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Tag Archives: editing
Jun
6
Updates from the Home Office
Took today off from work so I could continue editing. Deadlines being what they are, I can probably ask for another mini-extension if I need to, but I’ve got conventions coming up and vacation stuff coming up and the last thing I want hanging over my head is a late novel. So, using up a floating holiday today to continue making a bit of headway. It’s one of those thing where I only have about 100 pages left…but there’s some pretty heavy duty rewriting on the plate – less about commas and sentence polishing than “Gee, this makes no sense. Let’s take out *all* of it and redo, yes?” *shrugs* It is what it is, I guess. And I’m still not sure it’s quite right, but I think it’s getting there. Maybe it’s one of those middle novel things – they’re a little harder because they’re bridging between the intro…
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May
23
Making Faces
I’m not an actress. I don’t play one on TV. In truth, I hate the camera. (And I suspect the camera isn’t too fond of me either. >_<) I make faces. Like to the point where my kids have said “Mom, are you okay? You look so angry.” (This while I’m pushing the grocery cart through the parking lot or something equally random.) And it took a moment to realize that while I wasn’t technically angry…my characters were. Which sounds sorta nuts, but I’ve been pretty deep into brainstorming edits the last few weeks. I’ve been overhauling scenes and trying to add more emotional depth or whatever into the characters. The off-set? Apparently I’m acting it out in my head. And my face is reflecting that. It’s not just angry stuff either, as I’ve caught myself doing a giddy smile thing for no reason at all too, but it all…
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May
18
Fear Itself
Okay, I complete admit to being a flighty sort of writer. I have this sort of mental block that happens whenever I go to start something new. If it’s a new story, for example – even if the ideas are just bursting away and begging to be put down, there are times when I’ll go to write it down and I’ll just be left staring at the blank page. Maybe it’s that I’m afraid to commit. Or maybe it’s because once the words are on paper, they’re out there. The ideas aren’t nicely tucked away, safe from ridicule or judgement. And so it will take me a few days of staring at the page until I really don’t have much choice. Once I take the plunge and get those first sentences down, it’s all good. I’ve mentally given myself permission to move forward and make mistakes. To write badly, as…
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Apr
22
Please Hush
My characters are Chatty Kathies of the worst sort. I had a few hours of free time last night, sans family. Thought I’d take advantage of that and try to get in some solid writing time, that *wasn’t* at midnight. I’ll admit that I’ve been feeling a little ambivalent about this third book. Partially because of the way the last few weeks have gone and partially because of some stuff happening behind the scenes. But I also know that when it seems like I’m actively avoiding working on the ms, it’s probably because I’m heading down the wrong path. This is one of those panster type things, I guess. And I don’t really like to go back and edit a first draft as I’m writing it. If I recognize a small issue, I’m more likely just to leave a note in the margin detailing what the fix should be and then I…
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Dec
15
Mental Stuttering
I sent the draft for the sequel to Brush of Darkness to my new editor today. It’s amazing what a relief it is to finally know that it is DONE. Of course, I also sorta want to throw up. How’s that for shit? As happy as I am on the one hand, there’s still that pitter-patter of doubt that continues to run in my mind. What if she hates it? What if it sucks? What if she wants me to rewrite 80% of the thing? What if, what if, what if. And “done” is an operative word here. The story is finished, but it’s not quite there yet as far as polishing goes. I’ve spent the last few weeks trying to tweak the story in places so that it makes sense – the one caveat to being a panster is that I occasionally stutter-start into part of a plot that…
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