Secrets, Torment, and Abandoned Manuscripts

My writing friends and critique group members all know a secret about me. It's hidden in the back of my drawer and it haunts my dreams and torments my psyche. No, it is not a letter from the IRS or an arrest warrant. It's a manuscript. Not just any manuscript, but the manuscript that is the heart of my heart, the soul of my soul. The one that has been written and re-written a dozen times over the same number of years. Characters have been killed off before the ink is dry, and others have had name changes and personality transplants. The problem is, despite our rocky relationship, I love the story. I love the characters like they are my children.

This is the story that friends ask me about at conferences. "How's your historical fiction coming along ?" "Did you ever finish the one about the girl who sings in the Yiddish theater?" ARG! With the urging (OK gentle push!) of my critique mate Tina Nichols Coury, I officially announce that I am returning into the abyss of research and wiping the dust off the pages - if anybody is looking for me, I'll be in 1890's Russia looking for primary sources!

PS - There nothing like a research shot in the arm than a presentation by Carolyn Yoder (Caulkins Creek). She spoke at our last SCBWI Writer's Day and made me realize the importance of doing research right!