Pear Tree Blossoms
Blossoms on our pear tree beside the lake peek out
A few at a time
Then more . . . and, finally, the pear tree standing in a dress of white blossoms.
Book writing, too, starts small . . .
My memoir began as a Kinko-bound collection of scenes, a collaboration with my friend Carolyn in 1999.
Then Artist Man entered with a booklet of sketches, more baby steps, 2001
Tomato Girl with watercolor studies
The Story formed, like a sketch on an easel, sort of
From the colored stickies and after days, months and years, a draft emerged
Thick pile of 294 pages scrutinized . . .
Now, the book has become something else
- About Rheems, more than Queens although New York City appears in one chapter
- About working in the tomato field, but more
- With a pear tree, a willow tree, oaks and maples, anchoring a childhood playground
April Status
My book has been revised and edited, ad infinitum.
In the beginning, readers helped me shape the shifting sands of my unformed mass of ideas into a recognizable story. Then I paid for deep developmental editing, twice, using editors that suggested moving content from here to there, adding and deleting.
Then followed an editorial evaluation, revision, more editing, self-editing, more rounds of proofreading. One dear memoirist, Liesbet, even volunteered to do another editing, to polish.
Next steps: typesetting; then one final author review.
Soon the book will be out of my hands.
Root out repetition
Stamp out that semicolon
Tramp those typos
Egads! Is the modifier dangling?
How did that misspelling sneak in?
Anne Bradstreet, dear lady, sweat bullets over her book, and shows how hard it is to let go of her brainchild
The Author to Her Book, Anne Bradstreet
Anne Bradstreet, looking unperturbed here, Pinterest image
Want more editing inspiration?
The Artful Edit by Susan Bell, which Goodreads describes as a “vigorous investigation into the history and meaning of the edit. This book, like The Triggering Town and The Elements of Style, is a must-have companion for every writer.” The author takes illustrations from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Michael Ondaatje, Tracy Kidder, and Ann Patchett.
Your Turn: Tips for memoirists, and other writers; parallel (or different) experiences at any stage of the writing game. All welcome!
In some ways the editing is harder than pulling together that first draft. There is so much desire to just be done! I look forward to the finished product.
You’re right, Arlene. There IS so much desire to be done + the fatigue of the long haul. Thanks for your bright and early comment!
Wow, I didn’t know about your steps: indeed a hard and long journey but you are at an exciting stage! When you want to to read about editing/proofing and enjoy many good laughs (and a book with language your mother would never have approved) check out: Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris — a memoir by a copyeditor of the New Yorker. (Or have I mentioned it to you before??
We got to know each other online when I had begun a memoir in earnest, about five years ago. Thanks for the book title. No, you haven’t mentioned this book before; I’ll check to see if it’s available at our library. My copyeditor ha been a King of the Oxford Comma, so I’ll go with that.
I can’t help but notice you’re up early for a retiree. You have years of practice as an early riser. Also, maybe like me, you are a morning person. Thanks for hanging in there with me, Melodie!
This is so exciting, Marian. You’ve worked hard and soon you’ll have that completed baby in your hands. Eek! Apart from getting to know my characters, my favorite part of the writing process is editing. Congratulations, girl!
You said, your “favorite part of the writing process is editing.” Wow! I must admit it’s not mine, although each edit pushes me farther toward the goal.
Writing memoir, I “knew” my characters, but I certainly came to understand them better as I wrote. That would include knowing myself as well. Memoir writing is definitely a voyage of self-discovery.
Thanks, Jill!
It’s a journey of blood sweat & tears for a lonnng time – until the sweetness of the final when it all seems worth it! You’re almost there Marian! Your photos of the pear tree are so pretty and Cliff’s artwork always a pleasure. I love Anne Bradstreet’s picture, looking calm but pensive ..
Reading passages aloud to yourself or an other often helps but I think you’ve gone through that process ..
Oh, there will be more reading aloud during the Final, Final proof. It slows down the reading but catches errors the eye tends to miss. Thanks for a nod from South Africa, Susan.
Beautiful tree, and fun to see how your own efforts have taken root and bloomed. How exciting! I can’t wait to see the final product. Yes, editing–it’s so much work, but it has to be done.
It has to be done, again and again. Of course, you are SO familiar with this step. Thanks for the encouragement, Merril!
I am so glad the end is nigh for you, Marian. Yes, it must feel like a child that grows out of nothing in your womb, that you nurture and nourish till it blossoms, matures and it’s ready to leave the nest only to be shaped and turned by strangers. Beautiful poem and analogy. Hope all goes well now. Best of luck! 👍
Thanks for the good wishes, and for reminding me of the miracle of birth, Fatima. I have jokingly called this process my 5-year pregnancy. It certainly feels like it. 🙂
Looking forward to your book, M!
I can’t wait until you get your copy, Jack. There’s one whole chapter about high school graduation and other references to HS days as well. Thanks for the support here!
Looking forward to a successful book launch with family and friends in Florida. I’m so excited to finally have the finished work become a reality in our hands to read and share with others. You are a treasured friend.
We’ll have to sit down together to do some serious planning, Carolyn, friend extraordinaire. Thanks for cheering me on here and elsewhere! :o)
The editing goes on forever! This is certainly a labour of love, Marian. I hope you have ahuge celebration when it is completed and on the market!! xo
The launch will be both a celebration and the beginning of another phase, all of which you know so well. As a legacy for my family, it is a labour of love. However, my editor(s) stressed the need to include takeaways in the chapters, so I hope the stories appeal to many others.
Thanks, Darlene!
I enjoyed seeing the lovely photos and reading about your process, Marian. Love your post-it notes organization. Everyone’s process is different. I’m glad you found one that works. You’ve worked so hard on your book.
A fun book on punctuation that I read ages ago: https://www.amazon.com/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation/dp/1592402038
When I clicked on the link, I remembered reading Lynn Truss’s book about punctuation . . . and her version of the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry. She may have used the words “Let’s eat Grandma” as an illustration. Anyway, that one was a student favorite.
The post-it notes worked to some extent because I like color. However, the structure turned out to be SO very different from what I envisioned at that stage. You know how it goes. Thanks, L. Marie!
Marian — I am so excited to sit down and read your book!
I can’t wait either! Maybe little Luna Bleue can sit beside you in her reading chair with her own story while you read. Thanks for cheering me on, Laurie.
We have a wild plum bush in our back yard that looks like a bride in late May, with its gorgeous white blossoms. I still remember my amazement the first spring after we moved here, and also my disappointment when I missed the blossoms one spring because we were on a road trip. Birds are attracted to it and one day I saw the most gorgeous, colorful bird, which not even my birder son-in-law could identify. I love that you link the blossoms to your writing progress and thoroughly enjoyed Anne Bradstreet’s poem! Congratulations on all your hard work, Marian! You can now be proud of your “brainchild”!
Thank you for emphasizing here the glorious beauty of fruit trees in bloom, Elfrieda. Our pear tree is orrnamental, but I’m guessing yours gives juicy plums. And I’m glad you enjoyed the Bradstreet poem; it certainly reflects my ambivalent feelings at this point.
No juicy plums! I wish! Just a few green ones that fall off.But I do love the blossoms!
Always something to be thankful for! 😀
The work seems endless at times, especially the editing, but in the end is so worth it. It’s getting very close, Marian. So exciting!!
You’ve been down this road not so very long ago. Your book, along with others, is on a stack beside me as I make choices of trim size, paper color, and all the rest. Thanks so much, Joan!
Hang on, Marian. The end of this long process is in sight and it will be so satisfying when you hold that book in your hands. Cheering you on from Canada.
You absolutely know the feeling. And I understand the labor pains as I read your blog. Thanks, Linda!
All those little steps that seem endless are coming to your beautiful writing being completed! I look forward to reading your book.
Yes, I look forward to your reading my memoir too, Kathy. Someone you know very, very well enters the story in one of the final chapters. Take a wild guess! 🙂
Really?
Yes, my memoir spans childhood through my early twenties, so the time frame includes your brother. Surprised?
I write not for an ending audience, but for me. If it happens to be what others like, that’s wonderful. But I found as an artist in several mediums that it is more attractive to be true to myself rather than pleasing a reader. Rereading articles written 50 years ago, I marvel at the insight and wonder at the source, then realize it was me!
You are definitely true to your artistic vision – and mission. Thank you for this candid comment, Ginger. I’m curious about your work, visual and otherwise: Do you have a website?
Isn’t publishing fun? Lol. Sounds like you’re ready to roll out your book soon Marian. I’m thrilled for you and look forward to reading it! And gorgeous blossoms indeed! 🙂
I appreciate your support, all the way from Toronto. And, of course, I admire all the work that has gone into your own roll-outs. Thanks, Debby!
Good luck Marian. We await! 🙂
😀
Oh boy, Marian, writing a book must be the easiest part. Editing must be very hard. Then finding a publisher or self-publishing. My dad is author of about 13 books. I don’t know how he did it, only one was self-published. I don’t think I could do it, although I think I could write an interesting book. But I’m afraid I’d give up during the editing! I admire you, my friend! I can’t wait to hold your book in my hands, then open it, and begin reading!
Your blog posts are always informative and entertaining, one way to preserve a legacy even if it’s not bound between two covers. I knew your dad was a very accomplished man as a minister and author; I did not know he wrote thirteen books. Obviously, he has passed on the writing “gene” to you.
Thanks for sharing this, Anita!
I’m glad you’re circling the goal, Marian. I wrote a first draft over a few years and then hired a good book development editor who had other editors on her staff. That gave me the benefit of a few sets of eyes. By the time my book made it to my publisher, we found one typo and nothing big to change. The ideas were there in the first draft, but so much was needed to shape the story.
My very best advice is don’t treat each word or scene as though it’s a precious gem you must protect, but listen to what others say. They may be handing you a key. Sometimes an editorial idea felt wrong without an emotional reaction. When I had a big emotional reaction and lots of resistance, I had to revisit and put my ego aside. That happened just once in my process, but it changed how I presented myself as a character. Who was the editor who dared to disagree? A college student studying publishing and doing an internship with my editor. I didn’t pay for her insight, but after resisting her insight for 2 months, I saw the truth in it. I’m grateful to her still.
Thank you for your insights into the emotional/practical path of memoir writing. Yes, my second developmental editor asked me to “kill one of my darlings,” which I interpret as your version of clinging to “a precious gem you must protect.” Like you, I have learned more from the advice of detractors than from the nods of approval. And, yes, I did delete the scene I so cherished. Actually, I incorporated some of the detail into another scene, which seems to work.
I regard your advice as a precious gem. Again, thank you, Elaine!
It sure looks and sounds like you’re doing all the right things. So many steps involved! I thought I was in my end game, but it seems like I’m just in the rookie stages with my memoir, compared to how much you’ve achieved. From the colorful notes to printing out your manuscript… I have yet to print those 380 pages of mine. Well, I’m still cutting down, hoping to reach 350 soon. 🙂
Oh my, so much work. It’s a long road, indeed, and you’re almost there! Well done, Marian. And, thanks for the shoutout.
I think I’m at my final draft, before involving an editor (or, ideally, an agent), but I’m sure that during this deep revision, I’ve been adding typos and mistakes. Aaaargh! So, I’ll need at least one more round of proofreading by myself and others. Will this ever be done?
Good thing is that I like the writing as well as the editing. 🙂
You are making great progress, easier for others to observe as you trek toward a final draft. You are a whiz at spotting errors. A few days ago I saw a quote on Facebook: “As a Superhero I would be “Typoman,” the writer of wrongs. However, while you a focusing on structure and revision, don’t worry too much about typos and grammatical errors.
I believe you are one of the few who likes writing a well as editing. That’s amazing! You go, girl!
How exciting to have your book nearly finished!
Thanks for the nod here, Lady Fi!
I wish all readers of books could read your post. Most readers have NO IDEA what goes into publishing a well-written (well-edited) book. You show it all here perfectly. And good for you! I can’t tell you how many drafts I’ve gone through with each of my two published books. Clue: the number is higher than 25. Drafting includes editing. And after some editing, the story changes a bit, and needs to be reconstructed (just as you mention here). One of my best ways of editing/proofing is READING the manuscript pages OUT LOUD. Amazing how many typos/grammatical errors are found that way. xo
Thank you for the shout-out ~ and for the encouragement embedded in it, Pam. Never will I glibly say to someone, “You should write a book!” 😀
My last round of proof pages are due back in a few weeks, and I plan on doing a slow read-aloud before the typesetting is final. I have practically memorized the words, and I know my eyes would skip over errors my ears will pick up. xo
You made me smile with your comment that you’ll never glibly encourage someone to write a book. 🙂 You know what? It’s like being uncomfortably pregnant. But once that book/baby arrives, you’ll shout to the world that they should have one of these too. 🙂
So I’m in the last trimester and thus I conclude. (You did make me smile again, Pam.)
I’ll have to trust your instincts on this – ha!
🙂 <3
What an exciting time, Marian! Congratulations! I’m looking forward to reading it soon. If I ever snag an agent, you’ll read mine also! This phase is definitely a test of endurance! 💕
Thank you for the nod on the NAMW facebook page and for also commenting here, Beverly Jean. Yes, I do agree: memoir writing is definitely a test of endurance as Linda Joy warned us not too many years ago. I’m sure you do remember that.
You’ll get there! 😀
Marian, as I sit here recovering from surgery and pondering a return to my memoir, I can’t decide if you are attempting to encourage me or frighten me. It’s hard in my current state of mind to return to my manuscript and restart the journey again.
Oh, be encouraged, my friend! From 1999 – 2109, a 20-year span. Even if you think you don’t have that long, just take baby steps. It will eventually get you where you want to go.
To start with: maybe just walk out into that beautiful octagon with a cup of tea and relax. Let your eyes take in the beauty of the chair, the books, the rug . . . all ready for you to create.
This afternoon I felt down, so I took out a page I had printed several months ago with these words: Why Bother? Because right now, there is someone out there with a wound in the exact shape of your words. ~ Sean Thomas Dougherty.
Spring in Oregon is a wonderful time to begin again. Thank you for reading and commenting. I appreciate your candor, Sherrey! 🙂
What a pretty tree; for real, I didn’t know there was such a thing as a Pear Tree; I just thought it was poetic….silly me!
Real pear trees bear fruit. The one pictured here is ornamental with pretty blossoms, no fruit. I’m glad you got a kick out of this, biker lady aka cactus flower!
I really did; I thought Christmas; A partridge and a Pear Tree…..HA HA HA!!!
😂
Beautiful blossoms beside your pear tree. Spring is in full bloom for you 🙂 So lovely to hear your memoir is coming along after so much hard work. I agree with Jil that the editing process is my favourite part of the writing process. With editing, you can see your book’s structure and all the pieces of the puzzle – and editing is about organising all of them and maybe adding in more pieces to complete the picture. Good luck on the home stretch 🙂
Welcome, Mabel. You and Jill amaze me with your attitude on editing. Maybe I will take a gentler, more positive view of the process from now on!
I visited your blog and left a comment. You have a beautiful banner and an amazing following!
Thanks for your good wishes! 🙂
What an amazing journey that you have been on . Having read your blog over the last few years, your story is a story that needs to be told . I am so pleased for you Marian, I can’t wait to read it.
I have been writing for over thirty years ( not published just for fun) and I believe you should write every single day. It’s really important never to give up .
Cherryx
Your writing is spicy and sweet with a wonderful Welsh inflection. Keep on writing. You know I love how you express yourself!
Thanks for the happy nod here too. It’s hard to plod on when I feel so tired. You and others here keep me going. And, of course, you are right, ” It’s really important never to give up .” xo
My comment must have gotten lost in cyberspace, Marian. I was traveling without my laptop. So happy to see you so close to the finish line and eager to celebrate with you. Well done, thou good and faithful servant. 🙂
I’m not yet ready to “enter into the joy of the Lord” if that means end of life. Of course, I know your intention here — and thank you. 😀
A few nights ago I dreamed I had another baby. It had to be a “book baby,” I’m sure. Thanks always for the good wishes, Shirley!