I thought that the writing of the novel would be the hard part – how wrong I was! I’ve completed a novel – my first book after several years of writing cookbooks and articles for magazines and newspapers. I was … Continue reading
Well I’ll be damned!!! I figured it out! I’ve been blogging for the last few months on a program called WordPress.com. I really love it. Its easy, attractive, and FREE! No problemos until I switched to WordPress.org. Then it was … Continue reading
Done! Finished! Finito! I finished the formatting of my novel. Can’t say it was easy. Man! Now it is in the hands of my beloved editor Karine. And hopefully she will find zero mistakes. She then has to bring it … Continue reading
Every year in November I’m reminded of how lucky I am to live in Israel. When did I ever get to see olives being pressed in Manhattan? When could I ever be part of a pomegranate festival on the Upper … Continue reading
FarmVille has taken over my life. I wake up in the morning wondering when I have to plow my fields. I go to bed at night thinking about which crops to plant. I’m sending gifts, receiving gifts, trawling around my … Continue reading
And it’s gone! One more edit transferred into the waiting arms of Karine – my editor du jour. Actually, she’s much more than my editor du jour – she’s been my editor for three (3!) years. Yikes! I thought I’d be onto my third novel by now!
I’ve learned a lot from this editing process. And I guess I have plenty more to learn. As I mentioned before, the hardest part is not writing a book, its finding all the mistakes and having the patience to correct them – again and again!
I believe that my book is getting better with all this work we’re putting into it. Its been lovingly edited and read by at least five different people by now – and each has added something precious. Yes, the characters are the same, and no I didn’t make any MAJOR renovations. But their language has been improved, my grammar has improved and the pages have decreased. I think I was close to 700 pages when I first wrote it! It’s down to a much more manageable 300 or so now.
While it’s in Karine’s hands, I shall invest my time in other areas of book production. Finding a good layout person, investigate e-book options, figure out how best to market the book, finalize the cover design.
Stay tuned!
Is it my fault that my keyboard has a sexier wardrobe than me? I was given this amazing gift – a leopard “skin” for my keyboard. So how could I not use it?
You might think I’m a victim of writer’s block. Because I’m doing everything except what I have to do – finish the editing of my novel! But, and sorry to be so graphic, I’m more of the writer’s diarrhea type. I have to learn how to control my thoughts and writing (which in general would probably be a good idea). Continue reading
I suddenly realize that my life is compartmentalized differently than it used to be. I have new priorities. Different subjects dominate my thoughts. Everything has changed! And its all because of Pendaflex.
In Israel, the office filing system is totally different than it is in the States. Files and papers are either clipped or hole-punched into “classirim”, essentially binders. The binders are then are stored upright on shelves. You need a file? Pick out the binder by its identifying color or label on the spine and flip through the papers till you get to the one you want.
I may be living here in Israel for 18 years, but I haven’t upgraded my filing system. I’m a Pendaflex girl – always was, always will be. And I like my way better!
Pendaflex are the hanging folders you use in a drawer. You put your papers and folders in them, and then hang them from the metal rods that are attached to the top. The rods are suspended from rails that run from the front to the back of the file drawer (or you can go the lateral file route – storing folders from left to right). Either way it makes so much more sense to me.
In my recent attempts to totally clean and organize my office – once and for all – I decided I needed to work on the filing system. I had papers from 2007 still sitting around the office, with no place of their own. It was time to get serious (this determination to organize the office is probably due to avoidance of getting the final edit of my novel done – but that’s shrink speak). The first big question I had to ask myself was shall we go letter or A-4 size?
Are you laughing? Well, don’t be! Its a serious dilemma. A-4, the industry standard here, requires A-4 Pendaflex (other brands will do, if you can find them). Letter-size, which I have tons of, is narrower, and doesn’t quite match up to the length of the A-4 paper. What’s a girl to do?
I went out, armed with an A-4 size Pendaflex hanging folder, in search of a store where they’re sold. Hah! The local store couldn’t figure out what it was. But the salesperson was kind and called her associate, who promised to get back to her. The associate must have been half asleep, because she never called back. We called again. She said yes, she had them. I had to get directions to the place, because it was in some secret location in an industrial area not far from my home.
After walking around the grounds of the entire building, I finally found the place – a scrawny looking, neglected, non air-conditioned warehouse. I interrupted the girl working there, who was chewing gum and listening to music on her iPod. She slowly got off her chair and took me over to the hanging folder section. For a moment my heart began to beat wildly – would I really be able to find them right here? After only two stops? She picked up the folder and I almost burst out laughing. It was indeed a hanging folder – but the rods were on the wrong side! They were attached to the closed side of the folder, and the other side was open! So once again you’d have to secure those papers either with a clip or a hole punch to keep them from falling out all over your drawer.
Gum chewer didn’t seem much interested in my request. She simply said what I wanted didn’t exist. But lo and behold I looked at the half opened carton on the floor and there were hanging folders – just the way I wanted them! Oh glory be! My momentary joy was quickly canceled. They were folio size. Do you have any idea how big folio is? About the size of my entire drawer!
I left the sad warehouse, sadly. I went to another store, in another village. The news there was even worse. They had no such folders, had never seen folders like that, and were not interested in pursuing the matter with me. At this point it was nearly 12 and my stomach was making requests of its own. Like feed me, and feed me now!
I came home and thought about the other stores I would have to check out in order to accomplish my mission. They were far away – and there was no guarantee that they would have what I want. What about Internet you might ask? I tried – no luck. I decided there just had to be a better way.
I made my decision. I would stick with the letter size Pendaflex I already had and manage somehow. Of course it would be a little skimpy, but the drawers would accommodate them easily (we’re talking Meridian file drawers from the States – the greatest modular drawer system EVER- from Herman Miller). My file drawers could accommodate letter size, legal size, A-4 and even folio. If only the office suppliers in this country could be as accommodating.
And so, with a warm feeling in my heart, I started to file away – just like I did so many years ago in the old country (Manhattan). I used only the magenta colored folders for everything, and the green, blue & yellow ones as section dividers. I switched all the magenta plastic inserts on top to clear plastic (much easier to see though). I wrote up a fresh batch of file folder names and inserted the tiny little papers into the plastic inserts (going all capital or capital and small letters was also major decision).
And then it happened! I had my epiphany! My life has changed over the last few years – and the way I know this is because of the filing system. I used to file masses of interior design photos and articles. Each room of a house or office type, or medical center had its own file and folder. Then it was all about culinary matters. Food took over my drawers and the dictionaries and lexicons and notes and articles overflowed.
Then life took its natural course and book publishing became the file du jour. Everything relating to writing, authoring cookbooks, and food & lifestyle journalism took the place of the previous tenants. My faithful Meridian drawers put up with the changes without a peep of complaint. They just sighed with the new contents they were forced to hold and did their job.
Today, I have new priorities and new files in the drawers. Today’s files are all about Internet and websites, and new novels and books to be published. There’s on-line marketing sections, and e-publishing, and formatting info and files with agents names, and files with rejection letters, files with readers’ letters and files with Gourmet Club activities, and files with speaking events and folders with photos, and on and on.
And through it all, my Pendaflex are still with me. Me and my Pendaflex, we’re really good friends.
I don’t intend to procrastinate. It just happens.
I’m determined to go over my novel for the very last time and edit it as per Karine’s (my editor) corrections. I actually like the process. But I am so not doing it!
I’ve been involved in writing this novel for the last three years. Its gone from a 500 page novel to a 300 odd page one. A major character was eliminated. A major sex scene was obliterated. So many changes have occurred. I’m convinced that they’re all for the better – but how much more???
I’ve had the very good fortune of finding some very talented people to review and edit the manuscript. That means they read it completely and came up with suggestions, found errors, made improvements. Really – I feel so blessed. And Karine – my fearless editor and dear friend has been there from the beginning. She came up with the idea of me writing a book and read every chapter as it developed.
But now its approaching the end. Through a dear friend I discovered two wonderful women who will format the book for me. The most amazing artist in the ENTIRE world has designed a cover especially for me and its amazing! (I’ll keep that a surprise) I have a graphic artist who is finalizing the fonts on the cover. And I offered the manuscript to two friends – just for a fun read, and they found errors and made wonderful suggestions. How lucky am I?
So what’s the deal with this putting off the final run-through? I’m using the excuse that I have to clean my office. I want a totally clutter-free environment to surround me during this final stage. But I HATE cleaning my office – so many files to deal with. So many papers to put away. So many decisions to make! I can re-edit an entire chapter in less time than it takes me to just think about cleaning this office.
Enough bitching. Time to clean. Ya think?
It seems that having a website is not enough – one needs a blog too! So, as I’m all for possessions, I now have a blog! I guess I’ll try to keep you, and myself, updated on what’s going on in my life – meaning the latest with Menopause in Manhattan; the new pomegranate recipe book and any other projects that are keeping me busy. Stay tuned!
