Sunday, May 20, 2012

I'm Back...But Not For Long

Well, I'm back...but not for long. My kids go on summer break this week, so I'll be taking the summer off blogging. My oldest is going to be a junior in high school next year, and it's really starting to hit me that I don't have that much longer before they start leaving home. I figure I'd better get all the "mom time" in with them that I can while they're off school for the summer.

I did promise to tell you all about the writer's retreat I took a few weeks ago. It was amazing! On Friday night we all had critique sessions with Viking Children's Books editor Kendra Levin. She critiqued our first fifteen pages and our synopses. She had great things to say about my pages, which made me very happy. She made me realize that my plot, on the other hand, needed a lot of work. So over these past few weeks I completely reworked the outline, finishing it up just this morning. I must say, this new version is infinitely better thanks to Kendra's comments and suggestions. I can't wait to get started with the writing!

So, my summer goal is to finish the rough draft. My kids start back to school mid-August, and by that time I hope to be back here on the blog announcing the completion of my draft. That's a very ambitious goal for me, since I'm a slow drafter. Wish me luck!

And have a wonderful summer everyone - I'll see you all in August!

36 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Susan, enjoy the summer with your kids!

A.L. Sonnichsen said...

Oh, Susan, I'll miss you this summer. But I'm glad for your kids. And I'm so glad Kendra was helpful. She's a writing coach as well as an editor, right? I would love to meet her in person someday. :)

Carolina M. Valdez Schneider said...

I don't blame you! I plan on doing the same, aside from a couple posts in June. They don't stay kids forever. Happy summer!!

Trisha said...

Sounds like the feedback on your plot was really helpful! I can relate to that, I got some seriously good feedback earlier in the year that has made me entirely revamp my plot for SUNDOWN. I'm totally excited about the potential new form of the novel :)

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the draft. I'll be taking a couple of one week vacations this summer too to work on my MS.

Leslie S. Rose said...

I was in a critique round table with Kendra. She is amazing. Talk about an eagle eye. Wow. Have a super summer with your kiddos.

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Have a fantastic summer break!

Nas said...

Have a nice summer break, Susan!

Old Kitty said...

Beautiful Susan!! Awwww yay for your writerly retreat and coming out of it all rejuvenated and revived writerly-wise! Yay!!!

Have a brilliant break with your kids! They can't fly the nest - NOT YET!! :-) Take care
x

Jennifer Shirk said...

Wow! Summer break is coming up FAST. But enjoy your time and good luck getting that rough draft finished.

Jemi Fraser said...

Wow - sounds like you got some awesome, invaluable advice! Hope it all works out for you!

Enjoy a fabulous summer with your kids. I'm a bit jealous - we still have 5 weeks left of school!

Brian's Home Blog said...

I hope your summer off is purrfect and that rough draft becomes smooth!

DEZMOND said...

oh, my, I didn't even notice the summer is almost here
Have a nice vacation and send us a postcard from Hawaii!

Talli Roland said...

Have a lovely summer, Susan! We'll miss you!

Robyn Campbell said...

Have fun woman! But keep in touch. You have my email. Yanno? The retreat sounds like just what the doctor ordered. I'm glad you showed it to her. Now get to reworking that plot! (((hugs)))

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Have a wonderful time this summer with the kids...I know what you mean about appreciating the time we have left with them.

Glad you got some good and useful feedback on your wip....

DL Hammons said...

Hi...bye! :) Enjoy your summer Susan! PS. You probably shouldn't read my blog post today, if you're feeling sappy about your kids leaving! :)

Carol Riggs said...

Hey! Good for you, taking the summer off from blogging. Tempting to do that myself. LOL Glad you got to go to a writer's retreat! I'm also glad you got some constructive feedback on your manuscript. Invaluable! Good luck as you draft this summer!!

Carolyn V said...

I will miss you Susan (but summer is a great excuse for a break). I can't wait to hear how the summer project goes! =D

Romance Book Haven said...

Susan!

Enjoy the summer!

Deniz Bevan said...

Hope you and your family have an amazing summer! I'm hoping to be ready for betas myself - I hope we both meet our goals!

Anonymous said...

I hope you have a wonderful summer with your kids. Happy writing. :)

Anne Gallagher said...

Have a great time this summer. My daughter's break starts today so I've got a few more posts and then I'm off as well.

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

Happy summer to you, Susan! Enjoy the time with your kids and good luck with that draft. I love writing and revising after some trustworthy direction and advice.

Theresa Milstein said...

Good luck with your goals! Sounds like the retreat steered you the in right direction.

You have a wonderful summer too. I'll miss you!

Shelley Sly said...

Susan, have an amazing summer with your family, and good luck with your writing! I'll check back here in August! :)

Romance Reader said...

Good luck with your goals, Susan and enjoy!

Riya

Brinda said...

Enjoy your time with your kids!

Marcia said...

Have a great summer, enjoy the time with your kids, and good luck on that draft!

LindyLouMac said...

Enjoy your summer and good luck with the draft.

Clara said...

Enjoy Susan, have a wonderful time!!
And good luck with your writing, great news that you good some great feedback, it's really hard to get these nowadays!

Crystal Collier said...

Best of luck--and way to put your priorities in order. =) Kids don't stick around forever, eh?

When you get back, I've nominated you for the Kreativ Blogger award.

http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com/2012/06/procrastination.html

S.A. Larsenッ said...

Congrats on working out that outline! I'm still in outlining hell.

I hear you on the kiddos growing up so quickly; time does slip away. Enjoy your this summer and see you in September!

Misha Gerrick said...

Have a great time with the kids and good luck with the draft. Stay safe!

David P. King said...

I took a little break, too, but a whole summer? I may have needed to do that. August isn't too far off, so I'll see you again soon! :)

nutschell said...

Enjoy the summer and good luck on your rough draft:)
Nutschell
www.thewritingnut.com