The Editor decides to get an Editor

It's been a while since I took to the blogosphere to chat about anything besides the work side of my life (www.captivate.com/byte-sized), but I have found myself with quite a bit to say over the past few weeks.

Let's do a recap.

At the beginning of April, I discovered the joys of a writers' retreat. Twelve members of my Toadstool writer's group rented a house in mountain country for a long weekend of eating and writing and more eating -- though truth be told, the delicious prose coming out of the event was much more satisfying than any bangers and mash and sticky mango rice I may have consumed (but just barely re: the mango rice).

Working off an idea that electrified my muse into near blathering hysterics, I furiously penned a 20,000-word novella in weeks, typing the final first-draft words over a schmeared bagel and cream cheese the day before we all left for home (the final copy has been sent off in hopes of publishing, so fingers crossed).

My story is about an island where men the likes of romance novel covers are created, imprinted and sold to women looking for life-long love. Meg, a strong girl tired of the dating scene, picks out her Mr. Perfect, only to secretly fall in love with the geeky doctor who owns the tropical lab but spends his nights online gaming. When the trio are stranded on the island, Meg must decide who she really wants. It's a very tingly, dense romance with the most beautiful men, a sarcastic heroine and the sexiest kind Clark-Kent geek I could imagine. If you're interested in reading it, shoot me an email (amplante@gmail.com) and I'll see what I can do.

The retreat also served another writing purpose: On the final morning, I woke up and was once again struck by lightning: The missing plot point I've been struggling with in GLOW solved itself. Well, I'll give my multiple muses (especially the one who looks like Eric Northman from 'True Blood') due credit: Someone found the missing film reel and played it in my mind before my feet even touched the floor -- and I knew instantly my months of stoppage was at a dramatic end.

Sundae and Brendan now know where they are going -- well, that's not really accurate. I always knew how my story about the universe-crossed lovers would end, I just couldn't see how they got there. But, now I know. And whooo boy it's epic.

Moving on, I've also realized something extremely important re: writing: Even editors need editors.

No matter how much experience one has as an editor (meaning my 8+ years and eagle-sharp eye), you simply *cannot* edit your own work. Ever. It's a certified impossibility, and anyone who disagrees with me needs a real editor like whoa.

I asked a dear friend of mine who has nearly 45 years experience teaching English grammar to please 'BE MEAN' to my book, 'Arcane' -- Miss Phyl took the whole thing and, in 12 days or so, gave me back a copy that made me squeal. Every single page had at least one mark of editing to help clarify, fix, edit, correct, etc. Not that 'Arcane' was messy or not well written by any stretch -- I am, after all, a professional and, as I've proffered a few times on this very site, pretty darn good -- but it just goes to show you how blind you can be to your own mistakes.

My favorite part of the whole editing process is the distance it's given me from my own work. I'm going back over passages I thought were perfect only to find they were A.) not necessary to the overall plot, B.) long-winded and verbose, or C.) too quick and needing more explanation. It's truly fascinating how things can change with another set of eyes.

I am happy to announce that the scrub of my 80,000-word paranormal romance/adventure is complete, as is the novella 'Mr. Perfect.' I expect to be querying agents within the next few weeks for 'Arcane,' then I'm going to finish 'GLOW' before the end of the summer.

It's going to be a busy few months.

What's so amusing about muses?

Let's talk about muses. Why? Because I'm having a bit of a Renaissance with mine at the moment and I'd like to sing some praises while the mood so strikes :)

I've recently discovered a few very interesting things about my muse -- aside from the love/hate relationship we've been having lately. Fortunately, I think we've patched things up and are relishing in a little make-up love, which is leaving my writing hand damn sore.

But before I go there, let's get intellectual. Muses originated in Greek mythology as the 'women or spirits who inspire the creation of literature and art,' according to Wikipedia. There is actually a pretty fascinating history and lore behind the myth -- sorry, I meant conception! -- of the muses. Here's the Wiki excerpt on each of the 9:

"Calliope (epic poetry) carries a writing tablet; Clio (history) carries a scroll and books; Erato (lyrical poetry) is often seen with a lyre and a crown of roses; Euterpe (music) carries a flute, the aulos; Melpomene (tragedy) is often seen with a tragic mask; Polyhymnia (sacred poetry) often is seen with a pensive expression; Terpsichore (dance) is often seen dancing and carrying a lyre; Thalia (comedy) often is seen with a comic mask; and Urania (astronomy) carries a pair of compasses and the celestial globe."

My muse -- or, muses -- don't exist within this seemingly extensive list of inspirations. My muses whisper in my ear as my conciousness is slipping off to dreamland. And I dream every single night in full 3-D Technicolor, complete with plotlines, narration, sensation ... the whole 9 yards. Many of my best ideas began as nighttime synapses placed there by my lucky muses.

When I do finally take pen to paper, I, like pretty much every writer I know, look to well known faces to be the embodiment of my characters. I think in terms of who would be best suited to star in movie adaptations of my stories, and from there I can visualize them interacting on my own planes of imagination.

And, the funnest part is that there are no rules. A dear friend of mine calls himself 'Mrs. Flanigan' after his perpetual muse Joe Flanigan, who has an up-front, starring role in every book he's written ... as far as I know.

Mine? Well, I actually have more than one. My favorite female muse is Zooey Deschanel (Left). Her innocence is twisted and jagged, which leads to branching avenues of saassiness, hidden strength and witty banter that just keep me turning the pages. I also absolutely adore Yohanna House (right), who won ANTM a while back. She's just, well, feirce ... and I don't think I've ever seen more beautiful physical features. Oh, and how adorable was Kenley from 'Project Runway' fame? :)

As far as male muses ... well, that list is a bit more extensive. But, I'll offer another three jsut for space's sake. First and foremost, I would hand-pick Ian Somerhalder (left) for pretty much any male role I've ever written. He's perfect, the king of my muses, if you will. And that smirk --gah! Next up and current star of my sequel is Billie Joe Armstrong (right) ... whose name I've changed to Faolan Vale. The darkness and, again, strange innocence leaves me feeling mischevious and coy. Then, we've got Alexandar Skarsgard. I don't actually find him particulalry attractive, but the way his eyes brood, and the sheer size of the man leave me kinda breathless.

So, why all about my muses? Well, I'm glad they came back.

I've been completely hijacked from my normal relaxation time by this new story I'm tentatively calling 'Perfection.' I expect it'll be novella-length -- about a girl who goes looking for the perfect man and ends up finding a geek instead. Think 'LOST' scene, mixed with 'Jurassic Park' science, and toss in some original sc-fi brilliance and, of course, gaming.

Off to write some more and cuddle with my muses while they whisper in my ear. Talk to you all later!