Hopes and Plans

My husband and I are packing to go back up to our cabin in the NC mountains for a few weeks. I’m hoping the leaves are red, yellow, and orange by now, my favorite color palette. I plan to sit in the dining room with its 360 degree view of the surrounding Tusquittee mountain range and add the finishing touches to my book. Yes! I really, really believe I’m almost there. I feel giddy, and that may be a dangerous way to feel. Smugness and giddiness are typically not shared or admired by others. But… others will share hope, which I also feel in abundance.

Last month I contacted one of my writing teachers, Kase Johnstun, whose online memoir writing course I took last year. During the ten week class, we learned what makes a good structure and how to capture the essence of our story through memorable scenes and how to make it all flow. Since I tend to either ramble on lyrically (and often nonsensically) or in a more journalistic style (dry research), the course, offered through the very excellent Creative Nonfiction publication, got me started in the right direction and resulted in the completed third draft of my manuscript. But I felt it wasn’t quite done: not polished enough, perhaps not interesting enough.

So in September I emailed Kase and asked if he offered a reading service. He remembered my story from class and agreed to go through it. His thoughtful and succinct inline comments and final summary told me exactly what I needed to know.  I’ve been at my computer daily, excited and…yes, hopeful. Oh, and about those leaves too. Unfortunately, the Punkin’ Chunkin’ contest has been cancelled for this year, but I’ll take what I can–the cool weather, the orange, red, and yellow landscape and (hopefully) a completed book.