Okay, I’m Back

~ Jenny

I’m feeling very pro-active because I am finally back to work. I’ve been checked out for awhile, and that’s not good, but I think I’ve got myself in gear again. I’m almost finished with the Act One rewrite of Nita and I am never rewriting it again. I don’t even care if it’s lousy (it’s not) I’m not looking at this again. There’s just this one section (Part 4) that needs tightened because it’s just information about what they did all day, and the info is important but they’re not together and that’s death in a romance novel, so I just have to sharpen it so I don’t lose any readers and make sure the parallels are strong. Make it faster. More snark. It’s 5000 words, I can revise that in an hour or two.

Then there’s Act Two which is the romance novel section where they’re together the whole time and changing radically because of what they’re finding out and working together and experiencing stress, all of which is good for falling in love. So I’m going to have to go back to my Wildly Romantic post-it for that one so people believe they’re absolutely in it forever by the time disaster strikes at the midpoint.

Then Act Three which is where everything blows up and is a lot of fun already, so I just have to get the romance back in there, and Act Four which is the Final Showdown in Hell. I know what these acts are, I just have to make them faster and more fun and hit the romance hard. Which I can do.

I am Woman, see me write. And then I’ll hand it to Jodi (my agent) and if she can’t sell it, Mollie will self-pub it and I’ll move on to . . . so many things to choose from. Liz is pretty much done, probably that. Although Alice and Ethan have huge potential. And Anna and Nate, who are the first in that series. And Nadine and Carter, all that good art fraud. Must cogitate. And get groceries. And my booster shot. And enough Diet Coke to finish at least three novels.

The days are just packed.

37 thoughts on “Okay, I’m Back”

  1. And Merry Christmas to us! What an excellent post. I mean, most of us aren’t just here for the hope of new books, but it’s excellent news all the same. Yay for finding your mojo, and Nita’s romance hea.

    1. Actually, I did come here in hopes of new books. But there weren’t any. But somehow I got stuck here anyway, and now I can’t get away!

  2. I’m so happy for you Jenny.

    I’m also happy for Jane B who has a Liberal Democratic MP this morning rather than another Conservative. It gives me hope that Britain and America can turn away from the destructive and divisive politics of the right wing. The thought that Donald Trump could ever be president again terrifies me.

    As I recently read Don’t Look Down (which I really loved) yesterday I saw on twitter Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) giving her support to the trans community https://twitter.com/RealLyndaCarter/status/1470833288780685313 and it made me so happy. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be trans and see the toxicity of comments on twitter by those who should know better.

    1. Hang in there. I have an aunt who prays every day that DT has a stroke. She doesn’t want him dead, just incapacitated. And I tell her to hold on, that we have three more years and a lot can happen in that time.

      Also, did you see the latest Wonder Woman movie? It’s not your typical super hero flick and I loved it. Lynda Carter makes a cameo Easter egg appearance, which I also loved and joined Gal Gadot at the premier. Apparently she is to have a larger roll in the next one. I adore the respect they are trying to show her. She is up there with Dolly Parton for tough honorable ladies in my book.

      1. Love Lynda Carter she is iconic… female superheroes for TV shows were a bit thin on the ground growing up. They wanted to give her a cameo in the first film, but she was already booked to sing a number of gigs

    2. Thank you, Tess. We’re all rather stunned, but happy. I’ve been voting here since 1974 (apart from the eighties, when I was in London), and it’s always felt pointless. But change is actually possible, even here!

      I’m already thinking of things I want to write to my new MP about, whereas there was little point before.

  3. This is great to hear! I can’t wait to read it. 🙂

    Yesterday, after three weeks of banging my head against the wall, I finally finished the last scene in The Demon Wore Stilettos, which was supposed to be a 30K novella and is currently sitting at 56K. So, yeah. A cleanup pass and I’ll be ready to pass to beta readers.

  4. I love reading these posts!! Thank you for continuing to let us be part of your life and writing process.

    How do I post a Questionable?

    Because…any chance you would do one on writing snark? Jenny Snark works every time. New authors, not so much. Guidelines, please? What’s the secret sauce there that sweetens it so the reader isn’t turned off?

  5. I’m so glad to hear this, Jenny, for many reasons. Most important of all, that’s great for you. I know how it feels to be stuck. And you have plans. Plans are wonderful things. And I love it that you have the support to have options (agent selling or self-subbing with Mollie).

    On the selfish side (you knew that was coming, right?), it gives me hope that I, too, can get unstuck and checked back in. I’m not alone in feeling this way. I just have to check back in. And there will be more Crusies in my future! Yay, you!

    And getting groceries and your booster shot are good things, too. 🙂

    1. Also, I’ve been working on getting all my lists together in one place. It’s resulting in a very long and overwhelming main list. Argh. No wonder I’m stuck. Well, bird by bird, I guess.

      1. I have tons of lists, the thing that works for me, is “knit one stitch”. I once knit a jumper, it took me years, but I only realised my approach was all wrong. Instead of thinking I have to knit a jumper (I was a beginner) I should have thought, I have to knit one stitch, since I was there I might as well do the row. Currently I am trying to apply that to the rest of my life. I’ve been having trouble reading, huge TBR pile. So in July I started reading one new page every day, got interested and managed to finish a couple of books per month. Progress is slow, but I’d rather crawl along then curl up and hibernate

  6. This is so exciting! And motivating. This year did not show growth for me, and I have been struggling with trying to make a plan for next year. Lead the way!

    Also, I can’t wait for a new book! Thank you!

  7. I totally feel you. I was flailing and NaNoWriMo got me writing consistently and voluminously again, and now I’m nudging back to regularity.

    It’s much easier to rest, but feels even better to get ‘er done.

    I look forward to all your books!

  11. This sounds much more my kind of story. Really looking forward to it.

    Also hoping I’m going to get back to writing after Christmas. Caught up with an old (university) friend yesterday, and it turns out she’s trying to write fiction, too – and even finished NaNoWriMo one year. I sent her the link to the Writer’s Block Detox course I did last year, and think I’ll do again (you can repeat it for free whenever you like). Also my personal how-to-write-fiction manual, which is mostly Jenny. She was excited.

  12. Yay! 2022 is definately looking better if there will be new Cruisies.

    Also, soon the days will be getting longer.

  14. I’m so glad you’re feeling better. And someone has to sell it because all of us want to read it 💕

  15. Such good news, Jenny. The feeling of being back at work and solidly engaged after a period of slump is a wonderful one. And I am soooo looking forward to Nita.

  16. Hooray I’m so happy you got it together. Wishing you some really productive writing which I can’t wait to read.
    Ps if you have not seen “Come From Away”
    It’s a Canadian musical which won several Tonys. It’s about Gander Newfoundland and what happened when American airspace was closed on 9/11. Funny. Uplifting laughter through tears and laughter again. It’s on Apple plus TV

    1. Oh, thank you, but no, I can easily write lousy. You should have read me when I tried to write literary fiction for my MFA. Some of that stuff I had to burn, bury the ashes in the back yard, and salt the ground.

      1. I’m sure it was still infinitely better than Trump’s tweets. And let’s face it: the world needs your humor and snark a lot more than it needs more literary fiction.

  18. I just finished rereading What the Lady Wants. The bit where Mae phones Mitch to ask him to have sex with her is a hoot.

    I’m looking forward to Nita like everyone else is. Yay Crusie!

  19. This is wonderful, and as others have said it gives me hope for unsticking myself. The past two years have not been easy for airline employees, and while I am deeply grateful to have found a second job that’s kept me afloat the fact that it’s in quarantine management has meant that my life has been all pandemic, all the time. Breaking out of that mindset when I’m not working has been a challenge.

    But this week I was able to cross into my home state for the first time in a year, and I got to hug my mother for the first time since last Christmas. Things are getting better. Life will stabilise somehow. I will unstick myself. Nothing but good times ahead.

  20. Thank you for the inspiration. I had been thinking that my out look would never improve, or at least not until January built up some momentum, and you just posted evidence that change is possible now.

    What wonderful news! Congratulations!

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