Did I finish the first draft of Clara II in August as I vowed I would? No, not quite, but I'm up to page 210, with just a couple scenes to go. I have excuses, of course, for why I didn't quite make it. The page proofs came for The Year We Were Famous, and I needed to put Clara II aside for several days to meet the deadline for returning the proofs. My daughter and three-year-old grandson, Iggy, came to visit, and grandkids trump writing every time.
At least I'm past that impossible stage where it doesn't feel like I'll ever figure out how to untangle the bits and pieces of plot, and over the next dozen or so revisions I'll layer on refinements to setting, plot, and characters.
For the last full week at the island, I had three writing buddies from my critique group in residence – always a terrific motivator. Deb Lund is working on a fantasy now, but is better known for her picture books, the Dinosailor series and Monsters on Machines. Ruby Tanaka is an artist and writer also working on a fantasy, and is on the cusp of being discovered. Penny Holland had several books for children on computers published some time ago, but is letting her creativity loose now on a picture book and middle grade novel. I hope this August writing intensive will be an annual event. My husband likes their company too—they're all good cooks.
Hope everyone had a great summer!
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