Quote of the day

"My whole life I was sort of the lonely, outcast, nerdy bookworm, and my parents would say, ‘Just wait until college, you’ll find people like you and you’ll blossom.’ "

Who said it? Give up?

Jennifer Weiner, author of Good in Bed, in a New York Observer article this week. The story also touches on chick lit and the Sittenfeld/Bank review and some other interesting topics.

On a related front, I have this male friend who seems to get annoyed whenever I mention that I'm still revising my book. Well, more than one friend seems to get annoyed...what they don't realize is that even though I've already published two books, getting published again is still a tough challenge just like it is for any other writer. Yes, it helps that I've had two novels published, but the new one still has to be the best it can be when it gets into editors' hot little hands. I care about this project too much to have it be rejected because it was only 90 percent there. I'd rather keep it another two months and get it up to 99 percent. Editors will have their own suggestions anyway.

Tonight I had a great conversation with a friend in the lit business who read the first 50 pages and had more suggestions. They are good suggestions, and they showed a clear perceptiveness of what the book is really about -- but they also mean it will need more work. After four years, I can honestly say that I have a really good handle on everything: Who these characters are, what I'm saying, what happens to them, and the writing that tells the story. I could say that I'm finished now and it'd be partially accurate. But I may have to shift a few things around in the first half, if I end up following this person's wise suggestions. Or I may not...I need the time and perspective to see if it will work. So, if you're a friend and you're annoyed that you asked what I did on Tuesday and my answer was "worked on my book," remember that if it ain't at its best when we sent it out, it ain't gonna fly. That's the business I'm in, and it won't change.