Deadlines

My self-imposed deadline looms.

So far, it's taken me nearly a month to edit a book that took me nine days to write during NaNo. I've added two chapters and eight thousand words with a little over fifty pages (double spaced) to between now and Tuesday.

And I'm about to insert a new scene.

Yes, I do recall having a day off this week, but I really needed it after working on the book for twenty days straight. Of course, that doesn't help with the deadline.

If it's self-imposed, I hear you ask, why stress about it?

Discipline, my young Padwans, discipline.

To finish anything you must have focus; the drive isn't enough. And by setting a deadline, you have goal to aim for. It doesn't have to be a big goal - writing a scene by day's end, a chapter by week's end is good enough. Reach it, and you can reward yourself; fail, and there's that nagging sense of guilt until you do finish. Discipline.

Maybe that's just me, though.

My reward for completing the edits and final read through by EOB Tuesday? Come Wednesday, I get to start editing the second book - and I already have plans for a prologue.

The bigger deadline is to have all three books done by 31 October. We all know what November is - and I've got plans for that, too.

So, enough of fooling around - I've got a deadline.

Shiney

Today I'm taking a break from editing - I have a wee jobbie application to finish.

Of course, that doesn't mean I ain't rootling around the internet. Of particular procrastinating interest is from Paperback Writer's site on web personas, ie, what the web thinks of you.

Of course, it doesn't help if you have an identical name to someone else - like a fashion model - mooching on the 'net, but it's an odd distraction.

Ah, well, enough blog-hopping: Genreality, Voyager Online, Smart Bitches, Medieval Cookery. Driblets of Baen is probably the worst - too many book excerpts and not enough time. And for those creating their own book covers, try Cool Text for the title.

I need to get some jobs done!

Moving on

Yeah, we lost the Ashes and the country mourns...

Over it, now moving on. For all the delete, cut, paste, hack and slash, I've also added twenty pages of finely honed, carefully constructed text... or not. I'll have to re-read once these edits are done.

It's easy to become mired in the scene, the slow progress and then wonder if you've spent too much time on a particular issue, or whether the middle is sagging. It could be that when I re-read, I'll roll my eyes and have to start the edits again. I don't think so but it's a possibility.

I'm not bored yet, the story still sits well, with the adjustments. And I'm half way. I'm determined to complete more pages today than usual. Which means I need to stop stuffing about on the Internet.

I have a few distractions in the real world, which doesn't help - from being without the precious coffee machine (I want my LATTE!), because it's being serviced, to family and job issues.

And the Ashes... the Holy Grail of cricket; gone, lost. Returned to the Auld Enemy. If they'd asked me, I'd have said Brett Lee! But no, obviously they didn't hear me shouting at the television, the deaf buggers. Of course, I would have made other changes, too.

Really, I'm over it...

Well, that sucks

Sometimes, it sucks to be a sports fan. I've not watched any games, but caught updates while working on edits. Still, here's a run down of angst:

Soccer - Man U loses to... Burnley?
Rugby League - St George loses to Brisbane.
Rugby Union - Once again, the Wallabies snatch defeat from the jaws of victory against the All Blacks.
Aussie Rules - Richmond is crushed by Hawthorn.
Cricket - Australia are heading to defeat and losing the Ashes.

The only saving grace is that Dallas thumped the Titans.

Sigh

Back to work. So many pages, so little time...

Progress

Still slogging my way through edits and rewrites, shifting scenes, adding scenes, expanding character roles...

I really want this to be done; not because I'm over it - I like this book - or it's too much like hard work - it is - but I want to get on with the sequel.

So far, nothing I've fixed in this book affects the next one - so far; that, of course, could change in the next week or so.

Some days, progress is achingly slow, others have minor adjustments.

I guess I'm all about fast joyous writing and slow painful edits. It's that ol' seemed-like-a-good-idea-at-the-time. When your mind is full of the story, near bursting at the seams and you have to write it down.

Then it's the initial read through, the wincing at the passives and weird motivations, the shaking of the head and wondering 'what was I thinking?'

Well, this book ain't gonna be done with me on the 'net! Time to write a new scene to make the appearance of a Deus Ex Machina at the end go away. It was a mental leap during the writing that I thought finished everything nicely, only... I didn't give any clues. Not good. Not good at all.

In reverse

The simplest solution is often the best, or the K.I.S.S. scenario.

I'm sure I thought of that when writing this book - I mean, anything more complex during NaNo and you're gonna get into trouble! - and still it came out more complicated than I wanted.

Still, I've reversed out of the plot hole and backed up a chapter. This scene, while it has some nifty things, has to go. With a few tweaks to a previous scene, I think I can make the conflicts more realistic.

But before I do that, I have to go and sort out why the first chapters won't print and why I have a frelling 'Autoplay' search going.

Sigh.

Major/minor

Just to take my mind off the major work, I've put a minor work over on The Takeaway.

Plot hole

So there I was, happily driving down the editing highway when bang! I hit a plot hole.

A big one; a deep, dark plot hole that ripped the undercarriage right of the book, and without the undercarriage, you ain't goin' nowhere.

It's tough, climbing out of that hole, all bruised ego and dented pride, to look at the wreck. Everything else is shiny, gleaming with a new coat of words and sentences that blend together nicely. But underneath is a mess of twisted reasoning all busted up because of a weak frame.

It seemed fine at the time of writing. All logical because of the characters involved and the situation, but on review, it doesn't seem credible.

I'm wondering if it can be repaired. I'm pretty sure I've got a spare plot, I just have to remember where I put it. I've got the tools, so that's something. And maybe the damage isn't so bad; I just have to adjust the thinking of a couple of characters. Though I still have to straighten out the why of it. And there's no bigger question than 'why'.

The two trailers, books two and three, seem fine, but they're not going anywhere either. I'm gonna have to drag them back to the first draft parking lot with the others until I get this fixed.

I think I'll sit on the side of the road for a while, under the shade of a thoughtfully placed Blog Tree, see if any branches are strong enough to help me get back on track.

It's a long walk back to the parking lot for a book to take down the editing highway. But I'm not giving up on this or any other drafts. The road is already littered with the wrecks of others who gave up; I'm not adding any of mine.

The karma fairy

Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed, or at least go anywhere.

Thursday is my go-into-town-and-shop-day. The traffic - and I should point out that I live in the country, so when I say 'traffic', I usually mean one or two cars ahead of me, maybe three during peak hour - was a bit slow; it took a little over half an hour for a normal twenty minute drive.

But, I no complain. There were plenty of parking spaces in the local town, no problem... but...

I go to my coffee shop for my tasty little bottle of coffee cordial; tiramisu flavour. It's a treat for me and I have to ration it or I'd consume way wa-ay too much of the stuff. The lady behind the counter informs me the company has decided to stop making it. This is shattering news to me. What will I have now? Sigh. I bought the last two bottles in the shop and moved on, heartbroken.

I'm sure everyone who's ever been shopping has stood in line and had people line up behind them because the person at the counter is a) rummaging around for cash, b) trying to find a credit card that works, c) wants to exchange the item they have because this one is damaged, or d) all of the above.

For me, it was c). But, I no complain; it happens. Cue second check out chick who just arrived: "If you'd like to come to this register?" And everyone behind me makes a dash.

Normally, I roll my eyes and wait patiently. As I said: it happens.

Next shop, however, b) happens. The second register opens and everyone behind me makes a dash, leaving me nonplussed. Twice? In one day?

Next shop, and it's a new one: Five check outs are open and I figure I'm safe. One of the check out machines blows a gasket. Ahead of me, the customer presents the items and says someone else is paying for them. Oh, right... but the check out chick doesn't know how to do it and the line behind me is growing. The check out lady next to me says... "If you'd all like to come to this register?"

And I am left gobsmacked. Once, well, it happens; twice I think is bad luck, but three times? Talk about being run over by the karma fairy!

I admit it, I sulked, went off and bought some books and I can say no-one got in my way during the fifteen minutes it took me to drive home.

So now, I'm going to put my feet up and read one, damn it. Surely I can't get into any trouble doing that?

Edits and apology

I admit it: I'm struggling with the edits.

I've been at it for, hmm, four days and I'm currently on page 47. For me, that's nowhere near good enough. Worse, I'm perilously close to having two info-dumps within those 47 pages, though I think since the information is divulged through conversation, I'm safe... ish.

I've also added a prologue and new software.

The complication is the red ink. Every author expects red ink; if they don't, then I'm guessing their not from around here, as in planet Earth.

There's more red ink in this manuscript than I'm comfortable with - but that's a slap at my arrogance than anything else. It's rather a humbling experience to think you've all but done the work, send it out for a final read-through and have it come back a more vibrant colour than you sent it out.

Now then. An apology. To Kait Nolan over at Shadow and Fang for my rather snotty remarks during the "Left Behind and Loving It" workshops. Kait's contribution was on how she went from a pantser (organic) writer to a plotter. Kait put a lot of work into the posts, giving examples, indicating helpful software, the myths and facts between the two schools, dissecting the whys and wherefores and how to guide yourself to the final product. It was disrespectful of me to dismiss the information, post a comment and not read any further than the initial post; for that, I genuinely apologise.

Go over to the site and track down all the posts from the LB&LI series and discover the differences and similarities between the two writing styles. And since I'm trying not to be a total dick about writing one way or the other, I've downloaded Simon Haynes' yWriter to try.

Write and learn; it's an ongoing process for all writers. But I won't give up. Nevah, I tell you, Nevah-evah!

I fully expect (yeah, arrogance again) that once I sweep away all the red, a newer, better, completely black book will arise. It's just going to take time.

Commitment

Over the weekend - and in between Australia pummelling England in the Ashes series - I watched Inside the Actors Studio.

James Lipton interviewed Barbra Streisand. It may be an old interview, but I enjoyed it. I think she's rare talent. Anyway, one thing she said resonated with me. Ms Streisand isn't the one who said it, but cited it as an inspiration:

If you make a commitment, the universe conspires to assist you.

When you think of all the unhappy, stressed people in the world, working a jobs they despise, all because they have families to support/it's the right thing to do/it's expected of them/for whatever reason, and then you look at the people who are happy in their lives because they refused to adhere to social expectations, the above phrase is probably the unconscious motivation for them.

It's all a matter of perspective. I've heard many a tale of friends who stick with jobs they don't like because of 'moral obligation' but would rather paint, write, sculpt, or simply shift from public service to gardener or shopkeeper. Most are too afraid to take that leap because their current job gives them security. And they will throw aside their own dreams in the name of that security.

I don't blame them; in this economic climate, holding down a job someone else pays you for is the best thing you can have.

If you make a commitment, the universe conspires to assist you.

I'm guessing you have to be on the right path before the universe will pay attention; all you have to do is find it.

Tropes

Whoo-hoo! Got the computer back after an irritatingly long delay. Now I can git back to werk; which means, of course, I've been mooching about the internet...

I could spend - and have - significant time looking at the Tropes website. There are so many! Who knew? It's one of those site where you think "Just one more" and two hours later, you're wondering where the time went.

What is a trope?

Tropes are storytelling devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations.

This page has the good, the bad, the very ugly, and the oh-my-God-how-stupid-is-that? I need something to distract me, I keep returning for 'one more look'...

Waiting...

Nope, the computer isn't ready for pick-up. In fact, it won't be ready until tomorrow.

I tell you, if I hadn't been so busy working on the edits, my brain cells would have suggested I simply buy a new video card and install the damn thing myself!

I cain't do nuffink at work until my baybee's 'ome.

Patience

So the fix-it-now-I-needs-it computer man says the video card is on the fritz because of corrosion. I'm guessing it has something to do with living by the sea; or maybe the mouse that died in there last year. Humidity can be hell on computers.

Unfortunately, my beloved machine won't be ready until Wednesday. I tell you, fate - when she gets fed up with you - will either gee you along with a slap-in-the-face opportunity, or put roadblocks in your way, suggesting it's not time to move on.

If I lived in a city, the computer would probably be fixed in a couple of days; but I don't, so it won't be.

In the meantime, I'm downloading stuff onto the laptop so I can get on with it! And gaining access to cyber-world took the most time. (Yeah, yeah, if I'd actually read the instruction manual it wouldn't have taken so long.) And other stuff I have on the desktop but not the laptop.

Anyway... something to amuse you from Jill Shalvis' site:

Sassenfrassen...

Well, wonderful.

That hiccuping I mentioned yesterday? Video card. Phizzziittt. I also suspect it was the source of the vague scent of burning. sigh One of the things I didn't upgrade the last time.

All I can say is that it's had a long, fruitful and useful life; it should have enjoyed retirement somewhere, but no - I had to work it to death.

I'll take it to the shop next week. So much for the end of the month deadline I set for myself.

Sick? Nah, just old

Ah, yes. The cool sun moves slowly across a painfully blue sky, a light breeze brings the scent of wood smoke from chimneys, the sound of busy birds going about their daily business, the hush of waves on the shore and the spasmodic hiccups of the computer...

Just another glorious day on the coast.

Back up a minute, the what-ups of the... uh,oh; this can't be good.

This desktop unit is five years old. Yep, and some parts are even older. I'm guessing the Microsoft updates aren't compatible any longer and the computer is struggling to keep up or match what's happening out there in techno-land.

But what do you do with hardware that still works as it is, even though it's nearly an antique compared to what's on the market these days? I'm not a fan of replacing something just because it's old.

We had, until a couple of years ago, a waffle-maker bought in Germany when my Dad was based in England. It was thirty-plus years old before it turned up its toes and failed. The Kenwood mixer - bought at the same time - is still in use and shows no sign of stopping.

It's a sad comment that, in today's society, products don't last as long, nor does the technology when something newer and shinier comes along. How many people actually understand, let alone use, everything their mobile phone, pda, DVDR, cable set-top box does?

I recall being part of a test group used by my former government department, to decide which software package was the best for the staff: the new WordPerfect or current Microsoft Word? As a desktop publisher and journo, I duly put both through their paces and followed up with questions to staff.

The result? Seventy-five percent of people would use less than 25% of WordPerfect's capabilities and Microsoft came in at about 50-50. My results mattered not a jot. WordPerfect was the one they chose because it was newer and had a more attractive interface.

Then the IT complaints came in about staff not using WordPerfect to its full potential and how... different... it was to use. The Department then had to spend lotsa money training staff.

If they'd stuck with Microsoft Word and just updated it, money and time would have been saved.

But back to the computer. It's old and not getting any younger. I also have a laptop. It's loaded with Vista which sucks, so I sometimes avoid it.

The bottom line is I love my desktop unit, XP platform and all. I'm comfortable with it, physical size and all. I don't want anything else when I sit down to work. It isn't broke so there's no need to fix it. (Out and about, fine, I'll take the laptop - at home, I want to sit at my desk.)

Yet, I'll have to upgrade to a faster, shinier, newer unit. Again. A week without its comforting idiosyncrasies; it's humming and occasional beep, it's red flashing light and skip when I play cds.

With all the hiccups and pauses and odd noises, I don't think it's Swine Flu, nor a bad case of dementia; chances are, the next thing I see is The Blue Screen of DEATH. That's what happened last time and I lost a complete manuscript in the change-over.

Upgrade it is. Sigh. Maybe a new system will write what I mean, not what I've keyed in... something to think about, techno-geeks.

Cakes Ahoy!

Gah... I think I'm all caked out. I know, I know. Is there such a thing as having too much cake?

Well, after two days of it - for morning and afternoon tea - yeah, I think so.

The overseas clan returned from Sydney to camp out here until Thursday when they fly back to Denmark. Over the weekend, S. and the boys came down and there was more cake: honey roll, honey-cream-and-custard cake, blueberry, apple and walnut. More sugar and calorie soaked fare than you can shake a whippy stick at.

And I will confess right now, right here, that I loved every sticky, sugar and cream rich piece. As a failure to reign in the rampant polite-company-must-have-snacks-accessible-at-all-times part of my upbringing, I have now made three banana cakes. Fortunately, they can be frozen, but I doubt any will make it into the freezer.

Sigh and not a chocolate confection in sight.

Still, Tuesday is my Godson/nephew's birthday. Does he want a chocolate cake? No. He's gotta have a big, fat-screaming, cholesterol-creamy, hip-wideningly luscious, roll-me-in-the-mud-and-call-me-a-pig, blueberry cheesecake.

Then there's this 'sharing' business. What's up with that?

Ah, well. I guess I'll have to man up and help him out in the eating, be more responsible in my eating habits... next week. I may even get some editing or writing done, but I don't count on it.

More shinies

The Del-Rey Internet newsletter dropped in my e-mail this morning, so now I know what new releases are coming up.

But those books aren't what caught my eye. The free books did. The newsletter has a link to the suvudu free library. It's a year old and I'm wondering how I missed it.

Here's the blurb:

We know it can be hard to navigate the countless fantasy and science fiction series out there and figure out which ones are right for you. Well, we're here to make those tough decisions a bit easier on you. With the Suvudu Free Book Library, you can read the first book in some of our most acclaimed series absolutely free! We're kicking off the library with five full-length novels for you to sample, but we'll be adding new titles on a regular basis, so be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you're the first to find out what our newest free offerings are!

You can read Karen Marie Moning's Darkfever, Steven Baxter's Manifold: Time, Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom for sale: sold, Michael Moorcock's Elric: The Stealer of Souls, Naomi Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars... among others.

The best thing is that you can download for Kindle, Sony Reader and from Scribd.

I, for one, will be downloading a number of the free titles to have a look; others are on my bookshelf already.

Suck it up, Princess

Nearly half way and I see a couple of re-writes coming up.

sigh

Still, that's what getting a stranger to do the edits is all about: no family to say it's wunnerful, just point-blank changes and suggestions - all for the betterment of the work. It's still tough seeing all the red ink, but the phrase 'hoist on your own petard' springs to mind.

I've had the 'oh, to hell with it, what do they know' moments, when I'm trying to find an alternative that works, a different word or approach. It was so much easier writing it than going through edits. This is definitely a 'suck it up, Princess' moment. Fortunately, I'm over rejecting edits because my way is better. Jeez, I was arrogant when I started this gig. I remember all too clearly. Nice to know I've moved on and the suggestions have a lot of merit.

I won't be doing a total re-write, just a scene here and there. I can see the end result will be much better than it is now.

At least the middle doesn't sag... and the ambition to post it to Scribd by the end of the month is still viable.

Back to it... I suppose... in for a penny, in for a pound as the pithy aphorism goes.

The hard climb

Slogging through the edits and I do mean slog.

The important thing is to trust whomever is editing your work to make the words flow better, to make the storyline blend without the lumps, for all the red ink and comments neatly inserted.

I'm tempted to stop transferring edits from one manuscript to the other and do them on the computer - take a short cut - but I have to wait until it's all done. On a computer screen, it's easy to miss stuff; on a page, not so much if you're paying attention.

This is the nitty gritty; the line-by-line, scene-by-scene, chapter-by-chapter look at the work. I've made copious notes, inserted markers for re-writes, tagged plot deletions or adjustments, corrected grammar and spelling, considered suggestions and comments.

It's like climbing a mountain. The first challenge is to plan you're trip (or, in case of an organic writer, stare at the peak and wonder if you can do it). The next challenge is to climb to the pre-planned point or the writing of the thing. For organics, it's looking for a place to rest. You can insert a 'yippee' here for having the courage to finish the book; not everyone with the ambition does.

Then, the slope gets steeper, slippery, cracks and crevasses appear as you navigate towards the next goal: the editing ledge. It's at this point a lot of writers slid back to the beginning and start a new climb, a new book, because that editing ledge just seems a little bit too far, too hard and you finished the damn book, isn't that enough?

Not if you want people to read and enjoy. So... onwards and upwards, following an interesting track or a planned route, with scrapes and bruises and frustration and the voice of temptation suggesting you give up getting louder; but finally you get to the ledge. By golly, look how far you've come! Why, I can see my house from here!

You can sit and rest a spell, let the work breathe and regain its composure from the intensive battering its taken, not just from you but someone else's pummelling as well. The next ledge is further up the steeper side of the mountain. Craggy peaks occasionally hidden by the cloud of the unknown. Dangers lurk up there: unscrupulous agents for one, editors demanding payment first, for another. But from here, you can actually see - if you squint and lean out a little... a little further... there - the golden ring held aloft by a publishing house.

Between you and that ring lie traps and pitfalls, people who don't want you to succeed. Time to close your ears and put on the oxygen mask, because this is going to be hard. With each laboured step, each rejection slip, the goal is closer. Some will fall, accept the criticism that it's just not good enough or it really is too hard. Others will turn willingly and return to the bottom for more equipment and a better understanding. Others will not come back to this mountain, it's too frightening, too competitive. And the few who persevered and refused to accept the rejections will ascend to clasp that golden ring, to be congratulated, cheered and applauded.

And then, the publisher will push you off the mountain, yelling it's time for another book and to stop slacking off.

Of course, you know the route now, the pitfalls, the nasty voices. You've got the equipment, the experience and friends to help. It should be easier now.

And once you've tumbled all the way to bottom to begin you're climb again, you happen to glance over at the chalet. You know the one. It's got a balcony overlooking the valley of readers. People sit around tables, drinking lattes or hot chocolates and nibbling on pretzels, laughing and chatting; not once do they look at the mountain.

The longing to join them surges. Hell, they look comfortable, relaxed and a little bit more affluent than those climbing the mountain. Not many bruises over there, barely a scratch and not a sombre, defeated expression amongst them.

The sign above the chalet says it all: The Scribd Inn. Free entry. The construction going on out the side, all new and shiney, has another sign in big, bold letters: Opening soon, the Scribd Restaurant: you charge, we pay.

And as you look further along the valley, more chalets are going up around those already established.

So, here's the question: do you keep climbing the mountain, doing it the hard way, the traditional way, or do you slip into something warmer, easier and perhaps friendlier?