Lara Zielin

Welcome to the first installment of the “Six writers for six weeks until August 6″ series! We’re kicking things off with Ellen Baker, author of KEEPING THE HOUSE, which, among its many accolades, was one of the Chicago Tribune’s “best books of the year.”

After reading about Ellen, remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a $10 gift card from Dunkin’ Donuts! I’ll pick and announce the winner tomorrow.

Re-writing (and re-writing again!) is important to any author’s process. Of course it sounds easier than it actually is, but we can all take heart in the fact that authors like Ellen have been there in the weeds with us. Take it away, Ellen!

I rewrote my first novel KEEPING THE HOUSE about six times, relying on comments from friends, before I even started sending out queries. After I finally got an agent, who quickly sold the manuscript, I did another substantial rewrite based on my editor’s suggestions. So I’m no stranger to rewriting; in fact, I even like the process. Still, somehow I thought that writing my second book would be easier, that now that I “knew” how to write a novel, my first draft would be pretty okay. Or, at least, my second draft. Well.

The first year and a half, there were many false starts, occasional episodes of panic (of a subdued nature – I’m Minnesotan), and hundreds of useless pages. In June 2008, with the deadline fast approaching, I finished a draft and sent it to my agent. It was the best I could do at the time, but it was really a big, fat mess. Thank goodness, she told me so (in kinder terms) and gave it back to me, along with wonderful suggestions for improvement. I deleted many, many more useless pages, and even cut a point of view character, after coming to terms with the painful fact that I was the only person who found him likable.

In September, I turned the manuscript – now titled THE WORK OF A WOMAN – in to my agent again, and she gave it back to me again, this time for a less extensive rewrite, which took about a month. Then the manuscript went to my editor; I received comments from her in early December. She said she loved the book – the story of a group of women who work as World War II shipyard welders, the tragedy that weaves their lives together even as it divides them, and the great-granddaughter years later who tries to piece together their stories in the hope of final reconciliation – but, in general, it needed to be better focused. In April, having completely restructured the novel and rewritten much of the text, I turned it in to my agent again. There were a few more changes to make, and then it went to my editor. The other day, I received from her another set of fabulous comments and suggestions; I’ll be going back to further hone the story. I’m actually excited to be starting over again – every day, with each small change I make, the novel gets closer and closer to what it needs to be.

Maybe when I write my third book, I’ll get started on exactly the right foot. But I doubt it. Thank goodness for honest friends, and for insightful editors and agents who believe in taking time to get things right. And also for the “delete” key.

FAVE LINKEY-POO RIGHT THIS SECOND: Okay, one last Twilight-related link, this time a video showcasing what would happen if Buffy got her hands on Edward. Now that’s what I call entertainment with teeth.

Beginning tomorrow, Thursday, July 2, I’m going to feature six authors on my blog for six weeks leading up to the release of DONUT DAYS on August 6. *snorts at unintentional 666 nod* Check out the lineup so far, listed below.

Oh, and there are prizes! Leave a comment on the blog to be eligible to win a $10 gift card from Dunkin’ Donuts. There’s a total of $60 in donuts up for grabs, people! Also, I’ll be giving away a hard-cover copy of DONUT DAYS on August 6 to one lucky larawrites.com visitor.

So here’s the author Lineup (so far):

• The lovely and talented Ellen Baker, author of KEEPING THE HOUSE, will lead the charge on July 2 talking about how the road to any successful novel is paved with re-writing. Because it’s ALL about the re-writing, let me tell you. Or, better yet, let Ellen tell you!

• Rhonda Stapleton, author of STUPID CUPID, which launches in December 2009, is up next. Her witty, fabulous post will have you laughing, I guarantee. Girlfriend is hi-larious.

• Then, Peter Jurich, author of the memior TYPING WITH ONE HAND, will talk about the process of self-publishing. With authors like Paul Young (THE SHACK) finding big success with their self-published books, Peter will give us insights on the pros and cons of making your book happen without a publishing house behind you.

• Following that will be Jon Yang, the charismatic author of EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE. Jon is a dude. He’s cool. He plays basketball. He likes Star Trek. And he created the most girlie character I’ve read in a long time. So how’d he do it? And why? Well, Jon will tell you in his post about finding and following your true writing voice. And ne lucky commenter to Jon’s post will win a free copy of EXCLUSIVELY CHLOE!

And keep checking the site every Thursday until August 6 for more authors and more guest posts. And prizes! Don’t forget the prizes!