The book I am currently reading has not been published. It is John Coy's most recent draft of the second book in his series for middle graders.
John is in my writing group (as well as being a fellow Potato Blogger!). I watched as he contemplated signing the contract for a four-book series. I saw how he tackled the first book in the series, giving himself daily writing goals which he dutifully achieved. I read and heard early, middle, and late drafts of his first book, TOP OF THE ORDER, which will be on the shelves in just a few months. And now with this second book in the series, I'm seeing how John has polished an earlier draft into a smooth, fast-paced story that will capture the interest of sports-loving kids.
I find all of this highly inspirational for me as I struggle with completing my own middle grade novel, a story I have been working on for years. As I stumble and stall and get bogged down, John is a reminder of what can be accomplished with perseverance and hard work. As Christy said in her New Year's blog, "slow and steady" can achieve great things. Far from slow, John is very steady which is one of the reasons for his many successes.
I am grateful for John, and my other writing friends (including all of the other Potatoes) who through their example, keep me going when the task of writing seems too monumental.
7 comments:
Accountability, encouragement, inspiration--we need each other, right? Can't wait to see John's book and your book David. It will come together.
I'm always interested to hear about other books by my fellow potatoes! And how great that you and John are in a writing group together.
It is inspiring to read and hear stories in progress-- John is amazing! I look forward to reading his new book, as well as yours, David.
Sometimes there is a place for silence in this regard though... I recently made a decision to stop going to a writer's group where everyone read their working chapters-- it was inspiring, but I am at such a quiet fragile place with my stories, that reading and hearing their stories was only detouring my path too many times. I guess one must learn to follow one's muse?
I agree, Lauren, about finding the right course for your own writing. Sometimes I am tempted to bring something to read to my writing group simply to show that I am indeed working on something when it would be better to wait and share the story when I feel more secure with the writing. On the other hand, my writing groups have also encouraged me and pushed me to move forward when I would have otherwise remained stuck.
Finding that right balance isn't always clear.
So true David-- And the balance is an individual thing. I just said no with great regret to reading a finished manuscript of a friend-- I would love to read it, but I don't have the time to respond the way I would like to and also I just need to quiet all the voices, if you know what I mean.
Anyhow-- I am glad to hear that John's manuscript is inspiring!
David, thank you for those kind words. And thank you for your comments on the manuscript. They are very helpful, and will make the new book much stronger. I know it still has a long ways to go, but I'm working on enjoying each step of the process rather than expecting it to be farther along than it is.
And your reading last night was excellent. Your Wish is going to be a big hit.
David, you always have such wise thoughts in your posts, which constantly teach me something. I look forward to reading both your and John's books.
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