February 23, 2014

The stuff that matters

It's not the page count that matters, but rather the word count...when you're editing, anyway.

I mean, I personally try to keep my pages per chapter hovering around twenty pages, but it doesn't always work out that way. For instance, chapter five in my book clocks in at about thirteen pages while chapter twenty-five hovers around thirty pages(maybe more...edits and all that) . I cringe everytime I look it over, but I haven't gotten to the point of truely knowing what to cut to make it more compact.

This is where research comes in.

I've learned a few tricks since last time I tried to trim chapter twenty-five, but seeing as I'm still working on wrapping up chapter sixteen, it'll be a while before I can tackle it again and put those tricks to use. Sixteen is taking so long because it too needed a trim(the original word count escapes me at the moment, but I'm pretty sure it hovered around 7k), and a scene transplant. It's looking better now and I'm just about finished, give or take about seven pages.

I spent most of last sunday working on it while freezing rain coated the world outside my window in a slippery coat of ice. Which is why I neglected to post a blog. I was elbow deep in edits.

To be honest, I probably should've been elbow deep on soapy dishwater. Dreary days make me want to either clean, write, or work on artsy stuff. Last sunday writing won out over the other two(shocking, I know), but this sunday I'm back in the kitchen trying to create a little order while a pot of spagetti simmers on the stove and a chill wind rattles the windows.


 All in a day's work, right?



~Sun and Moon

February 9, 2014

Balance is everything

No, seriously....it is.

And right now, its been a little hard to come by for yours truely. You see, the last few years of working on my book had a kind of forced balance. I decided it would be so annd to hell with anyone who objected.

Yeah....that's not balance and after changing so thoroughly over the past year, I can't ignore the mess it causes. Ignoring the important stuff in life so one can finished hammering out a new chapter or finish a round of edits is not good for anybody. Its bad. Like eating a whole block of chocolate because you can(yes, I speak from uncomfortable experience....it was a BIG mistake I won't make again), it'll come back to bite you worse then you know.

So when I found myself agonizing over starting my writting back up hard core, and keeping the awesome changes in my life from an untimely death, I turned to my husband. He has agreed to be my balance(a.k.a. peel me away from the computer when needed) as long as I will listen when he speaks up(another bad habit I don't miss was me ignoring his requests to take a break and spend some time with him instead of my writing). Thus far its gone well, in part because I haven't been doing much editing thanks to messy winter weather and the paniced shopping it generates at my place of employment, but I'm sure that'll change soon.

Today, infact.

Its a mess outside, but we're nice in cozy here in the apartment with plenty of soft blankets and a cat who is all too eager to warm your lap. Provided you're prepared to pet her constantly while you work(which is why its a good thing she's my husband's cat and prefers his lap to mine). Have you ever tried to type with a cat on your lap? It takes too much skill for me thanks. 

Um, so about balance(which also happens to be a theme in my book....go figure), I guess you could say I'm definetly working on it. Will I manage to do better? For sure. Will it be easy? Probably not, but nothing in life worth having is ever easy, right?.

Right.

Okay, back to work. :)



~Sun and Moon 

February 2, 2014

Bring me that chisel, please


Well, freezing temperatures seem determined to not only wear out their welcome, but flatten it too. The only upside of this is most folks have taken to staying home instead of rushing to my place of employment and buying every scrap of food in sight.

I'm so tempted to join them.

On my bed is a glorious down comforter and a set of flannel sheets. The cozy flannel I snagged on sale years ago, while the comforter was a gift from my mom when I still lived at home. Together they make a pile of fluffy, warm goodness I am loathed to leave on a cold morning.

So, of course this means I keep putting off getting up for work until I have to scramble or be late. My husband is even more reluctant to leave the warm blankets as his job requires him to be out in the mess of ice, snow, and frigid winds. This means we've been getting home, thawing out, scrounging something edible for dinner, and then crashing a couple hours later. I've opened my laptop every night since my last post and almost every night I've closed it back down without having touched so much as a word of it.

Frustrating is an understatement.

Now, I did manage to apply the edit notes written out for it and do a rough going over, but that's all. It's still a mess of scenes marked for disposal and mending. Several just need to be smoothed out, but as I was falling asleep at my laptop, it didn't seem like a good idea. I've done edits while half drunk on lack of sleep. It's not pretty.

Anywho, I better go before I burn something. I've got leftover chicken fried rice heating on the stove and I prefer it stay charcoal free. Also, the kettle is screaming and I ought to put it out of its misery before it steams off all the hot water for my tea. With how cold and nasty it is today, I'm going to need it all to tackle these pesky edits. 

Wish me luck....and energy....and warmth, and--

Er, nevermind. *heads for the kitchen*




~Sun and Moon