Editing

Well, gentle readers, as you know, I cut 7000 words. I still feel I need to let go of maybe 2000 more but I have no more that's, just's, but's, or-ly's. I got rid of all of that. I don't have scenes to cut, per se, just words and phrases now.

After I finished with the big cuts on Saturday, I went back and started on the line edits again on Sunday. You know how I hate being stupid, well guess what, I'm not sure if I was still reading a first draft or not. In some places I read things and said, "Who wrote this, not me, I'm not that stupid." Well guess what, after three rounds of major revisions and two line edits, yeah, I am because he didn't crawl through the tunnel, he crawled threw the tunnel. I hate that. I really do. There's no excuse for it other than a bad hangover and I haven't had a drink in over 6 years.

But I have to say, the editing wasn't that hard. Well, sort of. I couldn't focus on the story, I had to skim it and go scene by scene, something I don't normally look at because I'm a panster and don't write in scenes. I write in places, ie., they were in the kitchen, the garden, the coach, the hide-out. Which in my infitismally small brain, those are scenes, I just never viewed them like that before. (I was over at the Lit Lab reading all the 'Story idea' posts last week and my head is still spinning.) I guess if I pay attention enough to what other people say and do, I might learn something.

So, as I skim read, I looked at the scenes and if one didn't have plot, character or motivation in it, I cut it. Just like that. I got rid of some good stuff too. Ellis, and Madame Beaumond, some of Will's backstory, most of the epilogue. It's tighter now, more streamlined. I like it. I even wrote some other things in, little things that make it more readable. so....

More line edits today although my ass is groaning, and it will be 60 degrees outside so...maybe, maybe not.

I also sent my query out to have a round of critiques. I've got some new names to e-mail but I'm also going to snail mail a few agents as well. I've got two I would really love to have, so hopefully I won't get rejected out-right this time. I've got the right word count, good query (I hope) the 'newbie dust' has worn off a little bit more, I'm not that 'green' (I hope), so maybe I can pull a rabbit out of my hat and get this book sold. My horoscope says something big is going to happen in the next few months so...we can only pray.

I'd also like to say Thank You to Dr. Martin Luther King. If it wasn't for him, well, we wouldn't be here, like this. His dream allowed all of us to become equal. And I mean all of us.

Working with Pigs Ears

Well, I just had to post this. I did another 2743 words today (because the Small One is at her father's and I did not clean the house for the Mommies Club meeting tomorrow) and the total for the WIP is now 17,280. I am astounded, amazed, and giggling-ly happy. Who knew I had it in me.

I also have to say that most of what I wrote is kind of crap, it's a first draft after all, and I have to keep telling myself that. Davin said something in one of his posts that really stuck with me in that, I can't let myself think I'll write perfectly coming out of the box. No one does. And I think that's been part of my problem all along. I would write, it would be crap, I would delete, and then lose my thoughts. Now, well, I should say, in these last few days, I've just written. I know what it's supposed to look like, but it doesn't and I don't care. I'm writing and that's all that counts. Crap can be changed. What is that old saying...something to do with a pig's ear and a silk purse? I don't know, but I know what I mean.