Miles to go

(Also posted on my personal blog.)

I have one thing to say today:

It. Is. Finished!!!!!

Okay, what is actually finished is this round of revisions. Unfortunately, “It is revised!” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

I still have miles to go before I sleep--or rather, before it’s ready to go. But I think/hope I have the main restructuring slog out of the way. This is really a “my reach may exceed my grasp” kind of story. So for now, I’ll let The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath compost.

Even with the all the work ahead of me, I can’t help feeling a little bit like this:



This leaves me free to revisit Dating on the Dork Side, which I’m also very excited about. Although, I accidently opened one of its files yesterday. As I told Darcy: it reads like I downed half a bottle of NyQuil before I sat down to write.

So. Miles to go there as well.

Think I’ll go list to Ode to Joy one more time.

Because really, when you finish any draft of a manuscript, the skies should open, light should pour down, and all the animals of the forest should burst into song.

And the Berlin Philharmonic should personally come to your house.

Learning what I already know

You know, I always wonder why we (and when I say “we” I’m actually talking about myself) need to learn the same lessons over and over again.

Marianne’s new goal mirrors the conclusion I came to in early January. I need to work on my fiction projects every day. I need to give my writing the respect it deserves as a second career.

Writing is also very much like exercise for me. No matter what other outcomes, it always makes me feel better. I’ve removed the drama from getting my exercise in. I simply pull on my shoes and get it done. Same for writing. I’m making it something I do every single day--no drama, no fuss.

That said, my goals this month. I’m in the home stretch of The Fine Art of Holding Your Breath. But … I’ve done so much writing on it, so it’s not something that’s ready to go out the door. Once it’s complete (maybe by next week), I’m going to let it compost for a bit.

Then I’ll switch gears and work on the proposal for Dating on the Dork Side.
And that’s it. So for now, my February looks to be filled with words and snow--lots and lots of snow.

In which I post my intentions

My goal, which is pretty aggressive, is to have a revised manuscript I can email my agent by month’s end. I guess it wouldn’t be that aggressive if I didn’t work a day job, but since I do … I’m hoping JaNo will help keep me on track.

I have a pretty good start. I was off work all last week and built up some momentum and words. So, for the week, I’m up about 10,000 words, some new, some revised, and some blended. I’m working to integrate a new subplot, remove a few other plot threads, and I’ve combined a few characters, which means the relationship vibe between many of the characters has change.

If you’re thinking, wow, she must be crazy, then you might be right.