June 2, 2021
Day 242, Week 34
- Words: 75,769
- Revision v3 Chapters: 26
- Emotional State: Head Down, Plowing Through
The Book
I’m almost done with 3rd revisions. I only have 7 chapters to go, but my editor hasn’t reviewed 2nd revisions yet, so I have to wait. And I really wish I had more time to wait.
I read it when I first make the changes and I think, this is good. Then I print it out and take a second pass at it and think, this is terrible. Simplistic sentences, schlocky whiny MC.
And then I find a sentence that makes me laugh or makes me cry and I think…okay, it’s not terrible. And I think that’s where this book needs to get to – not terrible. Why I expect to write like someone who’s been honing their craft for 20 years, I have no idea. But I do. And I don’t.
And that’s okay.
The cover conversation went mostly well. We’ll see what comes up. Now I’m moving on to early praise and trying to finish up revisions. Plus social media and staying engaged with my community – which is where I’m falling down a bit. It’s hard to do all the things and find the time to do more things.
In 23 short days, this book will no longer be mine to mess with and while I’m not ready, I’m also seriously ready to walk away from this dumpster fire and have a breather.
But I can’t, because the wheels keep turning.
Life
Work is still killing me. But that’s okay. I just need to put my head down and plow through it. Give my writers what they need to be successful and a nice boost of cheery optimism for flavor. Because I like all of their books and I want them to publish so that others can read their words and learn their lessons.
I sometimes wonder if I’m doing this thing called life right. If I could squeeze more in if I was more organized or regimented. 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there. The editors had a conversation about this and some of them have to schedule their days down to 15 minute increments; otherwise, their brains take over and they lose the day.
I’m not that person. I do structure my days, but I also need freedom to do what I want to do when I’m done with what I have to. I never know if I will want to write, edit, read, cross-stitch, bake or clean after I’m done with my work day. And I want that flexibility. I actually need it. It makes me feel in control and yet going with the flow at the same time. The yin/yang of life.
But it also means I lose time as well. So maybe a middle state is what is needed here. Or not.
All I know is that I just need to keep on keepin’ on and eventually I’ll have a chance to take a breath, play Mass Effect Legendary for hours at a time, fix my sewing machine, finish scraping the basement stairs, continue working my way through my TBR pile, write some blog posts, work on the next book.
When I lay it all out like that, it makes me tired. So I’m going back to my normal MO and winging it.
To read more of my weekly whine fests and writing journal journey posts, click here.