"Dead"line

Now I understand what people mean when they talk about their "deadline". I just recently experienced this firsthand. I got my developmental editors notes about my novel and I was to go through the manuscript, add, subtract, review, accept or reject her ideas.

No big deal right?

Wrong!

Looking back, it's actually kind of funny. You'd think, as the author, I would know every little detail about the novel and be able to fly through the edits. Well, not exactly. It takes time and patience to go through line by line and not skim. Making sure there was the correct "they're" and not "their" or "too" instead of "to" or knowing which "he" I meant when I said "he said" and there are three "hes" in the dialogue. Even though grammatical editing took care of most of this, everyone is human and not everyone can see everything. My editor is a wonderful person, she was available by phone or email if I needed any help and was a guide through this process.

I had two weeks to review my manuscript and add the parts my editor suggested I add in order to make certain loose ends tied up. I have to admit that the novel was more concise and compact by the end. Getting there was the adventure.

Due to all my editor's notes, and the l 1/2 line spacing the novel was 500+ pages. I started out working everyday excited to get through it. Then my energy lagged. I took a couple days off and didn't work. My deadline was Friday. Thursday came around and I realized I still had 200+ pages to review, not to mention the additions I had to do. I started around noon thinking it wouldn't take too long......

.................................................................

2:00am

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Finally I was done without any major breaks for lunch or dinner.

So it was finished. Now I know what they mean by calling it a "dead"line. After you reach it you are completely "dead" tired.

I learned from this experience and will never again put it off. :-)

A lot has happened...

This month a lot has happened. My novel, Blood is Thicker Than Water, went into developmental editing and I have graduated from Butler University! It has been an incredible month so far and it's only Monday the 14th!!

Editing has begun!

I just received confirmation that my manuscript is now finally entered editing! It starts with grammatical editing, then goes to conceptual editing in May. It is such an amazing feeling!

Less than a week...

Starting in April my novel begins editing. I can't describe how I'm feeling right now, there aren't words. I am very excited but also extremely nervous. This month I've tried to work on the sequel but for some reason I can't focus on it. So, instead, I bought two books on Amazon.com. oh well, I guess being sick didn't help :-)

New Book

I just picked up a new book the other day Iris Johansen's Dead Aim.  I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys political thrillers.  It caught my attention in the first chapter and hasn't let me go.  I have never stayed up until 3 am reading a book simply because I had to know what happened.  She is an excellent author and a real inspiration to all aspiring authors. 

It's been a pleasure reading her work and now I'm hooked.  I have to pick up all of hers! 

The Right Music...

As an author, I find that the right music is the perfect inspiration.  I know I can't work without the right music.  I don't know if others feel this way but I have a song for each character.  If I know I'm going to be writing about a certain character or need to write in that character's voice, I have to put on "their" song.  As one of my characters is in their mid-fifties and I'm in my early 20s it's sometimes difficult to know what song would work for him.  My other characters are around my age so it is much easier to listen to music and relate it to those characters. 

It's easier to get into the head of those characters when I'm listening to a song that I can honestly say, "Ooh, I can hear him/her listening to this..." It's actually really fun.  :-)

Written Word

So I've known this for a long time but it's been a big problem recently.  I don't always take my computer everywhere I go but I take a notebook.  Well ideas come to me all the time, standing in line at Starbucks, driving to the grocery store, or especially in a boring lecture in class.  I write them down on corners of papers or sometimes on full sheets and sheets of notebook paper.  That's not a problem, right?

...........

Wrong!!  Trying to move on from a scene because I've already written it down, only to discover that I haven't imputed the ideas or dialogue into the computer, super frustrating!  I'm searching and searching all over the place for "that one scene, I know I've written" only to find it in the bottom of my backpack crumpled.

So recently this has been a major problem and now I'm sitting at my computer wanting to move on from a scene but I can't until I put it in the book.  So what do I do?  Instead of plowing ahead I'm sitting here checking Facebook, writing my blog, and listening to music.  Hahahahahahahahah

Oh well, they do say admitting to a problem is the first step to recovery, right?  Wish me luck! I'm full speed ahead!