Working on Enthusiasm

Sometimes writing on a particular project is not unlike pulling out your own teeth. One of my newer projects “Chloe’s Diary” has been on chapter two for entirely too long now. Spitting out the prologue and first chapter was relatively painless. I don’t know what happened, after the first scene in chapter two was typed out, all my drive and enthusiasm evaporated and I have been unable to sit down and get on a roll for a while now. When I first began to have trouble writing things down, I thought I would set it aside and I would pick it up when it was ready. So I waited…then I waited some more, then I forgot about it for about a month. When I came across the file on my computer, I remembered that it existed and I opened it up. I read and edited the prologue and first chapter, by the time I reached the second chapter I was getting excited about where it was going and as I began to recall some of the ideas that I had about what was going to happen next, then something interrupted me, I don’t recall what it was, and I was forced to leave the story, when I returned and finished editing, all my prior excitement was gone. Not about to let it sit going nowhere all over again, I decided to try a different tactic and keep it where I would see it and I would make myself open it up and write something, even if it was only a sentence every time I had a moment to spare and maybe, just maybe I would get on a roll and I might get the second chapter done. So far it hasn’t worked, but at least I’m working on it while I’m waiting for the writing adrenaline to come along. It makes me feel like I’m not an utter failure as a writer.

Weekly Report

Well, this week has been pretty good in my writing world. I got back into the swing of things despite my little break to go up to Sacramento. I tried to look up some agents who are known for dealing specifically with collections of short stories for the purpose of sending out query letters for my “A Slice of Life Death” and found that there really isn’t anyone like that out there, the collections that generally get published are by authors who have already been established in the writing world, in other words, my chances of my first published book being either one of my short story collections are slim to none. However, that is still good to know, even if it’s not good news.
This week I decided to enter a short story into the Orange County Fair, so I put my short story “Fairy Gardens” through a fine-toothed comb, and I am now satisfied that it is as perfect as it can possible be, and it’s all printed out, all nice and pretty and ready to go. For safeties sake, I’m going to be bringing it to The Coffee House Writer’s Group, and see if they have any helpful suggestions.
I’m still editing away at my novel “Survival” and have boosted up the number of chapters. I haven’t been adding information; I’ve just been splitting up the longer chapters up. The last time I blogged, for those of you out there who are keeping track (yea, I should be so lucky to have people that interested in my writing passion) I last said that I had about forty-one chapters, well, now I have forty-six. This might not sound like much of a change, but I’m happy. For some reason, even though I know nothing about the story has actually changed, just the bigger number makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something. Call me silly. I know I am!

Survival Editing

I’m going through my final editing cycle of “Survival” before I print it out. I’ll hold it in my hands and glow, like a loving parent should its child. Then I’ll put it in a drawer for a month or so, and then when my euphoria has subsided, I’ll destroy my ego with the merciless red pencil of critics.

  I’m about halfway my final computer edit, finishing Chapter Thirty last night. Which reminds me, I should probably print out “A Slice of Life Death” too, but I can’t let myself get distracted, (which happens entirely too easy for me sometimes.)

  Then there’s “Samantha’s Animal Stories” which I have sent out the last few agent queries that I’m going to be sending before I throw in the towel on that endeavor. I gave up on finding an agent for “My Magical World” a while ago. I’m thinking of deleting “Stargazers” - again. I’m hesitant to start writing “Chloe’s Diary” since I really don’t like the characters, though I love the story; and…I got off track didn’t I?

  Well, I’m going back to editing.

Editing

As I edit my book

In a quiet little nook,

Here I stand,

Pen in hand.

I scribble away,

All the mistakes

It’s a small price to pay

I do what it takes

To make the perfect tale

And not one that is stale,

So an agent may not go berserk

At the sight of my work

Though I hate this task

I ease the boredom with music

To keep me from being sick

And put on a patient mask.

As I edit my book

In a quiet little nook,

Here I stand,

Pen in hand.

Writing

Writing a book can be a really stressful thing. Speaking for myself of course, I hate editing, and we all know that editing is the final touches that can make any manuscript great, passable, or crappy. There's just too much editing to be done for me to do it in one sitting.

First there's the spell check and simple grammar editing that needs to be done, but thanks to computers, that process has been made easier...or not. I don't know about you, but I have found that grammatically incorrect sentences can be what makes a book believable. Nobody speaks with perfect grammar. So, it's impossible to write an entire book with a dialog, and not have some grammatical errors in them. So, now when you're spell checking, you have to remember to ignore all of these different mistakes, which aren't really mistakes at all, their deliberate.

Second there's getting the manuscript off of the computer and on to paper. At this point I usually read whatever it is I am about to print several times over before I actually print it, so that there will be fewer, or possibly no errors after it's printed. (That has yet to happen to me however.) After I have the work on paper, I either read all of it or portions of it, aloud to either myself or to somebody else. No matter what method I use, there is usually a truck load of mistakes found, whether they are; spelling, grammar, or plot mistakes, they are there and they need to be fixed. Once the printed manuscript has been thoroughly butchered to almost beyond recognition, I go back onto my computer and make the changes that are necessary.

The third step is almost exactly like the second. I may have to print out my work three or four times before I believe that the work is as perfect as it can possibly be.

In the end, I am satisfied that I have done all that I can to make my work perfect, I have spent more time editing than I did creating the main idea for the story, building up the story, and writing the darn thing down.
I don't have an ending for this, so.....