyteller, a time when the writer gets to sit outside with his/her laptop and let the story unfold itself as spring breezes play at the ends of his/her hair. That’s all complete rubbish. First, laptop screens are invariably tricky to view outside. Second, spring breezes in this part of the world are often paired with outright downpour, and Third, very few stories unfold without a fight. They take immense amounts of thought, planning, and all-out work. If writers only wrote when they felt like it, we wouldn’t do it with the kind of regularity our editors might prefer. You know, to finish things on time.
The upside is that the beginning of a book is my favorite part. I’m already excited about some of the characters, and the fact that much of the book takes place in a bookstore. I love bookstores!
Exciting news – I’ll be teaching a class at the February Oregon Christian Writers’ Conference! If you’re a writer, or exploring the idea of being a writer, and live within reasonable driving distance of Salem, Oregon, it’s certainly worth the trip! I got to attend the Spring Conference here in Eugene a few weeks ago, and had a wonderful time. As registration approaches for the February conference, I’ll be sure to post a link. The class I’m teaching is about creating an ensemble cast for novels. I already have a Word document full of notes. The other happy thing is that Plain Jayne will have been released by then, so I will be bringing books to sell and sign.
If you’re a contented reader but not a writer, no worries, I’ll have other book events around that time.
Until then, happy reading!
Last 5 posts by Hillary
- East Coast Adventures - June 25th, 2010
- All About Hillary - April 6th, 2010
- Download the first chapter of Plain Jayne! - January 19th, 2010
- Plain Jayne and Booksigning to Come - January 13th, 2010
- Holidays, Amish-style - October 26th, 2009
Hi Hillary! Congratulations on finishing Plain Jayne and starting Simply Sara! I loved your post, especially about how much work it is to finish a book. I smiled when I read what happens to you when you take your laptop outside. When I try to write out on my deck, all the weeds growing in my garden, the hedges that need trimming, and the paint peeling on the house consprire to distract me, and back into my “cave” I go.
I wish I lived closer to Oregon, because I’d love to sit in your class at the Christian Writers’ Conference in February.
I can’t wait to read Plain Jayne!
Mary Ellis
A Widow’s Hope
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