Gratitude

What a busy summer it has been. I feel like I hardly have time to work on my book let alone actually write something new.

As I sit here, my 3 yr old is dumping out the gold fish crumbs on the floor next to my chair and has been crying all morning for no reason I can see, my 6 and 8 yr old are fighting over who is putting away the most dishes from the dish washer and my kitchen is a mess. I have a 15 yr old Japanese student I feel like I need to entertain and two other kids who are hiding out downstairs. (thank heavens).

But you know what? I'm not going to move from this spot. I'm going to finish this last edit. I'm going to read a good book today, and I'm going to relax after a long, hot day at Lagoon yesterday.

On to another topic I've been thinking about. I'm reading a middle grade book that is rather new out. It's SUPER long and as I read, I feel a bit sad for the author. He didn't have a fabulous editor like I have. Yeah, Kristine is strict, and basically tells you where the bear craps in the woods, but she's good. She'd never let my book publish with all the fluff this other author's still has. It's way too long for a middle grade, and I mean WAY too long. I find myself skimming through paragraphs because there just so much unnecessary stuff in there. Stuff that clogs up the read. You know?

I guess what I'm saying here is this. My editor may tell me to do things I don't like. I may rant and rave for a few days. I may get angry, cry and want to quit, but when I get down to business, I find that she is always right. Dang those editors!

So, too bad for this other author. His book could have been so much better. It makes me so grateful for what I have.