The revisions on Taking London are coming along well.
Thanks to my copy editor, I have learned that I am fond of using a dangling modifying phrase. I did not know this. In fact, I will admit that I have no idea what constitutes a dangling modifying phrase. I was never good at diagramming sentences. There's a myth out there that writers are master grammarians, but I think the truth is that most of us stumbled upon this career because we like to read, do not play well with others, and quietly wondered what it would be like to live the writing life.
The very last section I write for every book are the Acknowledgments. I like short thank yous, just a sentence for the people who make a book happen: editor, agent, my sons, my wife. I usually add a mention of someone important in my life during the project who had nothing to do with the writing. Again, since I write the acknowledgments last, it is usually at a point in the book when I am mentally ready to let it go. Thus, the brevity. I am also of the belief that laborious acknowledgments lose their impact.
But I forgot to write the Acknowledgments when I first finished Taking London. The copy edited manuscript came back with a page reserved for this purpose, with a simple instruction:
"AU, please provide."
AU meaning author. I love how copy editors talk to me during this process, these impersonal requests and queries. No need for an email or a text. It's all lemon juice on the manuscript page, soon to disappear like invisible ink.
So I sat down and began writing my Taking London Acknowledgments. And for some reason, I just couldn't stop thanking people. The gratitude list literally goes on for pages. I think we've all rehearsed our Academy Awards speech, wondering who we would thank if we ever received such an honor. For the first time, I realized that I had that opportunity with this book. I signed contracts for Taking London shortly before Calene's diagnosis. Then I took a six-month break from writing because I was too numb with shock to even dream about creative thoughts. Then financial reality set in and I began writing.
Along the way, so many friends came out of the woodwork to not just offer love and support, but to carry Calene and I. Sometimes that was as simple as getting together for a beer. Sometimes that was a bag of good books. Sometimes that was simple acts of grace, like the time I completely forgot about attending Tough Guy Book Club on the night that the book being discussed was my very own Taking Berlin. The guys gave me a lot of shit about that one, which I deserved. But sometimes that's what friendship is all about.
I will maintain a little suspense about those Acknowledgments. May 7 is my pub date and I'll probably find time to add a few extra names to the list by then. But here's a sneak peek: As with all my books, this is the last name I mention. Right now, she's sitting five feet away from me.
“And finally, to Calene. It’s been a long time since I stole a Tom Petty line to tell you that if you held on to me there’d be magic when I held on to you. I had it all wrong. It’s you who brings the magic.”
What's your gratitude list look like?