Finished!

I finished the rough draft of my second novel!

It took almost 8 months to write. And there is still yet much more work to do. Edits. Rewrites. Fleshing out. Filling plot holes. Tying it all together.

It's almost overwhelming.

But not quite. Because the thing is written, and now I get to move on to the rest. Yay!

Celebrate with me?

I Did It

I just finished editing my novel. I was giving myself until the end of the month, but I just did it. And I wrote THE END.

Fanflippin'tastic!

I am SO stoked. :D

And The Difference Of A Day

Last night, after my post about editing troubles, I really made good headway. Did you ever encounter that? Speaking to someone of your issue, or getting it all out on the table for feedback, only to come to terms with it yourself? It happens to me all the time...

Anyway, something in my mind opened up, allowing the solution to my written problem to flow out, and I worked well into the night. Around teeter-tottering thoughts - it's late, go to bed ... no, no. not until you've finished this chapter - I forged ahead, in the end pleased with my progress.

This morning my mind is still in that place; that creative, productive place. Scenes are playing out better than before, words are coming together in ways I'd never thought. And the self-discipline needed to keep at it feels strong.

I've got to keep working toward my goal, which has, thus far, just been that I wanted to complete my edits and be able to seek representation sometime over the summer. But I want to clarify it a bit. I'd like to shoot for completion of my revisions by the end of June. And if I stay focused, I can do it. Then I'll print the entire manuscript out and attack it with a pen. If all goes well, I'll pursue that which comes next.

I know I always ask, but wish me luck?

One Paragraph

My manuscript edits have slowed to a crawl. Less than a crawl, even, whatever that would be. An inch?

This place I'm at, it could be equated to one paragraph or so, is really dragging me down. Time and time again I pull it up, hopeful. And then I just stare. My brain shuts off and my characters suspend in limbo, waiting for me to make their next move. And it's because I don't know how to transition the scene. Any possibility I come up with seems forced and dry. I can't make the first snippet flow into the second snippet, where something meaningful happens.

I try to retrace my steps, get into the groove of the goings on prior to this segment, so I can ease into it. But I end up rehashing what I've already edited, still coming up short at this cursed place. I can't jump ahead, because I want to leave nothing unrevised. I refuse to say, "I'll come back to it later."

What do I do? Any advice?

ETA: I did it! This post served as a springboard, and I successfully tackled the transition scene. But your thoughts are still welcome...

Inspiration At The Lake

I've mentioned before that we live in a lake community. And, like so many writers, I draw inspiration from my surroundings - which is why the larger part of my novel is set around a lake just like ours.

Today, eager to get out in the beautiful weather, my daughters and I went in search of some fun. We had a picnic at the park, played on the slides and merry-go-round, and soon after headed to the beach with new buckets and shovels.

The girls busied themselves in a search for "treasure" as I stretched out and soaked in the scenery. From my sandy patch I enjoyed a perfect view of the water: Passing boats and jet skis, a spring breeze with fresh smells and contented sounds of outdoor activity reminded we why I so love where we live. And why I chose to write about it.

On a basic level, today's experience moved me to a renewed surety; I have to keep up with the edits of this book and proceed with finding representation. Then, even deeper, it gave me a kind of stirring, a kind of drive to sink further into my revisions. To really make sure I capture the essence of this life, this lake, so the reader can grasp it in full.

I hope I can do it justice.

Edits: Best With A Dose Of AW

Can I tell you something? Come closer.

AW (the network for writers) deserves a fair size of my devotion. Why? Because as I've been editing my heart out this week, the forums have been crucial to my progress. But it's not what you think. It's more than the wealth of knowledge, the leagues of support, found among the threads.

Scenario:

My Word doc window is up; I'm fine-tuning the narrative and tweaking the flow. But then an awkward phrase sneaks up and I'm stuck. My brain can't work out the proper edit, not just yet, and my thoughts have to stew for a bit. But to stare at the words in front of me, willing the right changes to appear, would be a bad thing. I have to redirect my attention while my writer's mind figures out, subconsciously, what to do. So I jump to another window, the one with AW. I check my subscribed threads, banter with my buddies and peruse the boards. I recheck my manuscript, thinking almost there, and hop back to AW again. But during the next minute or two spent in Office Party or Novel Writing (specific threads), something clicks. My brain begins to whir, my juices start to flow, and I can face that icky part of the manuscript again. I pull it up and watch as unfolds before me. The appropriate words come to me and the story moves ahead, better than I could have imagined.

Thank you, AW. Thank you.

Edits Abound!

I'm one of those goobs who actually enjoys doing edits. I really like diggin' in to polish things up, and find great satisfaction in doing so.

It's going pretty well with edits on my manuscript, if I do say so myself. But I'd have never figured so many edits were needed! I know that sounds presumptuous; that's not how I mean it. It's just that I've always been the kind to edit as I go, as much as I can, and I'd been pretty happy with the first several chapters at each one's completion. I assumed it'd be quick to breeze through 'em. But, man, was I mistaken.

I've been surprised at how much needs tweaking - or just plain deleting. Having been away from those early chapters for so long, it was with completely fresh eyes that my official edits began. And I've been seeing so many ways to make everything better. I only hope it continues to go well, with a smooth flow to the end!