Or perhaps I want less. Less worry about all the little niggley details of my life (and anyone else's I'm sure). Am I eating well? Did I get that paperwork done? Are my step-kids taking their exams seriously? Why is there no butter? Should I take another tack on my novel? Why is it raining when I have sheets to wash? I haven't seen the carrots yet, are they old seeds? And on and on and on until I feel I could explode. And then I remember that this means I need to sit. Sit in front of my shrine and calm my monkey mind.
The minute I finish this, I'm going to work on my book for an hour. Then I'll sit. I'm supposed to go roaming with Marion today but she is a late riser so not sure when.
Let me check my schedule and see where I am with the book. This is the end of week two (my writing weeks go from Tuesday to Tuesday)
Ah yes, let's see now.
Week Two:
All good - I've switched one thing - I'm starting with the plot revision, not character as I first thought. Makes more sense. I'm about 15% into the book on this part. Today I'd like to be up to 20%
The very very strange thing is that I feel I've never done this before. And I guess I haven't. Not in the same way - not with the same intention. I think I thought revising was cleaning up a manuscript. This is intense but I really like it.
Those of you who are revising - how's it going? Those that have revised let me know what was most helpful to you.
11 comments:
It seems that the more I revise, the more work I see that needs to be done.
Your checklist is in better shape than mine I'm afraid!
Helen - you are righteo on that! I just got to page 60 which was my goal for today and I know that I have to re-jig the whole time-line, 'what age was this sister when dad left?' thing. arggh. Oh well, if it were easy it wouldn't be so valued, right? Oh wait a minute, it isn't is it?!
Diane - oh early days yet. It's like in September as a student - I would swear to keep my notebooks clean and organized. Lasted til Halloween if I was lucky!
Sorry to hear you are blue. Perhaps a visit on my blog would cheer you up (there is something for you there)? You always cheer me up, so it would only be fair that I get to return the favour :)
Great job staying on task! I think you summed it up... wanting to be a human being rather than a human doing--sometimes that just gets tiring--sometimes especially after you've indulged a little and feel like that is what you're missing all the time by working so hard...
I'm not revising, not for two months, probably, but I am watching you carefully, thinking this meticulous plan you have holds promise. I also have had past revisions be more of a 'clean up'--removing the unnecessary but without any full out restructuring and thought... I intend to make the next one more mindful.
Hi CC - thanks for your cheery note and I will drop by...your site always picks me up!
tartlett - exactly! so hard to be writing nun when you've been indulged wench for a couple of days!
I totally urge you to do some form of structured revision - there is joy in it - there really is!
Jan, more Fish and Chips sounds like a good idea to me. As far as revision goes, I think I do best when I go in with no expectations on what I’ll find – for some reason it makes it easier to cut those sections that I thought were brilliant but added nothing to the story and to make other major changes. The problem is having no expectations is easier said than done.
You are moving along on your edit, even if it’s not a fast as you’d like - that’s the important part.
Good idea,
maybe i should set targets like:
be 50% done with that crochet piece..
Thanks for the encouragement Jane! I agree - that's why it was nice to leave it lay for a few weeks and then pick it up as if I were the more cool-headed sister of the one that wrote it. And so far that is working. I am slicing out what I might like but not for this work. And on this edit, I'm looking at each chapter as it moves towards the climax.
Denise - don't you????!!! just kidding deario. At night I am knitting this bizarre piece I started during the olympics. I have all these weird chunks of knitting and sooon, very soooooon, I'm going to create the craziest blanket. And then I'm going to take a picture of it and show it to you my funny friend!
Love the check list. Wish my check list looked so promising. Looks like you are on track! Well done. Have a great week.
Great check list - looks like you're making progress. I'm getting there with revisions... slowly.
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