Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Work In Progress Wednesday #20

OMG I cannot believe that I have reached the big TWO-OH in the WIP Wednesday postings. It's amazing how the weeks just keep stacking up like that, one after another. I guess it's also amazing that the basic math behind the passage of time is still so amazing to me.

Anyway, let's get to the actual progress of this posting.

First let me say that I am still working on revisions, BUT the end is near and I feel that Query Day (as so eloquently sung by Lady Gaga) will be here soon.

While I was recently away in Colorado for my brother-in-law's wedding I also had some time apart from my manuscript. In my last post I had pictures of my MS all printed out for my current round of submissions, and as you may remember, it was quite a hefty pile of paper. Since I told my husband that he could not under any circumstances bring his golf clubs on the trip (we were already checking two bags, plus a carseat and then there was all of our carry-on luggage) I didn't think it would be fair to slip my nearly five pound MS into our suitcases (especially with the added fees for going over the weight limits these days).

Although, last week I reported feeling sick of my WIP, it only took two days away before I began to feel some serious separation anxiety. To get through it, I played with my query letter a bit and started on my synopsis until the feeling went away, and told myself that as soon as I got home I would get to work finishing those damn revisions once and for all.

Except on Sunday night it wasn't my printed out five-pounder that I reached for, but rather a piece of blank notebook paper and a pen.

Yes, after months of being uncertain of what I would write next and feeling totally unable to think beyond my current WIP - I had a breakthrough.

Several years ago, before my husband and I were married, we spent Christmas in his hometown of Park City, Utah with my mother-in-law. In my family Christmas isn't Christmas without going to mass, and so we headed out on Christmas Eve for the Midnight Mass.

I think I've mentioned before that I went to Catholic school for nine years. I also came from the type of family that went to church every week without fail. What this means is that I sat (and stood, and sat, and stood, and kneeled, and stood) through many many many masses in my lifetime. And I have also heard a lot of homilies, and out of all the homilies that I have heard (even the one at my own wedding mass) the one that sticks in my mind most clearly is the one I heard during this Christmas Eve mass in Park City, Utah.

The reason I remember it so clearly is that the Priest began by comparing his difficulties writing that night's very important homily, with being constipated.

Yes, you read that correctly.

Midnight Mass. Christmas Eve. Holy Night. Silent Night. Bowel Movements.

Now many Priests choose to start their homilies with funny stories or anecdotes, but this one... Not to be a prude, or a stick in the mud, but this one was of questionable taste and appropriateness for the occasion.

That being said, as I was writing Sunday night and the words to this new story were flowing out of me, I couldn't help but remember this homily and think to myself that maybe this over-sharing Priest did in fact have a point.

Finally, as promised last week, here are some pics of my too-cute son all dressed up as the ring bearer for the wedding. And to my great surprise, he actually did make it all the way down the aisle holding the hand of the flower girl. Okay, we couldn't get him to do it without his pacifier (or bink as we call it) in his mouth, but at just two years old, I still think it was pretty impressive.

These pics are actually from after the ceremony while we were waiting for the reception to begin.




Okay, now it's your turn to over-share - please, tell me know how your work in progress is going.

OH! And don't forget to come back on Friday when I will be hosting this month's creative writing prompt. Elana hosted one in May, Christine did one for June, and now it is my turn to come up with something for July. I hope you'll all join me!

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If you want to participate in WIP Wednesday, simply post your own WIP Wednesday entry on your blog and leave a link to it in the comments below. Or if you don't have a blog, feel free to report your progress directly into the comments box.

For more detailed information concerning what all this nonsense is about please consult the original Work in Progress Wednesday posting.

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