Mark Twain said that Adam was the only one, who, when he said something clever, never had to wonder if anyone said it first. But I flip back and forth between thinking "I've got nothing new to say." and "This is freakish and nobody will want it."(ie. Too Original) Pretend you're writing it for Annabel or something. Because I just tell myself I'm writing for The guy I started this bet with, and the Bitches.(I have big ambitions, but that's enough to let me finish.)

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It isn't a matter of "this story is completely original" - it's how you tell it.

When "Rebecca" was published, Daphne du Maurier was sued by a writer who had published a similar novel years earlier. She screamed the house down: plagarism! theft! du Maurier had stolen her plot!

It went to court and no one could name one line of this other writer's book; it had gone out of print years earlier. The court found in favour of Mrs. du Maurier, because she had written the story in a way that was memorable.

And boy, is it memorable. "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again..."

It's how you tell it. It's in the voice. I have an editor who will read - although not necessarily publish - anything I send. She does it because she loves my voice. She even said so, in the 1993 edition of "Writing Mystery".

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Deb, I told you I got that book, right? It's been helpful, I think.

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OK, about to head to bed to get the requisite poor night's sleep before a trip. I'm packing a disk with my novel and have emailed it to my gmail account for good measure. And if I have file compatibility issues with my parents' computer, I can always write new material.

I'm feeling a bit better. I'm still deep in the throes of self-doubt, but I don't intend giving up.

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erika, that's fabulous. The only thing that took me out of it was:

And she got up and put on one of his shirts, which was long enough to make a tube dress on her

Only because the top of a tube dress is a tube. It wouldn't have sleeves, where one of his shirts would. While I was reading, I didn't notice the mechanics of the netflix remark which deb mentioned, or any other mechanics, because I was so into it. After seeing deb's recommendation, I do agree that could use a little tweak.

Gah, you're talented.

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Cindy, good catch on the shirt thing; I want a full reread when erika's done some tweaks and given it a hard closure.

Susan, go get 'em.

I wish I knew for certain who was coming to the M is for Mystery signing tomorrow, so I could ask them in advance if they could read for me. My throat isn't better today, it's actually worse.

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Can I get a bit of first world tea and sympathy? Hugs aren't necessary, I don't really do hugs, but some stern finger-shaking. or telling me I'm full of shit, or some consolatory shoulder-patting would not come amiss. Really, just venting a bit.

The third book in the series, "Matty Groves", is on Ruth Cavin's desk. She's unlikely to get to it for awhile; I submitted the damned thing about eight months early (I always do), and since she's the executive in charge of the Minotaur imprint, she gets to read every single thing they publish, and it's a long list. Also, she's 86 years old. So reading "MG" isn't a high priority until about, oh, March or April, because she has to read through the spring and summer releases first, and Matty is a fall release.

Thing is, because of contract option clauses, nothing new can be submitted until she approves "MG"; the clock starts then, and that, my dears, is the nature of option clauses. Which means, basically, that there's no rush (or point in hurrying) on "Cruel Sister", because she hasn't read "Matty" yet. And who knows, she may hate Matty. I doubt it - she knows me, I know her, she adores my voice and she also knows that when the whip's cracking for edits I'm supernaturally fast - but I don't know. It could happen. Which would frell the timing.

And Jenn - my agent - feels that I should get a proposal together for the next three books in the series, "Cruel Sister" plus two more, that I should write the first three chapters of "Cruel Sister" (which I've already begun) and synopses for two more, so that she can pitch them to Ruth as part of another three-book deal. Which, of course, would make me sing like a lark, if it happened.

But I feel sick, and everything hurts, and I'm feeling crunched between the two time issues. On the one hand, she hasn't read Matty, so anything after that is in limbo. On the other hand - being brutal here - she's 86. I want to get it in the door now.

So I feel bad about feeling that way, but also impatient because I feel sick and can't get anything done and anyway, even if I do, she has to read Matty first, and....

yada yada yada fishcakes, first world writer problems, but BLEAH.

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Deb, get better first, then do what your agent suggests. Maybe if she approaches Ruth with the three book deal, Ruth will move Matty up and read it so she can sign the other three. Right now everything seems overwhelming because it is. But, better first, then the other stuff will come.

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Deena, yep - that's the clear commonsense thing to do. I just do feel overwhelmed right now. If I wasn't sick, damn it....

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Deb, many, many shoulder and hair pats. Option clauses suck. And when you write fast, which you do, publishing isn't always cooperative. I totally get what you're going through -- I had an author like you once, whom I loved to distraction. She was wonderfully talented, and preternaturally fast, but I couldn't get the editorial powers that be to let me keep buying book after book when we had stuff in the pipeline that wasn't due to be published for months. So I really do know whereof you speak.

Even being sick at the moment, you have some time. You do write fast, and Cruel Sister is already begun. Even taking some time off, I'm willing to bet you can get a three-book proposal done well before she needs it, and probably do some work on the "what feeds on vampires" book, too (the name of which escapes me at the moment).

If I could wave a magic wand and have her read Matty now, I'd already be waving it, fast and furious.

And I'd be waving one for Susan, too, who I think has left town already and probably won't see this for a while. But when you do, Susan, worry not -- there are other agents, as everyone has said, and many other editors.

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