I’m done my manuscript!
I’m sure in the next few months I’ll say that several times.
As I do several edits. What I have
completed is a second draft. I’ve moved
the pieces around the chess board and I think I have things where I want
them. Until my editor tells me
different.
Some may wonder. Aren’t
you getting tired of this? It has been
nearly 10 years since our son with Congenital Heart Disease was born. We have been at this a long time. That is true…but there are some things that I
have never talked about…and some things I never will. There are many questions that people have asked me that I have never been able to give a cohesive response to. This was something I wanted to do for a
very long time and I’ve finally done it.
It’s on paper. No one can take or
edit that away. Will it get published? Who knows…and I don’t care. What I set out to do. Is done.
I started this project in mid-January. With some strong encouragement from Susan I
joined a group of people who were taking a class on writing their life
story. The purpose of the class was for
each of us (by the end) to have a manuscript or at least a rough first
draft. I had no idea what I had signed
up for.
I met a group of people.
Most were significantly older than I.
All of whom had a story to tell.
As one who has been actively involved in the health care system and who
has participated in many sessions involving patient stories, I have heard many
stories. Patient Stories. In this class we were able to explore much
more than one kind of story. The sky was
the limit. The story of Youth. Romance.
Stories of Financial Success.
Tremendous Tragedy. It was a
great experience to hear so many different experiences and how to capture those
stories on the written page. It
drastically changed the way I have approached my writing. I actually call myself a writer now.
I wrote many pages that I know will never see the light of
day. As part of the class we had several
assignments that challenged many of my assumptions. I have always had a fairly clear vision of
what I wanted to write but this forced me out of that box. It forced me to ask. Who I was, and where did I come from? I also found out that I have a distinctive
writing style. As I wrote about the storm clouds in our lives I described a scene from my past. The many prairie thunder storms that I had known all my life. I found how
we can’t escape the environment in which we grow up. Growing
up on a farm on the Canadian Prairies is something I had never written about
before. It was fun to explore some of
these parts of my past. Some things I
had never thought much about. It was a
really unique experience and as all of my fellow writers from my class can attest. It's a lot cheaper than therapy.
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| Photo Courtesy Mark Duffy - FineArtAmerica.com |
So…where to from here?
I have been fortunate enough to find an Editor. We are also at the very early stages of the
editing process. We are taking it easy
during the summer and will likely put in a greater effort in the fall. So I’m not actively working on the book right
now. I’m letting it sit and
percolate. I did however let Susan read
it. She never read a word of Draft Number
1. She finished the last chapter
yesterday. There is nothing more nerve
wracking than let your spouse give you feedback on your writing. Your “baby.”
With a great deal of fear and in trepidation I have been listening to some
of her feedback. So far it has been a positive
review. The one thing her review has
confirmed to me is how hard it has been to relive some of our more difficult
moments. She refused to read one
Chapter. She read the first few lines
(knowing what was coming) and skipped that chapter. It’s difficult. Even years later.
Now I am in the process of working on my strategy to getting
published. I could easily self-publish. However, I have been encouraged not to. So now I have entered the murky world of
literary agents and publishing. This
should be interesting.
I have always been a strong believer in the importance of
sharing patient stories. In many ways I
think stories put health care in perspective.
Now I have learned the broader importance of stories not only in the
health care context. Everyone has a
story. Every story is extremely
valuable. This has been a great lesson
to learn.
