You cannot publish an idea or a concept. Translating those emotionally charged thoughts into a book, short story, screenplay or poem is the difference between “I thought of that” and “I wrote that”.
I began my latest work in 2001 - I know, it was over a decade ago. I was working loads of hours and as a part of that, reading endless stacks of other peoples scripts. I wrote three screenplays, about a thousand poems, two children’s stories with art work and a few short stories during that decade too.
However the novel I began formulating in 2001 kept knocking at the doors of my mind. Every thought I had for it I carefully collected in a three ring binder. Each note scribbled on a napkin, inspiring clips from newspapers and magazines I stored away for the day I would focus my daily writing time on this book and this book alone!
One day in 2006 I decided to look through the binder and by chance I pulled out one small newspaper clip. I had taken it out of the USA Today, from the weather section on the back page. It was a blurb about how a snow flake is created. The idea of a snowy day for my heroine to come into the world was born.
For a solid year I focused all of my writing time on her story. Bringing her to life. Creating a world for her to exist in and challenges for her to meet. For an entire year I wrote and drew for this novel. Then my own world collapsed and the ten year relationship I was in ended abruptly. My daughter and I moved back to Indiana to be near our family. I put the novel down, but it was never far from my mind. I would dream about working on it, but for several years she remained unfinished. Alone in the darkness of the computer’s memory waiting for the day that I would return to finish her story.
In May of 2011 my son was born. After I came out of the pregnancy brain coma I picked the novel up again. Of course after a few years had passed by, I saw my heroin’s story in a new light. I made drastic changes to her age, the time span and bravely deleted large chunks that no longer drove the story line.
I have dedicated as much writing time as is possible with a new born in the house. One year has passed and I am thrilled to announce that I am finished with the first of four novels in my heroin’s story line. This week I give my trusted proof readers each a copy and await their feedback.
Then when the finishing grammatical touches are complete I will be ready to shop the novel to a literary agent. I am excited to send my heroin, my literary child out into the world. All 107,000 words of her. With any luck she will be embraced by a literary agent, publisher, editor and the world of readers who are currently unaware that they are waiting for her story to open a new world for them to journey through.
JL Cooper
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