Well, I finished a picture book! My first attempt in a long time to create one. I'm happy with the results and have sent it out to a few editors. I read it at my last critique group meeting and received wonderful feedback. There was not much to change, so I worked on some suggestions and sent it out. One of the group members said she could see this manuscript as a Christmas show every year on television, since the book is a holiday book.
I cringe when I think of sending out holiday stories to publishing houses because if the spin is not unique enough, no one will touch it. Holiday books are sold for approximately 8 weeks out of the year by book stores, so it is safe to say that holiday books are not the best type of investment. However, I had to write this story. It called to my love of Christmas and my German heritage, so ... I took the chance.
I've always found picture books difficult to write. I love to express my stories so that the reader can feel the characters emotions, hear noises, smell the odors the character smells and feels the objects, whether they are hot, cold, slippery, silky etc. I tend to go on some, so I need to cut, cut, cut. For instance, my YA I'm working on. I've written around 50 chapters but still need to go through and cut. My main character is so complicated that she takes much of my time nurturing her and all of her issues, that I tend to keep going on and on and on. Like a faucet. Making sure I've written every last detail so that the reader can fully empathize with her. Oh! The work we do but, where would we be without words, paper, pens, pencils or computers? I shudder at the thought.
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