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I have sent my manuscript to four people. I was rejected twice and I’m still waiting for the other two. Perseverance is required. Fortunately I’m a very stubborn person. Life has taught me not to give up.

My book got rejected. No reasons given. No advice for improvement. It hurts.. They’re other agents. Time to move on.

I have found that similes are very important. Especially They are like, allegories on the SATs where you compare something to something else. Good similes are especially important when you’re building a fantasy world. A properly executed simile can bridge the gap between the “real world,” and the world of of fantasy. A properly executed simile can liken a fantastic thing to a real world thing. For example, “The mermaid’s fin was as a blue as an summer sky,” can help the reader believe in mermaids because it likens something they don’t know, a mermaid’s fin, to something they do know, the color of the sky in summer. It makes the mermaid more believable. I have also found that if I use too many similes, it can make the reader slog through the pages of a story like a muddy swamp. Wow! that was a good one! Anyway, similes should be used sparingly and with care.

Words are very empowering. Especially for those with disabilities. For example When people help me move, they usually use the word “Transfer” Here’s the thing. objects transfer, but people move. Its important to treat people as people. One of the ways we show respect for people is in the words we use. For me, to use the word, ‘transfer’ is to imply that I am passive in the act of movement. I am not passive. I help I wish people would use the phrase “Help me move” It honors my efforts to be helpful in the act of moving.

Art is never finished only abandoned

Leonardo da Venci

I think it would be the epitome of arrogance and the height of hubris for me to thin of myself as the same caliber of artist as Leonardo da Venci. But I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot lately. I’ve been working on my manuscript for a long time. It is now in its seventh draft. If art is never finished as Leonardo advocates, How will I know when to submit my work? Art is subjective, so when do you say enough? I think I will submit after this current editing pass. Any thoughts?

Well, I’ve written my first query letter. I hope I have succeeded in highlighting what is unique about my characters and my story. For that is the purpose of the query letter. It sifts through all that is superfluous and distills all of your work into its unique essence. I’ve been unique all my life. But usually, I’m trying to emphasize what makes me the same as everyone else. Now I’m trying to write my first query letter and to find the beauty and passion in my own uniqueness. Its harder than I thought especially since I’ve spent my life trying to be like everyone else. Oh well,if life has taught me one thing its, where there’s a will, there’s a way. It must be done, and so, It shall be done.

Emotional awareness is the key to drama. People are motivated to do things because of how they feel. People are motivated to do read book, because of drama. If you want to cause drama, find what makes your character happy, then take it from them. Find what terrifies them, and force them to confront it. Find what angers them and force them to admit it. Fond what they want most in the world and dangle it in front of them like a carrot on a string. Stories are like mirrors. The best stories, reveal something about the writer. When the writing odyssey ends, the writer may have learned something about themselves that they weren’t aware of before.

From time to time, every writer, from Homer to plain old me, hears the voice of Calliope. She’s the Greek muse of drama and epic poetry. Its interesting how we, as human beings, try to quiet her in our real lives but extort her to speak as loudly as she likes on our fantasies and our entertainment venues. The purpose of drama is twofold; It can excite and entertain us but it can also present us with challenges and crucibles from which we can grow and learn. Look at Odysseus, the challenges that Calliope sets in front of him ultimately help him to become a better person, and through him, every one of the myriad of people who hear Homer’s tale.

I am writing a story that also has lesson contained therein. I am trying to write a book where the main character most learn to over come his self doubt in order to save his land from an evil Goddess. I hope that will be apparent to my readers. From my mouth, to The Muse’s ear.