It's been a very long time since I added to my blog. Back in late August I handed the revised version of Isabelle over to my agent, and the waiting began. When I hadn't heard anything by Thanksgiving, I dropped her a line. I heard back from her last week, and it looks like we're still in the game. She said "a few" editors were willing to look at the revised MS, so I'm remaining optimistic. These things do take time, however. It can take anywhere from two to five months or more for editors to make a decision, according to the wisdom of the Web. It took ten years to write the silly thing--surely I can wait a while long for it actually see the light of day. Fingers crossed!
In the meantime, I've been continuing work on my current project, which is a fictionalized retelling of my grandfather's experiences as a medic during WWI. It's been great fun, and I'm learning a lot. The researching skills I gained while writing Isabelle have come in handy, as well as the discovery of Google Books. I'm currently reading War Bugs, a first-person account of the Rainbow Division's experience in France at the same time. Thanks to the King County Library System, I was able to borrow it from (I think) somewhere in New Mexico. It's not directly applicable since Granddad wasn't in the trenches, but good background information overall. Prior to War Bugs, I was reading Dr. Harvey Cushing's journal. He was a doctor with the BEF from the early days of the war, and kept an incredibly detailed and fascinating multi-volume journal of his adventures. An edited version was published in the '30s, and I was able to find a copy of it online. It was very exciting to find four separate mentions of Granddad's unit in the journal. I was able to get a lot added to the story over midwinter break, and I hope the momentum will continue.
Since my goal is to write (and not write about my writing) I won't be here every day, but I do plan to check in now and again. After all, as Louis L'amour said: “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.”
