I swear, sometimes it feels like everything is conspiring against my finishing this book! I'm so close--just an edit and a final read-through--another month at most.
So why is this sounding impossible?
Well, we've been trying to buy a house for over a year and we've put so many offers out there, I think I'd given up on ever finding anything. A month ago we put an offer in on one of our favorite houses, but I didn't think much of it. Imagine my surprise when it turns out we're looking at moving in around Thanksgiving weekend! One month away.
Added to that, my kids are both sick, I promised a friend of mine a baby shower in the next month or two, the holidays are coming, and there are other things I am not at liberty to discuss that might make everything a bit harder around here.
Well, humph! In spite of all these complicated, but very important things, I AM GOING to get this done. So there.
It's not that much, really. If I buckle down in the evenings, I can do it pretty quickly.
All right, so here's hoping my next entry announces the manuscript is on its way to Stan!
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Ah HA!
I figured it out!
Here I've been over the last week or two, struggling with the knowledge that Wielder was not coming together and completely lost as to why! This is not a nice feeling.
It wasn't even Writer's Block--I WISH I could have blamed it on something so simple. No, the problem was much worse. I had tons of ideas, but none of them fixed the problem. I've been outlining, sketching, and discussing it with everyone I know and, finally, last night (Well, I guess this morning, actually--2 AM to be precise) I sat down with my husband and we hashed it out. At first (after an hour and half of debate), I was no closer to a solution.
And then it came...
The ending--my beloved, carefully crafted ending--had to be rewritten. I mean, toss out 90% of it and start over. Once I admitted this, I relaxed and passed out from exhaustion--only to be woken at 4 AM by my oldest toddler (spider nightmare--yuck!).
Not much sleep under my belt, but I couldn't be happier. I know what to do--such sweet words! So, there it is--not long now and this will be ready to go!
Here I've been over the last week or two, struggling with the knowledge that Wielder was not coming together and completely lost as to why! This is not a nice feeling.
It wasn't even Writer's Block--I WISH I could have blamed it on something so simple. No, the problem was much worse. I had tons of ideas, but none of them fixed the problem. I've been outlining, sketching, and discussing it with everyone I know and, finally, last night (Well, I guess this morning, actually--2 AM to be precise) I sat down with my husband and we hashed it out. At first (after an hour and half of debate), I was no closer to a solution.
And then it came...
The ending--my beloved, carefully crafted ending--had to be rewritten. I mean, toss out 90% of it and start over. Once I admitted this, I relaxed and passed out from exhaustion--only to be woken at 4 AM by my oldest toddler (spider nightmare--yuck!).
Not much sleep under my belt, but I couldn't be happier. I know what to do--such sweet words! So, there it is--not long now and this will be ready to go!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Edits...Again
Well, I did it--I finished my big overhaul! I actually finished a few days ago, but I've been on break. I am now outlining and planning my next edits (the ending, for example, isn't quite satisfying enough).
Other edits include: reviewing each character for consistency, interesting details, and relationship arcs. I'd also like to trim it by a few pages--or more. It's 400 pages! I know there are longer books out there, but it feels too long. I might be wrong, of course. It might be just right. I''ll have to read it through a few times to make sure.
So, though I've made huge progress here, I'm not done yet. The biggest difference is the level of editing. What I just finished was a 'pull-it-apart-and-put-it-back-together-again'--interesting, but time-consuming and exhausting. Now I get to fine-tooth-comb it, which I enjoy very much!
Today is the last day of my 'break' and tomorrow the work begins again in earnest. The goal is to have it in Stan's hands by, or before, Thanksgiving.
Good luck to me and everyone else up to their eyeballs in edits!
Other edits include: reviewing each character for consistency, interesting details, and relationship arcs. I'd also like to trim it by a few pages--or more. It's 400 pages! I know there are longer books out there, but it feels too long. I might be wrong, of course. It might be just right. I''ll have to read it through a few times to make sure.
So, though I've made huge progress here, I'm not done yet. The biggest difference is the level of editing. What I just finished was a 'pull-it-apart-and-put-it-back-together-again'--interesting, but time-consuming and exhausting. Now I get to fine-tooth-comb it, which I enjoy very much!
Today is the last day of my 'break' and tomorrow the work begins again in earnest. The goal is to have it in Stan's hands by, or before, Thanksgiving.
Good luck to me and everyone else up to their eyeballs in edits!
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