K is for Kelsey

Kelsey? Who's that? 

Kelsey is the protagonist in a novel that I finished close to ten years ago. The book was too long so, after a respectable waiting period (or perhaps one that was a little longer than respectable), I pulled it out and revised it with an eye toward making it shorter. But it was still too long, so back into the drawer it went.  

Meanwhile, my critique group added a few members and lost a few more. Since several members hadn't yet read the book, I asked the group if they'd mind reading it again. They kindly agreed (and one gave me a great title) and Kelsey came one step closer to life outside the drawer.

But after that revision, life, including my publishing life, got busy and Kelsey took a back seat to Marita and friends and Know Thyself. More time passed, more ideas took flight...and Kelsey is still in the drawer. I take her out for air and a bit of revision every now and then, but have yet to commit to her as she deserves. 

Last week, an ad for  an agent-led workshop on submission packets hit my inbox. I immediately signed up, excited to kick off my first official week of vacation with advice from the pros. It seemed like a great way to not only dig into my writing projects, but to get Kelsey out of the drawer, out the door, and into an agent's inbox. 

If I'm honest with myself, there's something more than a preference for shiny new projects over the  revision of old ones at work here. It's more than a little bit possible that my foot-dragging has to do with a lack of confidence. The longer a project sits, the easier it is to focus on its flaws and run, in self-defense, toward shiny new objects, spending as much time as possible with them before their shine wears off. And, in a world where there are exponentially more authors than agents and a lack of response is the default, I've been greeted with deafening silence on the few occasions where I've gotten brave and tossed my submission into an agent's ring. 

So, this morning, I got up with an alarm (no small feat if you know me) to be at my keyboard when the first session dropped. 

It was amazing. And, shiny new object that it was, I immersed myself in it, even doing the homework and posting my fledgling query letter for strangers to critique, and introducing Kelsey -- and myself -- to a world outside her drawer.

K is for Kelsey. Professional organizer. Wife. Woman in transition, who wishes emotions could be organized as neatly as stuff. Character deserving of the work it will take to get her out of the drawer and out into the world. 

Wish us luck.