Putting it out there in the world

• 75,988 words
• 25 chapters
• 3 proposed titles

That's where I'm at with my memoir, my dream to get published. I wrote about 20% of it five years ago and another 20% during National Novel Writing Month in November 2009. The lion's share of it was written since May 15 when I started sensing my real job was going down the tubes and my Beloved challenged me to write 20,000 words in a week (I managed 23,016).

My Beloved has read it three times, and his comments have been illuminatingly helpful, but I took a big step today. I sent my manuscript off to five people I trust to give me candid feedback:

• My mother. Really, I think she'll be honest (but kind), and she majored in English in college. And she reads tons of books. And she's on the library board. Really, she's legit! (Even though she loves me more than anyone on the planet.)
• My sister. OK, she's not on the library board, but she's a reader. And she knows me.
• My best friend since seventh grade and the maid/matron of honor at both my weddings. She really knows me. And she's very honest.
• My friend and boss, a voracious reader. She's insightful.
• My brother-in-law. He doesn't know me so well, so I'm hoping he can provide an arm's length man's perspective.

It's kind of scary -- putting a piece of myself out there in the world. But, as I resolved at the beginning of the year, I'm boldly going.

Once I incorporate their feedback into the manuscript, I'm sending it off to an editor for the real arm's length perspective.