I don’t really remember what the weather was on early Sunday morning March 10th, but whatever it was, for me it was fine. For upon opening my email after my first sip of hot Earl Grey tea, I found this from Jo Graham, my editor at Crossroad Press.
Dear Steven,
Attached is my edit of By the Sea. I'm sorry this has taken so long, as what a pleasure it was to read! You have written an engaging, thoughtful, and kind book that is both a crystal-clear character study and a thoughtful meditation on what art is. Even the characters who at first appeared unlikable are drawn with sympathy and skill. There were surprises -- I found myself changing my mind about characters over and over as I read, each new facet of them revealed skillfully and gently. I suppose that is what strikes me the most -- in this era of unlikable characters and the idea that a "good" book is one in which horrible things happen to horrible people, you have turned that entirely on its head. Even when people act badly, you have told their story with sympathy and grace, with a complete kindness for even the most outwardly difficult characters like Trudy, Ben, and the Major. (It is hard to think of him as Phillip!) By the Sea was a true privilege to edit.
If Crossroad was a traditional publisher, I would be forced to say that at better than 140,000 words it is too long. Fortunately, Crossroad is not a traditional publisher, and I don't have to suggest that you cut a thing! I can't imagine where you would remove 20,000 words without doing the manuscript serious harm. So yes, it's long. But it's not fat. It's all muscle, and I don't think cuts are in order.
I do think, however, that structurally some things read too long. There is, for example, one chapter that is 75 pages. I think the reader needs a visual break, a chance to put it down, look up from the page, and reflect at suitable points. Profitably you could cut these very long chapters into several pieces with an eye to where you'd like that impact to fall. There are also some very long paragraphs, one that runs nearly six pages, for example. They really needs to be broken into smaller chunks for the understanding of the reader. Again, the visual break is important, as is the emphasis that a paragraph break makes. Also, some of them included things like a change of location within the same paragraph, and I think that could be broken at the location change to make it clearer that a character has come indoors or gone out. I've also flagged some typos and spelling things, but those are not major.
My main thought upon finishing is what a satisfying book it is! You have built this small world perfectly, and each character is so complete and well thought out that what at first seem disparate pieces fit together perfectly by the end. It's a hat trick in perfect proportions! Half way through I was wondering -- how in the world can he make this plot work out? And then you did. You made it look simple, which of course is the essence of real art as you say -- the authentic voice that makes the complex seem as if it could have happened no other way.
I enjoyed By the Sea so much, and I hope it has the success it richly deserves.
Jo
It wasn’t so much that Jo liked my novel, that I already knew from previous communications, but that she took the time to tell how much she liked it, and in enough detail to demonstrate that she “Got it.” Her praise of certain aspects of By the Sea, ones that I had endeavored with purpose to achieve, was deeply satisfying. And thrilling. What it was not, of course, was humbling. I have never trusted those people who say they have been “humbled” by praise or recognition. Praise or recognition does not humble the ego, it inflates it. Declarations of humility or of being humbled after praise or recognition -- a staple of glitzy award shows
-- have always seemed to me to be disingenuous at best, and Uriah Heepish at worse.
Or maybe it is just my age.
Writing was my first young man’s passion. Novels and plays, that’s what I wanted to write. That passion got diverted and energies were redirected away from it, when I developed another passion for a particular art within the world of cinema. I don’t completely regret that diversion, as there were some good experiences (along with some bad, of course), some good people to collaborate with (along with some bad, of course), some international travel and living, and some fine dining. But the diversion did not allow me to be completely true to myself. Or, more importantly, to my self. Writing though, does. And I am now too old, and too cognizant of finite time, not to be true to my self.
Jo’s words doubly satisfied my self and thrilled my ego because not only has she taken on the role of Submissions Editor and Book Editor at Crossroad Press, she is an accomplished writer herself.
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| Jo Graham |
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| And one of Jo's novels |
Acknowledgment from your peers, from fellow soldiers in the trenches (also talked about so much on glitzy award shows) has a precious quality beyond almost any other kind of praise. Why? Well, I recently I appeared on a panel with the great Harlan Ellison
and he put it best that day:
"Everybody in the world thinks they can do three things well. Everybody thinks they can write -- ‘Just give me the time and I’ll write’ --; everybody thinks they can drive a car, perfectly; everybody thinks they know how to fuck. When in fact all three of these arts are skills that take a great deal of practice and knowledge and expertise"
It is usually only your fellow writers who understand this, and truly appreciate the skill and knowledge and expertise you have put into your work. For the general reader, your work is just a story they either like or they don’t like -- and why should it be anything more than that? If they like your story, you are pleased, indeed. But for a fellow writer to understand and appreciate how you made that story likable, that’s where deep satisfaction can be found.
Outside of the praise, Jo said something else that I began to muse on: “If Crossroad was a traditional publisher….” That will be the subject of The BY THE SEA Chronicles # 2: To Genre or not to Genre.
But for now, I need to get back into the manuscript and address Jo’s editorial concerns and comments,
format a table of contents page, add a dedication page, and, in general, prepare the manuscript for final delivery to Crossroad Press.
I don’t yet know the publication date, but I certainly won’t be shy about letting everyone know once I know.
You can read about all my books on my blog’s MY BOOKS page, where you will find handy links for ordering said books on Amazon.com.
If you would like to receive emails about my books, please email me at: authorleiva@aol.com.
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