Monday, June 25, 2007

Hey, you know what really works...?

Beer. Works wonders. But so does the Sangria at Sarah's on the Danforth -- holy smokes - that's good sangria. That Tide To Go pen. A cool shower before going to bed on a hot night -- my mom was right. Macaroni and Cheese - my kid's not eating anything these days and last night he was shoveling that stuff in by the fist ful.

Oh, and that advice we always hear about putting your finished work aside before going back and editing. This is advice I always hear and never take to heart and always think it's simply a luxury. But, I've been working on a project for over two years now - and I work on it and send it to my agent who sends to publishing houses and most of the publishing houses reject it but someone likes it - not enough to buy it - but enough to say "What's the deal with the mother?" So, then my agent says - why don't you do something with the mother. And since it's been 2 years and any burning passion I had for this book is so gone I say -- why not? I can give it a go. Lo and Behold - I open up the file and I can see it all so clearly. Yes, of course. The mother. And here's where she will go. And this is what she means. And by God the book is better - why didn't I think of that?

Now, two years is a bit much, but being able to go back to something long after your all tied up in it -- it is a luxury but it's something I think we should try to make a reality. The book just gets better.

7 comments:

Inkpot said...

Hi. :) It is true, leaving your work for a while and coming back with a fresh mind always makes a difference. You look at it and think 'hey, why didn't I see that before?'
Best of luck with the new book out in July.

Maureen McGowan said...

Words of wisdom, Molly. Words I should really know by now, in fact I've probably said these words to you--yet never follow them myself.

I’m in the depths of a major/major rewrite now that I thought would be minor, but after leaving the book for a few months and doing some thinking, I'm seeing how many places and ways I messed this book up the first time. How many ways I could make it a much better book. (At least I hope that's what I'm doing. Maybe I'm ruining it.)

I may blog about this on wed... so will stop my rambling comment, now.

Unknown said...

That is awesome, Molly! I have a book I've left sitting there for a long time. Every now and again I go back and take a peek to see if I can fix it...because it's really broken. The last time I looked I can to the realization it needs a major overhaul.

Someday...

Anonymous said...

Sangria... I'm practically salivating at my desk at the thought.

And you're right, time works wonders. But it usually feels like a luxury, not a necessity.

Molly O'Keefe said...

Hey thanks Inkpot! Good to see you hear! I think the longer time away from a project the more you see the big picture and the big picture often needs a lot of work. But at the same time I think it also gives you a chance to go back and go 'hmmmmm not so shabby.' Which is also nice in this business.

Molly O'Keefe said...

hey we owe Ink Pot a huge debt of gratitude for this --

http://www.myspace.com/nathanfillion

that's right Sinead.

Thanks Inkpot!!

Inkpot said...

You're welcome Molly :)

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