Finito

Head for the basement, Toto!

In retrospect, deciding to live in an apartment with poor ventilation and a weak AC unit was a mistake. Of course, who would have anticipated Chicago having a heat index of almost 115.  I survived the heat wave, but barely. You should have seen me trying to get a bag of ice home before it melted. It was more intense than Mission Impossible.

Not to mention the insane storms we've been having here. Trees tossed around like javelins, power lines fishtailing in the street, hundreds of thousands without electricity. I could be wrong, but I'd say Mother Nature is upset about something. I just wish she would use her words.

I realize I haven't updated this is in, lets see, forever? However, my reason is stellar. I made the final push to finish my manuscript in time for the SCBWI LA Conference. The idea for this manuscript was hatched one night when I was out to dinner with a friend. Almost three years ago.

So, needless to say, it feels amazing to complete it. In three years I've been to five conferences, met AMAZING friends and critique partners, scrapped my story 100 pages in and rewrote from the beginning and been fortunate enough to sit down with people in the industry who gave me professional feedback.

All the while I kept plugging away on my manuscript. While I worked full time and went to school part time.

You're cheap but I love you.

To be at this point is such a personal achievement I nearly went out and bought myself a ribbon. You know the kind. Tiny, red or blue ribbon with gold or silver writing. The kind you pretended were crap when you were a kid but yet you'd go home and proudly hang it up in your room. 

I gave myself a few days for distance and started editing. This is the fun part. This is where I get to go through with clipping shears and Miracle Gro, tending each sentence with a critical eye. This is the part I love.

I'm beyond excited for the conference in LA in two weeks. This is the first time I will be walking in with a completed manuscript in my back pocket. I no longer have vague answers to when I will be finished. Everything about this conference will be different for me this time around. I can't wait for the next step in the adventure.