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Writing Log 6-29-12

I just finished red lining up through Chapter 10 today. I've put in a bit of effort on the revision process, and--as I predicted--it has been extremely difficult. The first chapter I revised was last Saturday, when the fam and my in-laws and I all sat around the cabin and played Ticket to Ride on various iDevices via Bluetooth. While I waited for my turn, I would poke around the first chapter--which I've revised a couple of times in the past, but figured I ought to give it a real close look this time around--and then assign trains and draw cards.

I lost both games.

Anyway, I was kind of discouraged about that. It took me the better part of an hour to go through one measly chapter. I didn't really expect to do the revisions quickly, but I did expect it to be less irritating. I threw a picture of a shirt one of my group members made for me back around Christmas time. It has a Pac-Man kind of guy saying, "Revisions make me sad." That statement is still true.

I mentioned that I was actually looking forward to revisions this time. But that's not right. I am no longer excited about revisions. They're irritating, and the big thing is this: Have you ever listened to yourself on tape (or digital recording, whatever)? You know how obnoxious your voice sounds to you? Every time you laugh, talk, or sigh you feel terribly embarrassed? That's the kind of feeling that I get when I read my book--except it isn't a handful of words said during a birthday party or a presentation. It's hundreds of thousands of my words that I have to wade through. It's almost impossible to hear the story because my lisping voice is coming off so loudly. It slows me down and makes my heart feel sadness inside of it.

So I've been thinking of strategy and stamina and goals. Looking at the calendar, more than a third of summer has slipped into fond memory. In fact, I only have 22 - 23 days left of available dates (vacations and weekends don't count), and a lot of those are scattered days in which I have a number of different things that I will have to do on them. (The hours necessary for 3 chapters of revision are about half of what's necessary for 1 chapter original drafting, it seems.) In other words, I need to nail down 3 chapters on every available day, without fail.

I don't think that's very tenable. So here's the thing. By Labor Day 2012, I want to have the whole third draft done. Each chapter should be read through and red lined (that's draft 2). Then I go through each one and input the changes from draft 2 into the computer. As I do that, I'm revising again, meaning that the document that comes out will be modified from what I wrote. In order to get that done, I have to get 1.9 chapters (basically two) finished every viable day. Some days I could get more, easing things up a little. But the point is that I'm setting a goal that by September 3, I'll have finished my 3rd draft of the story. I'll have to see what I think of it about submitting it, but it'll probably start happening in October.

By the way, I just heard Brandon Sanderson talk about submitting first time novels. He recommends that the first one be short and not the first part of a sequel or trilogy...

Oops.

Comments

Gayle said…
Maybe your first query should be words of the silenced then. Whichever you decide Steve I will do everything I can to support you! I know you can do it. It will all just take time and patience.

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