Long time, No Write

Well, as my temporary employment is winding down, I am likely looking toward a stretch of unemployment. With that time on my hands, I'm going to focus on finishing and revising my novel, Eater of Sins.

Having so very little time on one's hand to write, it really helps you to focus on what is important. EoS is. It's a strong novel. It's a stand alone. And I am not jaded on it.

Right now, I am re-reading it. I estimate about 25k words are left to write on it. I am writing a summary as I go through each chapter, including a few ideas on what to fix.

After that novel is done? Well hopefully it will be around November, so I can do a Nano. But beyond EoS, no clue. I just want it done. Perhaps Labyrinth?

That's it for now.

Progress? What's that?

As you can tell from my title, progress? I have no stinking progress. Mostly because I think I'll have put in a 52 hour work week, if I do five hours overtime today which I'll likely do. Maybe when I get home or tomorrow, but I have so much to do yet outside of writing. But I don't want to give it up. I guess there goes my "part one of Lab done by the end of this weekend" goal. Sigh. Move it to next weekend I guess.

Progress

On Lab, got a chapter and a fourth done with the basic macro. There are some things like, is this too slow or redundant that isn't an easy decision and I need a clean copy to see what to cut on that. Been using Word with its comment features. See how well that works out. But that's basically it. Tired. Heading to bead earlier tonight--but not this early. But I'm glad I pushed myself and got some work done on my writing.

I hope to do at least a chapter a night on the basic macro edits, unless of course, it's a night I can't do anything due to time crunches.

Update

Since I started a new job, I haven't had much time with all the training and the hours to do much of anything writing related. I had to quit my crit group, both of them actually, the OWW and the one FMW. I will probably have to stop doing the 2yn classes too. Because I foresee a lot of overtime in my future to keep up with the work load now that the person I am temping for is out on her maternity leave.

Anyway, that means a lot of novels are on hold. It was a hard decision, but I'm working on Lab, because Lab is the closest to being done. It just needs two edits, a macro and micro. Then it's done. I'm making slow progress, but some. I hope to do some tonight, probably none tomorrow since I will be staying an hour or two later, plus, my cousin S is coming over and my show, Lost, will be on. Thursday I won't feel up to it because of a dentist appt.

What is next on the docket once I get Lab done? Likely two novels at the same time: Eater of Sins and Letters from the Dead, the latter of which is in the same world. That's about it right now.

February Goals and Progress

First the insanity, then my steady march toward it.

My goals for this month of Labyrinth revisions are, insanely, these:

1. Read Through and make Big Changes notes each part (Parts 1 - 5)


2. Create a Revision Outline based on above notes.


3. Implement Big Changes, one part at a time.


4. Line Edit it all, part by tedious part.


5. Celebrate!!!!!!

That leaves revising the query packet and one-line summary, and proofing the whole shebang for March.

Now, my progress?

I got the Read-Through for Part One done today, Feb 9th. Part One is 17,500 words, so that is no small feat. Tomorrow, Feb 10th, I will start by crafting a Revision Outline for Part One and end it by implementing all my notes.

I also have to remark upon a revision casualties. One of my favorite beings/places/scenes has landed on the cutting board. I'm afraid that scene and its contents cannot return. In any form.

Why you might ask? Because the scene affected pace too much. It was like wondering down a side path, when my character had already done that. More than that, he really needed to get back onto the main plot road again. And so, that scene was cut. And it hurt. This is what they mean by "murdering your darlings", removing the good bits that are detrimental to the story.

Perhaps, if this novel is published, I'll do like you see on movie DVDs: Special Features: Post somewhere the nifty bits of world or character that got cut. Or, I may try to take what I can from the cutting and graft it onto a short story. Whichever works best. It can't just die. It just, sadly, won't make it into the novel.

And that is it on progress on Lab for this "night". Actually, it is officially one hour into Feb the 10th already, but that exactitude means little to this night-owl.

Good News

A while back in '08, I posted I had a short story accepted at an anthology. Well, I heard an update today. The publication date the editors are shooting for is 2010, not 2009. Although it is a year later than I expected, that is still great news. So great even, that I am almost inspired to try my hand at some more short stories in the meantime :-)

Crits and Novels

I joined a new critique group, and received several well-thought out crits on chapter one of Eater of Sins. At this time, I'm not focusing heavily on EoS despite my New Year's Resolution to finish it by Mar 31. Instead, while in that group, another member's chapter reminded me of a novel I have been struggling to edit. The same way a good movie like Lord of the Rings or Lawrence of Arabia will inspire me to want to write more epic-style works, this member's novel inspired me to try to give my semi-comedic fantasy a try again.

And it, Labyrinth, has been going well. I am going to work on Macro Edits on Part One today. Macro Edits involve character motivations, setting, plot fixes, pace, the "Big Stuff", as compared to word choices, deleting more passive verbs, trimming adverbs, the "Line Edit" or "Macro" stuff.

When I get so focused like this on the edit stage, I find it hard to work on another novel. That is one reason why I want to put EoS on the back-burner. Another reason is the crits. They weigh heavily on my mind, especially the comments on my style and the darkness of my anti-hero.

This novel will not work without an anti-hero. I have to decide if that means the novel won't work at all, then.

My style is something I will have to consider more heavily. It seems to be highly distracting to some critiquers. On other crit groups, people seemed to be divided on that point too: some liked it, some couldn't get past it. Thanks to my recent crits, I realize I have to make a value judgment about EoS before I continue with it.