Should I Stay or Should I Go Dorian Edition

As I type, Hurricane Dorian just made its first northward wobble. It’s Tuesday. By the time you read this, MTM and I will know whether we made the right decision.

WE STAYED IN CHARLESTON.

The first major rewrite of a manuscript is a lot like a hurricane.

Words spin in every direction. A scant few sentences become a swirling vortex of confusion and self-doubt, euphoria and inspiration. A writer spends weeks feeling like the pine tree in my parents’ front yard during Hurricane Hugo. I sat at my bedroom window and watched its narrow trunk whip back and forth in the eerie green murk like wet spaghetti.

The tree made it. Whether the book and its creator survive is yet to be determined.

I always eclipse my prior record for stubbornness during the first rewrite. So there’s that. 🙂

For too long, I made a very basic mistake: I talked about my work with people who are not creators. Because if one isn’t compelled to create, they can’t really understand why one does it. What’s the point of torturing a new creation from one’s psyche? And having ambition for a new word baby? Well, that’s just self-serving, a naked grasp for adulation, applause, and fame. People who don’t take risks will never understand.

MTM sees through the madness.

He’s used to the low moments, the ranting, the self-loathing that comes from scraping clean one’s very soul. I almost walked away from this story before I revised one word, because I firmly believe no one will read. I’ve never figured out how to make people care so much they MUST ACT IMMEDIATELY. But he reminded me why this story matters.

Ironically, creating is an act of blind faith. When I fail to believe in myself, MTM believes for me.

UPCOMING APPEARANCES

9 – 13 SEPTEMBER 2019 – 8 events in Greater Boston, Massachusetts. Message me for details.

16 – 20 SEPTEMBER 2019 – 4 events in Greater Washington DC. Message me for details.

WHAT I’M READING – THE BEST WAY TO COPE WITH DORIAN!

The Book of Essie A Novel by Meghan Maclean Weir.

Essie Hicks grows up in the spotlight. She’s the youngest child of the most famous reality television evangelical Christian family on the planet. AND SHE IS IN DIRE STRAITS. A novel about how far a soul will reach for freedom. I loved it.

The Flood A Novel by Meghan O’Flynn.

Why did I decide to read a novel about cannibalism during a hurricane while a storm bears down on us? BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS THAT GOOD. I mainlined it in a day.

BEST THING I READ ONLINE THIS WEEK

Amazon’s Next-Day Delivery System Has Brought Chaos and Carnage to America’s Streets – But the World’s Biggest Retailer Has a System to Escape the Blame, a Buzzfeed News article by Caroline O’Donovan and Ken Bensinger.

A long read but worth it. Americans are destroying our country for cheap stuff and free delivery. This article highlights one of many ways Amazon is making us all less safe, turning workers into slave labor, and doing its level-best to avoid responsibility. I defy you to keep ordering your toilet paper on Amazon after reading this article. We can do better. We MUST do better.

AND THIS: Please click to read Elly Lonon’s brilliant “An Average Back-to-School in the Era of Mass Shootings.” She’s up on Medium in Slackjaw this week. CLICK THE LINK TO CLAP AND SHARE BECAUSE ON MEDIUM WRITERS MAKE MONEY WHEN YOU DO THAT :).

BEST LIFE HACK

Whether you’re in the path of Dorian, on another coast or continent, The National Hurricane Center provides the best hurricane updates. Bookmark the link and skip The Hysterical Weather Channel. 🙂

To see what Andra has been writing in series fiction, visit The Aftermath of Death, She Was Venus in Fur, Grief Out of Balance, For the Love of a Gun, Death by Toilet, Biscuits, Gardenias and a Funeral and Everything Dies. She’s also on Medium with a new story HERE.