I’m pretty sure that this is the coolest typewriter I’ve ever, ever, ever seen.
Last week I finished up the revisions I started *gulp* a year ago on my book. Revisions I embarked on after receiving a very nicely worded rejection from an agent.
A very nicely worded rejection that totally knocked my feet out from under me.
A very nicely worded rejection that had me re-writing the whole thing in first person.
And then re-writing the whole thing in third-person. Again.
I was so deeply shaken by that stupid rejection.
But now I’m here on the other end of it. On the cusp of planning a release date for my book. Something I can do with more confidence than I would have ever imagined because I’ve revised, revised, revised. Some of it was necessary, some of it wasn’t, and all of it served to teach me a whole hell of a lot. So, thank you, agent lady. If it weren’t for you, I would have never done that. Because of you, I know this thing inside and out. I’ve taken it apart and put it back together so many times that I could now do it in my sleep.
I really am so grateful.
I was at the library when I finished it. Well, not really at the library – libraries scare the shiza out of me. I was sitting outside the library, working at a patio table. The eerie quiet that permeates the inside of the library oozes outside, too – but at least it’s tempered with the noise chirping birds and cars driving by. Just quiet enough to work; not so quiet that it feels like a graveyard.
Nobody was there at the moment of completion. Just me and my trusty MacBook. We stared at each other awhile. I finally risked a whisper:
Did we do it?
My MacBook is the strong, silent type. He just stared back at me, his fan humming quietly, like a cat’s purr…
You’re going to start hearing more and more about this project I’ve been calling SHRILUGH. I’m so excited to be nearing the point where I can actually share it with you. Three years in the making so far. Other than marriage and parenting, it’s been the best education I’ve had, this journey called writing a novel.
More on SHRILUGH and where I’m going with it next week.
Love,
Myn
p.s. To see a little of what inspires me, visit my SHRILUGH board (and others – there’s a whole slew of ’em!) on Pinterest.
Myndi Shafer 
Congratulations! Sometimes we can be so motivated my negetivity. Good for you for turning an icky situation into something good for you and your book. 🙂
Yeaaa, Myndi, girl, this calls for a chocolate celebration. Savor the moment for a while then make a plan. There are lots of us waiting to hear more about this mighty project. Might we see a small (tiny) excertp? Maybe? hmm?
Thank you. This is encouraging. Writing does take a lot of hard work, and a critical critique can be valuable…once we get over our hurt writer feelings. Congrats on finishing. More to come, right?
Congrats. Make sure you savor that feeling!
You’re keeping us in suspense though. I want to know now about where you’re going with the project 🙂
Congrats! So exciting! Celebrate the moment 🙂
WooHOO! Congrats! I’m so excited for you, Myndi. I can’t wait to hear more about your project. So many of our WANA friends are doing great things, and now I get to add your name to that list as well. Its quite motivating! Thanks for sharing this moment with us.
Congratulations, Myndi, and great job of insuring we all read the next blog to see where this is going.
Congrats! Nothing quite beats that feeling, does it? I went through a rewrite changing POV as well based on an agent’s rejection letter. But I was so pleased to get an actual comment, rather than a form letter, and in restrospect, I now see she was right, even if she didn’t put it very nicely. 🙂
Go, Myndi, go! You are amazing…I am so impressed with what you are able to juggle, and your commitment to making this book the way you want. Great job!
Good for you! I’m just now pushing through to finish my WIP so I can get edits going in July and August. Then the quest for an agent begins….oh boy. So happy for you and can’t wait to read it!
Congrats!! Getting to this point is so awesome. I love that your MacBook is the strong silent type. Mine’s a chatty little thing that I often have to mute. She thinks she’s one of my muses, which is so not amusing. 😉
Can’t wait to read your book!!
Myndi, I am in awe! With all that you’ve had going on, you didn’t give up! Rock on girl! I too know how it is to have someone mess with your mind. I had an editor screw with my head last year. Maybe these people do it on purpose to get us to do the work. But really? Do they have to be such jerks about it? I think that we didn’t need that kind of motivation. Sounds like you’re a pretty self-motivated gal to me! Congratulations Myndi! Can’t wait to read it! 🙂
Congrats! That is awesome. 🙂
I’m so pleased for you! Congratulations.
Congratulations, Myndi! That’s great news.
Congrats on finishing the revision. And evil to keep us in suspense until next week! I can’t wait to hear more.
Yay, Myndi! And you did all this after giving birth for the fourth time and spending days in hospital with a serious illness? Your middle name is now officially Superwoman! Can’t wait to hear more details!.
I am so proud of you, Myndi!!! Here you are, fresh out of gallbladder surgery and baby-birthing, fighting for those dreams. WOOT!!!
Myndi, this is a great victory! You should celebrate.
You’ve been having a fantastic year so far, hospital visits notwithstanding. Can you imagine looking back a few years from now?
We’re all so happy for you!
Very late to tell you that I love this post entirely, like every letter! Soak in and savor your accomplishment. HUG.