Hi cHEwY gum gums

So we’re halfway through the year now and I’m enjoying the school holidays before a hectic term 3 of school visits and festivals. I have a month to finish off my second edits for The Other Christy. It’s about a 11 year old girl, which was also the setting (more or less) for Pixar’s latest film, Inside Out. The movie is a return to form for Pixar, and a visual delight. But it’s also a wonderful way of explaining how kids feel. So I got all the plushies for my collection, can’t wait to do their voices during my school talks.

But I’m thinking of what’s inside Christy’s head, what makes her tick as she deals with making friends and peace with her Grandpa. I know Christy has a ‘family’ island, a ‘baking’ island and a ‘friendship’ island…watch the movie, it’ll make sense haha. My editor’s been wonderful  in asking me to revise my story, delving deeper into Christy’s relationship with her Grandpa. I must admit, this revision phase can be a little daunting. I read a bunch of notes and suggested changes about my manuscript. I re-read my manuscript with fresh eyes and started to mark little places where I can make my own changes. It’s nice to start with a chunk of work, rather than starting from scratch. For me, this is where the real magic happens, when I can muck around with my story like playdoh. Once you give your story away to the publisher, it’s no longer your story to handle on your own…not to say that the core of the story will change (or should that be core memories haha) but that the editor will make sure the core is shining brightly for all to see. I’ve seen my books evolve from their drafts, edited drafts and then in the proofreading stage as well…the editor and publisher are on your side, they want the best for the book too.

I can’t wait for you cHEwY gum gums to know Christy inside out…so it’s back to work for me to make sure that happens 🙂

O.W