Gay Abandon and Julie Andrews

I have just been over to visit at Jackie Ashenden's blog. She is also playing the waiting game and made a note that she had heard that some writer's had sent in full manuscripts to HM&B months ago and have still to receive a response. Mmmm...

I was once given a valuable piece of advice. So valuable in fact I can't remember where it came from - whether I read it somewhere or if some wise sage blessed me with it - but that is beside the point. This piece of advice was to enjoy the time before you get published because it will be the only time that you can write with freedom. (I think they may have thrown in 'gay abandon' but when I say that I get a visual picture in my head of Julia Andrews running across the Swiss Alps ready to break into song, so we will leave that out).

I guess what I am trying to say in my normal succinct manner, is that rather than mulling over my manuscript and whether my manuscript is currently in the queue waiting for the big red rejection stamp, or whether it is slowly working its way up the chain of command (or even whether the editor's dog accidentally ate it) that I should be getting back to what I love best. And that is writing with - dare I say it - gay abandon.

The first draft is the part of writing I really love best. When you get to spew words onto a page at a rate of knots so fast it makes your head spin. When the characters are not yet locked into their frames and anything is possible. When chapter three in no way bears any resemblance to chapter one or two but it doesn't matter, as there is always the first edit.

So what part do you like best? Are you the vomit queen the same as me? Or do you love the edit, where all those words begin to take shape and are given their colour and light. Do you love beginnings or can you not wait to write your happily ever after? And if you are a published writer, was that piece of advice that I cling to the truth. Is this the best time of my life?