On writing - What's done and what comes next

 I'm in the middle of a few exciting projects, not least of which is This Darkness is Mine. It's kind of funny in an ironic way how far from the end I was when I typed "The End".

Even typing "The End" was kinda weird. I read through the manuscript again and found things to change, amend, edit, rewrite, etc. Then came the beta readers segment of the journey. Even though writers are anxious for feedback, I gave my readers a unique two-month timetable, and it worked out smashingly. The advice I'd been given from more seasoned writers was don't make every single change recommended by every single beta reader. Sure. I didn't follow that advice. In retrospect, I think it's because I chose my beta readers so carefully. They all saw different things in different places - except for one stretch in the middle that made all of them yawn.

That was July and August of 2019. Still not officially "the end"! What hubris it takes for a writer to type that phrase so prematurely! Or naïvete.

I've written elsewhere on more details of the journey, so I'll skip to present day. My dream literary agent Kelly at Serendipity Literary has (at last) marked my manuscript CLEAN. While that sounds like she has the final say, every change had to be approved by me. Mainly, I had to answer every question that potential readers - including editors - might have. Either that meant defending the words on the page, or clarifying, or chopping what was indefensible. I may have mentioned before in another post that Kelly's initial edit letter had no changes to This Darkness is Mine until page 317, which to me meant 316 very strong pages, which I took as a testament to my talent and skill, which I couldn't claim sole credit for. There's a reason why the acknowledgements page(s) in novels go on and on.

Ironic too that writing seems like such a solitary exercise when, in truth, perhaps a dozen or more people are involved. It's a collaboration in isolation though. Readers can't read with lots of distractions going on any more than writers can write in a roomful of activity. We need to tune out the world when it comes to the word. Each person who touches the manuscript does so in sequence, not in committee.

Now that This Darkness is Mine is CLEAN, she will begin her querying, though it's called subbing, which I guess means submitting. It's almost identical to the writers' process of querying and many of the same resources are utilized: #MSWL, Twitter feed, querytracker, Publishers Marketplace.

Agents go through the same hell, just on a different level! 👀👿

This process may be quick or long. There's no knowing beforehand, so I have no other news to report on that front.

On another front, Mack's Writers Rescue LLC is being filed, and a brand spanking new author website will launch, slated for January 1, 2021

Pages will be devoted to:

• Milo the cat
• Blog
• Excerpts, blurbs and snippets from This Darkness is Mine
• Poetry and short stories
• Interviews of women's fiction authors and mental health advocates*
• About me and testimonials
• Editing and fiction manuscript critique services (the rescue services 👮)

* If you write women's fiction (especially if you're a BIPOC author) with upcoming/published work, or a mental health advocate and would like to be interviewed, please email me mackenzielittledalewrites at gmail dot com.

Readers will be able to get a free short story when they sign up to an email list to stay in touch and stay abreast of This Darkness is Mine as I continue on toward getting published.

I even bought a LivingSocial for portraits, and I'll be gettin' my hair did so I'll look my best for the website.

On yet another front, I'm half way completed with the Developmental Editor certification from UCLA, so I'm pretty stoked about that. Up front, I have a preference for women's fiction, suspense thrillers, and some categories of self-help and nonfiction. I can be persuaded to read fantasy and your first chapter has to win me over for sci-fi. I won't touch horror, erotica, or romance.

The final front is still hush hush until I get the go ahead to make the announcement, but it'll be the biggest event I've ever pulled off, and it'll be HUGE.

I'm always happy to read comments 🠟

Be well, stay safe, and have a magical day!

Mackenzie