So it's out there. Just. I finally got Maggie off the path of the house in Chelsea and sent her forward to the present. Six months of Wednesdays and my first draft of Asylum is finished. My daughter read it, my ex husband read it, my ex lover read it, and I'm waiting for my office wife, and the all-mighty, all-knowing Publishing Director at Pedantic to read it. It's nerve-wracking. I'd rather take my knickers off and walk down the street that take that first step into showing work that someone may or may not like. My ex was shocked at his own portrayal saying I got him bang to rights, which actually wasn't the intention. My daughter thought I didn't need the baby or the other sister, which may be Freudian, and my ex lover wondered if he were the taxi driver (he isn't). But these people either love me or hate me, or a mixture of both and their opinions are all slightly touched by their relationship to me which in some cases is deeply troubled. At work, it's a professional reading it. A professional who may not want to hurt your feelings, but may still think it's weak or even bad. That's a tougher audience to please. But what's a book if nobody reads it? I couldn't give a stuff about publishing it, because if working in publishing teaches you anything it's that getting a book to a publisher doesn't mean anyone reads it, often not even most of the people working for the company. It's not a mark of your worth, but it is the point of doing it - letting it be seen.
So while I'm waiting for comments, I've gone back to Jennifer, whose tale is tame compared to Maggie, and she - like me - is a bit lost. In a limbo of not knowing what her story is, where she's going, what's happening to her. I've taken one of her daughters already and it's up for grabs where her mother is. I started it with a clear idea but didn't like the first draft - it was too melodramatic, so I'm toning it and her down. One day it will suddenly take shape and show itself to me, like Maggie's did. But at the moment, I'm living with the two different women in my head, already missing one, and slightly irritated by the other.
So while I'm waiting for comments, I've gone back to Jennifer, whose tale is tame compared to Maggie, and she - like me - is a bit lost. In a limbo of not knowing what her story is, where she's going, what's happening to her. I've taken one of her daughters already and it's up for grabs where her mother is. I started it with a clear idea but didn't like the first draft - it was too melodramatic, so I'm toning it and her down. One day it will suddenly take shape and show itself to me, like Maggie's did. But at the moment, I'm living with the two different women in my head, already missing one, and slightly irritated by the other.
