The Science Behind GLITCH

All good sci-fi starts with the imagined possibilities of what could be based on what is. Some writers like Margaret Atwood prefer to call their work 'speculative fiction' rather than 'science fiction', because she says that all tech in her dystopian futures have seeds in realities and research that exist today. While I'm not quite as hard-core (there's certainly a large place for FICTION in my science fiction) most good sci-fi stories have to be believable, and, like The Terminator, demonstrate both the fears and hopes about the interaction of the human race with technology. (and yes, I watched this movie hundreds of times as a kid!)

When I started planning my dystopian sci-fi trilogy, my husband had just read this article in Popular Science about computer chips that mimicked brain function and could be used as brain implants to help memory loss in Alzheimer's patients and a variety of other illnesses. My interest was immediately sparked. Sure, brain implants might start out as hopeful solutions for medical problems, but what if widespread brain implants became the norm in society, to be used as a means of social control??? I immediately recognized this as the basis of a good sci-fi story.

There were also some articles I read at the time about the equivalent of Blackberry/Iphone implants, and this too made sense to me. Our cell phones are already our constant companions, attached to our hip or even our ear, like BlueTooth headsets. How far a stretch is it to imagine the advertising of the cell phone you never misplace, never lose, that is always as close as your own forearm? I'm on my computer probably an average of 8 hours a day, constantly glancing at my Twitter and Facebook status updates, multi-tasking with six or more windows open simultaneously, always wired in and connected. What if that wiring was moved from my fingertips, however, to inside my head?

Take for example, Michael Chorost's book World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet. I found this book after I'd already written Glitch, but it perfectly demonstrates the possibility of things that are now only fiction. He's a hearing-impaired writer who has computer chips implanted in his ears that feed information his brain has learned to interpret as the English language. Chorost writes, "A surgeon drilled an inch and a half into my skull, countersunk a ceramic-encased microchip behind my left ear, and threaded sixteen electrodes into my inner ear... it took me months to learn how to interpret the software's representations of vowels and consonants as English" (6).

His book is pretty much an optimistic thought experiment, grounded in current science and research, about how such "human machine integration" might increase exponentially (7). He likens the interaction of the human body and implanted chips to the hardware/software interaction on PCs, envisioning how "the systems [might] become increasingly mutually dependent on each other" (7). When talking about humans and the internet, he asks the question that is the stuff of sci-fi: "What if we built an electronic corpus callosum to bind us together? What if we eliminated the interface problem--the slow keyboards, the sore fingers, the tiny screens, the clumsiness of point-and-click--by directly linking the Internet to the human brain? It would become seamlessly part of us, as natural and simple to use as our own hands" (9-10). This is not simply a flight of fancy. While we might not have the present technology to make all of this a reality, it has foundations in things that already exist.

Tracking devices implanted in humans are already a reality (again, starting with people such as those with dementia) as a means of locating them if they wander off. It started with pets, it's moved to people. The idea of implanted computer chips in the human body doesn't seem that far-fetched anymore. While full cyborg transformations might be a little further off, what do these baby steps toward such a future mean?

Now, I don't actually think all of this is horrific or implicitly a doomsday scenario. I think some of this hardware-in-our-bodies stuff makes sense. I'm a realist. I see the benefits, I see how intertwined our lives have already become with technology, and I don't think it's actually bad. How could I? I love the internet, I can't imagine life without it anymore! In the end, technology is as good or evil as the use we put it to. The biggest example is, of course, nuclear technology. We have the technology to destroy our world a hundred times over. But we haven't used it. At some point, morality and the value of human life (or at least the value of self-preservation) prevents catastrophe.

That said, in my sci-fi trilogy GLITCH, I get to explore what would happen if we DID go too far, what shocking adaptations of the complex human organism might occur, and how the future of the entire earth might depend on humankind's ability to navigate such technology, for better or for worse.

Split Brain: Plan A vs. Plan B

I finished the first major chunk of Book II in my Glitch trilogy today, which ended on a big fat exciting action sequence that is very first-drafty and needs a ton more work. Actually, the whole 30,000 words I've written on it need a ton more work, and part of me is itching, nay, even aching, to dive into those edits. Very emo of me, I know. That's how I roll ;)

Because I don't have the time for that right now. There's this little thing called my grad school classes which are splitting my focus so that even when I spend a delicious day writing like I did today, there's this underlying unease and stress because of other looming deadlines. But I have zero motivation, much less patience, for academic crap right now. I've have a 4.0 up till now, not only because I've been a perfectionist, but also because I thought this would be my career. It's the same reason I've chased down conference panel submissions and academic publications--so I'd be an attractive PhD candidate. Which was always Plan B. But Plan A? To become a writer? Seemed like too ridiculous a dream to hope for. Yet, surprise, surprise, Plan A is actually working out!

BUT. I'm still stuck finishing up Plan B because I've come this far and it's my last semester of coursework and who knows what will happen with the writing in the future and I can't shoot myself in the foot b/c I still might need this and----- yes, the neurosis is very loud sometimes :) Basically, I still might go for a PhD at sometime in the future, but for awhile, at least a year or two after I finish school, writing gets to be my vocation. All I've ever wanted to do was write for a job! And I get to do it! And I want to be doing it NOW!!!

Ahem. So I have no actual resolutions about how to resolve this. I think flying by the seat of my pants and putting out fires as they arise is the motto of this semester. When editorial notes for Book I come, all else will cease to matter in the world and my academic perfectionism will take a hiatus until the edits are done. I remind myself to breathe. I chant this Romanian rhyme the husband taught me over and over: incetul cu incetul invatam alfabetul.

It roughly translates to: little by little, we learn the alphabet. I can't think of an English saying that encapsulates it exactly (which is probably why I stick to the Romanian one), but I guess our equivalent is: one day at a time, or maybe slow and steady wins the race. But you get the picture. Focus on one thing today, another tomorrow, and eventually, everything will get done. Incetul cu incetul, my lovelies. Incetul cu incetul.

Friday Writing Tips #3

Um, I'm not sure how it got to be Friday already, but here we are! And I live in Texas where spring is already in the air (I know, cruel to say to all you northerners still steeped in snow). My window is open and there are literally birds twittering their asses off outside, and the small tree we planted two years ago has green shoots budding on all its branches. I'm ready for spring, even though my winter was great--so much good news and craziness, it felt a little surreal though!

But spring feels sturdy and hopeful and promises that maybe we'll find a little stability and sanity in spite of all the upheaval of moving and book deals and thesis-writing. Or maybe I'm just on a delusional high from all this warm spring air :)

On to writing tips, which I think I'll be making a weekly feature. I'm deep into Book II and am thinking about writing pretty much constantly. This week I finally had occasion to use a plot scheme I've known since I was a kid and watched the 90's version of Robin Hood with Kevin Costner and Alan Rickman: only reveal all of the details of a planned rescue/escape (complete with diagram in the sand) if it is doomed to go horribly awry when it all actually goes down. This was one of those movies I watched OVER and OVER as a kid, along with Terminator, Running Man, and Beauty and the Beast. *hmm, I wonder if this explains my love of epic hero story lines and dystopian/apocalyptic futures?*

Anyway, back to Robin Hood! Robin's going to break into the castle to rescue John Little and others from being hanged. It takes about 5 minutes of screen time to explain in detail the rescue, which looks perfectly planned and should go off without a hitch. But when one of their men who's a plant in the crowd at the hanging is discovered and tied to the barrel of gun-powder Robin had been planning to blow up as a distraction, all planning goes to hell. But because of those thwarted expectations and spontaneous complications, it makes the scene so much more compelling for an audience.

From then on, I always paid attention in movies or novels, and it's a rule that almost always holds fast and true: if they explain in detail, it's doomed to go wrong. If there's a rescue/attack and they just jump into the scene without telling you the plan ahead of time, it will more likely go according to that secret plan, and the spontaneity comes from the fact that the audience just doesn't have all the details until they are revealed in real time.

Friday Tips For Aspiring Writers Part II

Continuing on with last week's theme: more tips for aspiring writers, aka, painful things I learned along the way that I wish I'd figured out sooner ;)

1. Revise. Edit. Rip apart that scene you loved which everyone agrees isn’t working, take into consideration their critiques, and re-write the thing. It’s painful. It hurts. Do it anyway. Hmm, I’m noticing a common theme here. Writing hurts! But then when the magic is burning though your veins, you know there’s nothing in the world you’d rather be doing.


2. When all else fails, Outline. Ok, if we were going chronologically, this should obviously come first. And as a long devotee of Outline Resisters Anonymous, I understand it’s annoying and difficult and occasionally impossible. I revised my stance on the subject, however, after writing 200 meandering pages that ended up being useless because I didn’t know where the story was going next. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s useless pages. Do you know how long it takes to write 200 freaking pages? A LONG TIME! Determined not to waste so much time again, I approached outlining with reticence. With Glitch I charted out a basic arc to the story-line, beginning middle and end. Then I would outline about two scenes or chapters ahead as I went. With book II and III of the proposed trilogy, Agent Dude told me, hey, that sounds great, send me outlines. And I was like, um… o-kaaaaaaay. I didn’t say I’d never really in-depth outlined a whole book before. I just did it. It was strange and uncomfortable. But then it took on a life of it’s own as I thought through and imagined scenes (with full dramatic lighting and special effects, natch) in my head, and wrote them down on paper.


3. Read Natalie Goldberg. There is no more beautiful writer who writes about writing. She approaches it like a zen practice, and if that sounds cheesy to you, well it’s not. It’s brilliant and beautiful, full of honesty and straight-to-the-gut zingers. Everyone will tell you to read Writing Down the Bones, and they are right. Go buy yourself a copy. Now.

Friday Tips For Aspiring Writers

Not that I am now a magical know-it-all because of my book deal, but these are some things I've learned (and some I wish I would have learned sooner rather than later!) as I've struggled to become a decent writer!

1.Write.

2. I mean it, WRITE. Get your butt in a chair and write every day until you get the feel for writing scenes, dialogue, character development, and figuring out what the hell they mean by voice. All of us would love to be a magical genius where the first thing we ever put to paper would be publishable and become an Oprah pick but: It. Doesn’t. Happen. Everyone fills pages and pages as you get into the practice of writing that will never see the light of day. That’s okay. It’s necessary. Jack Keroac filled thousands of manuscript pages developing the free style jazz-writing of On The Road and Big Sur, and most great writers have written thousands of what turn out to be practice pages. For every other discipline, musical or otherwise, years of practice are necessary before you become comfortable enough with the medium to be able to bend it to your will and style. Writing’s no different.

3.Accept critique. This is the single most important thing I’ve learned. No matter how many pages you fill up with chicken scratch or how many thousand words are rung up on your word count, if you aren’t getting strong and straight talking critique, and even more important, LISTENING TO AND INCORPORATING THAT CRITIQUE, you are seriously stunting your own growth. Everyone takes critique differently: some people want harsh, others need encouragement to keep going; you just find a group or situation with an atmosphere you’re comfortable with. I find I work best with a little of both. My writer’s group rips into my work sometimes, but it’s a group I trust, and they are almost always right. They see what I can’t, question character motivation, story-logic, comma placement, plot arcs. But at the same time, gimme a frickin’ break! If critique is too negative for too long, it wears on you. Even the most confident of us get unsure. We’re doing this thing we love, pouring hours and sweat and occasionally tears, because WE LOVE IT. We need a little bit of positive nourishment too, some sunlight with the rain, if you’ll allow a cheesy pun.

Part II to come next Friday! Let me know what you think! What tips have helped you as you've learned how to write?

Journey to a Book Deal

So it's been about a week since I found out about my book deal... and yeah, those three words together--'my book deal'--still sound a little bananas. I've spent the week walking around in daze, giddily connecting with other writer's whose books debut in 2012 too (also known as The Apocalypsies), completely blowing off reading for my grad school classes, and using far too many exclamation points in every email/post/tweet. I've been thinking about how I got here, and wanted to put it on paper (like the way moms always want to tell thier gory birth stories after they pop out a kid):

I got my agent the old fashioned way: hard work, querying, rejection, more hard work, more querying, more rejection, you get the picture :) Glitch is the third book I’ve written all the way through and queried, and each manuscript along the way was a necessary (if grueling) step on the path to becoming a better writer. The first one was bad, but it taught me plotting. The second one was a little less bad and I’d gotten better at dialogue and keeping tension up during scenes, but agents rejecting it said it didn’t have a strong enough or unique voice. And the third one, I finally figured out what the hell they meant by voice. Which is actually one of the most important things to figure out (though some people, and yes I am insanely jealous of them, come by it naturally). Best definition I’ve found for what ‘voice’ is: Steven Malk’s Interview on Literary Rambles. To sum up: figure out who’s telling your story and make their personality come through in the way you tell it.

I’d been thinking through Glitch all of the Spring semester (I can’t seem to use academic brain and creative writing brain at the same time!), but wrote it mainly in July 2010. I started querying agents in August, got more requests for manuscripts than ever before, and in September, Charlie Olsen emailed saying he wanted to set up a call with me. He said he liked it, but wanted me to do some edits before he’d take me on as a client. I dug in, and in October, he offered representation! Then we did more edits, and decided to wait for the new year before submitting. And voila, started submitting in January and last week got the offer from St. Martin’s Press. I don’t know if that’s whirlwind or if it just feels like it to me, like it’s too ridiculously wonderful a dream to be true, but here we are. I’m sure more deep edits are headed my way, but I love getting to dig into the story again like wet clay. Or maybe kneading bread is a better analogy. That’s the picture in my head when it comes to edits: knuckles in, muscles working, to shape a dull lump into something glossy and magical shining.

GLITCH - Quick Plot Summary

I figured there should be some place on my blog until I get my website up saying what my book is actually about! Glitch is the first in a young adult romantic sci-fi trilogy, pitched as 1984 meets X-men.

Quick Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Zoe Gray is a cybernetically-enhanced teenager living in an underground society when her internal hardware begins to malfunction. She slowly realizes that her body is changing, that she’s developing powerful telekinesis, and that she’s not alone. Even though getting caught could mean reprogramming, or worse, deactivation, Zoe begins to seek out other glitchers in society, including a dreamer named Adrian who can see the future, a boy named Max who can mimic other’s appearances, and a young girl named Molly with X-ray vision. They work together to plan their escape, but soon learn there is another powerful faction at work whose ambitions threaten all their carefully laid plans.

Confidence & Getting Back Up After a Beat-Down

Awhile ago, I heard there was a study ranking US children against the rest of the world, and while the US kids were ranked twenty-something in math skills, they were ranked 1st in confidence! I thought, yep, that sounds about right. All the self-esteem programs and positive posters and praise really did sink in with my generation, maybe too much, some people have a sense of entitlement that's frustrating. I think Stephen Colbert epitomizes this ridiculous American swagger perfectly, but with the sarcastic self-referential understanding that it's parody. Probably why I love him so much :)

But back to confidence! I was NOT a confident kid growing up. I was shy, a total people pleaser, door-mat, etc. It wasn't until my mid-20's that I caught up on the confidence train. In part, I think that's what the pink hair and tattoos are about--I didn't have to hide my personality anymore, be the quiet, good, religious girl. I could be loudly, visually me. I started to trust my abilities and talents more, to try things I wouldn't have attempted before.

And as I get to know other artist types, I see a lot of self-doubt, self-deprecating comments, and unsureness. Don't get me wrong, I think humility and honesty are always hugely important! And maybe it's just because rejection and failure are such a big part of trying to make it as an artist/writer. But really, the fact that we keep on trying, get knocked out and get back up again, face EPIC FAILURE and then manage to write another novel and try the querying/submission process all over again, speaks to the fact that at some level, we BELIEVE we can really do this. You have to have some degree of ego to keep trying, you have to believe there's a possibility, however small, that you CAN be successful. And when you've put in the hard work, the years of trying, and the crazy of crazies happen and you get some success, enjoy it, don't question your right to be there! Yes, it was most likely a lot of lucky confluences of events that brought success (and that's where the humility is key), but it was also a crap-load of hard work, and if someone was going to make it, why shouldn't it be you!

My Writing Process--Riding the Groove

Woo hoo! Finally the writing mojo is back and I hit my stride again, wrote 2,500 words today. This book's been a little slower in getting started than projects in the past. Probably b/c I jinxed it by breezily saying to others, "oh, I write books fast, most of the last book was written in a month." Yeah. With this one I've barely been keeping up with my word count (I set a goal of 1,000 words a day). [Side note on word counts: Some people hate making word count quotas for themselves. I've heard some authors say it makes them produce the required amount of words, but then later they just end up cutting most of it! Not so for me. If I can push through a scene or two, it's usually a usable first draft.]

But still, it's been a bit like pulling teeth, until today. I'm finally IN the story enough (third chapter) where I'm familiar enough with the characters again and the words and scenes flow out like smooth, smooth butta. It's a good feeling, because I was afraid I'd lost my magic. Lo and behold, it just took two weeks of getting back in the writing groove to find it.

Really, what it took was getting excited about the story again. I'd outlined this book, and it's the second book in a trilogy, which I've never done before. I've written about 4 1/2 manuscripts before, but each time I started a new project, it was totally fresh, with new characters that were jumping like popping popcorn in my head to get out. With this one though, I'm picking the story back up that I'd brought to resolution in the last book and having to work hard to build up fresh tension and interest--both in the story itself, and in myself FOR the story! But it's like I finally reminded myself why I loved these characters in the first place, all their many complexities and quirks that made me so interested in them as I created them in the first place. And their relationships with each other, which is really when the pages start to fly.

The writing process itself is a little hard to describe. We writers keep trying to explain it, and I imagine it's different for everyone. For me, pardon my mysticism, it's kind of like magic. Not like there's some divine aura or muse directing my words or anything. I use the word "magic" to mean that it's just something I don't really understand. When I get in the groove, I lose sense of the world around me, what's playing on my mp3 player, how far down the page I am, page count, etc. The scenes happen. I look up, realize seven songs have played on the album I'm listening to and I've written a bunch of pages. Magic. Like dancing or any activity where you lose sense of time and are totally absorbed in the moment and the movement without thinking ABOUT what you are doing. You just groove.

It took two weeks to catch the groove again, and I only get one more week to spend before I have to put the book down again. I'm taking Agent Dude's advice, and am not going to put a lot of energy into this one till Book 1 sells. But still, I'm giving myself another week to luxuriate in it. After that, it's time to put this away, then turn to working on my thesis. My advisor said she needs to start seeing chapters by the end of January!

The Writing Life

The semester has finally ended and I find myself with a bit of that precious commodity: time. Of course, the accompanying necessary ingredient: motivation--now that one's still missing a bit. I know logically that after the stress of the semester that I'd have to just be prone for a week, but there's a buzzing under my skin to get started on all the projects I couldn't during school. Like writing!!

I'm doing last edits on Glitch before Agent Dude sends the manuscript out on submission in Jan. He's mentioned some impressive publishing houses, now we'll just see if they want me. Do you remember the refrain of that 90's song by the Cardigans:

Love me, love me, say that you love me

Yeah, the entire querying, trying to get an agent, and now sending it on submission to editors makes that song refrain sound over and over in my head. Love me! Love me! Say that you love me! And my book!

But then, because I'm me, this leads to larger existential questions - isn't that the refrain to most our lives - would someone or multiple someones just love us and want us around? Sometimes I've thought the epigraph of my life would be: she wanted to be wanted. Which um, yeah, sounds a little emo and pathetic, but really, I think it's what most of us just want. It's what I wanted when I was a dorky 7th grader hoping for a seat at the lunch table with the cool kids, it's what I wanted when I went off to college and started dating, it's what we want when we are interviewing for jobs, when looking for agents, and now publishers. Like me, like me! I swear I'm cool enough to belong here! I'm unique and special, like the snowflakes!! Like the snowflakes, dammit!

Back to the grindstone

All week, I have been luxuriating in edits on my novel, diving back into the story-world and losing myself for hours at a time. Seriously, one day I edited for 11 hours and still didn't want to go to bed b/c I wanted to keep going! It's like delicious magic time, especially compared to writing shitty academic papers!

But alas, edits are done, new draft turned in to Agent Dude. And yeah, that paper that I've been putting off and already got an extension on? It's due Monday. I should be writing it right now. As we speak. But what fun would that be?

I'm still giddy with fiction world, and wanting that future to work out so badly my stomach curls up just thinking about. That's what I want to be doing with all my time. Being a writer was always Plan A, but I always thought it a ridiculous pipedream b/c I know how hard it is to make it as a writer, even to get published. So it was on to Plan B--getting my Master's and Doctorate and teaching. But now that Plan A is a possibility suddenly, it's ALL I WANT. So forcing myself to still keep working on Plan B stuff--every hour spent and page written is grueling and feels IMPOSSIBLE!!! How did I ever make myself do this before????

All right, whiny rant over. Agent Dude sounded excited about the changes I'd made on the book, but he thinks it might be best to wait until January to start submitting to editors at publishing houses b/c people are already checked out for the holidays. I'm glad it's him and not me having to make these decisions, because I have the patience of a three year old.

Writing Your Way (into &) Out of Doom Moments

I think trying to work one's way out of problematic theoretical knots is similar to figuring out plot problems/solutions. In revising my article on Twilight for publication, an article which reads the implications of the phenomenon positively instead of negatively, I find myself navigating feminisms to work out an alternative reading from the easy and obvious--that Twilight is bad, bad, bad and gives negative examples of a passive female main character. Ok, yes in some instances it does, and it certainly reflects a conservative ideology in places, but at the same time, it taps into a female fantasy that is so well done it has become virulently popular. My question is, why? What psychological needs is it meeting? And can we provide an answer that doesn't result in saying women/girl readers are stupid/bad//wrong and should feel guilty for liking it?

Plot-wise, I just watched an episode of Stargate Universe for the first time last night, and it reminded me of the importance of constantly creating "doom moments" where it seems like there is no way out and everybody is going to die. I think really every action sequence should have a moment like this, it makes the reversal (after the author ingeniuslly writes a way out of the doom) that much more satisfying. However, creating these moments (unless you are Joss Whedon who revels in them) can be difficult as a writer, uncomfortable in much the same way tackling difficult theoretically dilemmas can be. On both fronts, I'm forcing myself into the difficult places, because the results are always worth it.

The Utopia That Was Not

So. Grad School. Let's just say that it's not what I thought it would be. Because the discussions that are had are not any more intelligent than undergrad... and, how do I put this delicately? the standard for academic excellence isn't set very high. Why, in grad school, am I still only required to write five-seven page papers? In both my classes. Aren't much longer papers supposed to be the standard - like 10-20 pages? Which would be hard, but that's the point - it's supposed to be a lot harder therefore making you push yourself to new levels. Because, you know, we should have a lot more to say about topics, more research, more analysis, I mean, freakin' A! I guess I just imagined grad school like this academic utopia where every one is really smart and dedicated, and not only DOES the reading, but tries to UNDERSTAND and analyze the reading in a meaningful way that promotes intelligent discussion. Isn't that the point? Where we are learning how to participate in the larger academic community of quality scholarship??? The answer is, maybe not at Texas State University. Time will tell.

In other news, I'm re-writing the novel I had been querying agents for. Really learning the ins and outs of how the market works, especially as regards to children's publishing, has been invaluable, and something i think only could have been done the hard way - i.e. writing a book, trying to sell it, understanding why its not selling, and not just being like - fucking publishers! don't realize GENIUS when they come across it! So. There are some problems with the book. The main one of which is "voice". I kept seeing this all over agent requirements - they don't care what the material is but only if it has strong voice. One agent put it simply, "Voice, voice, voice!" And me sitting there constantly seeing the phrase and idea pop up, was like, what the fuck is voice????? That was always one of those words I'd heard bandied around, and vaguely had an idea of meaning, but not specifically, and not enough to put my novel and my writing under the litmus test to discover if it had this elusive entity of "voice".

I'm finally kind of getting it. It's like tone, which is also hard for me to define, other than just saying - you know, how it feels, the vibe you get from reading it. But where the rubber meets the road - how the hell do you CREATE that feeling or tone? I've been writing seriously for four years now, written two and a half novels (two of which were about Persephone, trying different angles, but all completely different...and all shitty) and I still don't know exactly how to manipulate language to create the tone I want - though I'm finally learning. I've written thirty pages on the new novel, writing it as Persephone in the 21st century as a teenager - and I'm writing first person, plopped directly in her head, so that what is on the page are her thoughts and personality. And I think it's getting a vibe.

Also, it should be a much better sell when I start querying for it because it actually FITS. Unlike straight high fantasy, which the one I've had is. Urban fantasy, or at least starting from a relatable protagonist who is just like us, and then taking her to crazy places, is not going out of style anytime soon. It's kind of timeless - that starting in our world and then bringing in fantasy or surreal elements. Just ask Alice. And I'm writing with attention to voice for the first time, which is this wild paradigm shift that I've really needed to move forward with my writing. I'll still be querying and honing the old version in case I do catch interest somewhere, but I have a feeling it'll be the new version that starts that chapter in my life.