Next week dear Gwen will be at the writers' retreat she facilitates. She won't be here to listen to me moan about the endless commas I have to take out and put in on my revision. Apparently, you can't just take a handful out of your comma box and fling them at your manuscript and hope they sort themselves out. No. You have to understand serial commas (sometimes called an Oxford comma) and other mysterious conventions. Come to think of it, it reminds me of learning to play bridge when I was a child bride. I just never got the 'short Italian'. My mind doesn't work that way.
Yesterday, I received many comments on my post about blogger woes. I did a couple of things but haven't had much of a chance to check out if they've helped (pesky revision). I changed to Google Chrome from my old server, Internet Explorer. I also imported my blog posts and all my comments from Living the Complicated Simple Life over to wordpress. We'll see how that goes. I have it both places - I just want to play awhile and see if I can stand it.
Today, I'm revised three chapters. My goal is to at least do two a day. Or it could be number of pages. I've revised about 73 pages out of 330. Not bad but I think when I finish this revision (based on the edited manuscript) I will still have a fair bit to do. I want to change some things up in the overall story. GAAAACK! Did I write that? Gaaaaaawd, I hope not. I think it must have been my evil twin. No, I wrote it. I want to do just a few things differently. Then I'll have to have someone (pleeeeeese dear editor) look at my re-write to make sure I didn't repeat the glaring mistakes in the new stuff I write.
Okey dokey. Just wanted you to know what I'm up to. Plan on visiting about later on this afternoon to see if my new server makes commenting any easier.
Ciao!
If any of you are doing revisions (and I know some of you are), what do you call where you're at - as in, "third draft, installing edits" or "three months away from sending out" or???
12 comments:
I'm doing what I call the final draft, in which I read it out loud, making the changes that sound right to my ear. There'll be no further revision unless it's an obvious error I overlooked or, should I find a publisher and an editor suggests changes (I doubt that will happen; I've pretty much resigned myself to self-publishing on Amazon and a few other places). So, I'm calling it my final draft.
I hope to finish it something in September.
Richard - how many drafts did you do to get you to Final Draft? Or are you like me and you revise as you go...?
I did three, maybe four drafts. It's been read twice by my writing groups, and they're reading it a third time now. It was actually two novels that I combined into one. Seems like I've been working on it for a long time. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm actually happy reading it out loud. It's slow going, but what a difference. Hopefully, it'll be very smooth reading when it's finished.
Thanks for asking.
Jan - I know all about those revision woes! I'm in the middle of making some changes that my very wise first readers have suggested. My readers are correct, but it's a chore! That's OK, though; life is the process of revising in just about every way. Otherwise we calcify...
And good on you to take a leap of faith with Wordpress. Talk about evolving and revising :-).
I totally have a comma fetish. I luuuurve them. I want them everywhere... each pause in voice... erm... and I speak slowly, so there are a lot of pauses.
I hope your tweaks work! And I hope your changes fall into line more easily than you fear. I am also in revisions, so maybe we can align our mojos...
(and because I'm nosy... I do 3 drafts, peer read, 2 drafts, peer read, then 2 drafts, agent)--so she gets number 7, editor gets #9... my copy editor is currently sitting with 11, I guess. (each pair of drafts is first a plot, then a word level edit, though once the agent has it, hopefully the plot stuff is worked out)
Richard – I know that feeling. I have four novels in various stages. I can’t seem to work all the way through and then start another one afresh! I’m not sure how long I’ve been working on True (the one I’m in revision with now) but I think over two years.
I love reading them aloud and do it between each draft.
Margot – I do like revising, really. It is just damn complicated as you say. On the other front, blogger is not bothering me with the new server so I will give it a good try before I have to change everything! I have Living the Complicated Simple Life up on two sites now. Eeek.
Tartlette – I’d be the opposite. I don’t speak with commas and don’t see why I need to write with them but I’m learning! I love hearing about people’s revisions – where they think they’re at. I’m not so sure I could say what number revision I’m on. I think I did two – then peer review – then another and then my editor person had at it and now I’m putting those changes in. I think I still have some plot stuff to figure again but not sure, the close edit might expose something else!
Most of the people who ask aren't writers, so I say I'm editing and hope to have it out by the end of the year. lol
Good luck with the blog and the edits! I usually just refer to my edits like a boxing match...I'm in round 1, 2, 3.... :)
Sometimes I find the editing easier then the writing...
Did you notice that serial commas sounds a lot like serial killers? Hmmm. I'm hoping to go into my final edit or maybe the next-to-the-final edit.
Ah, commas. I probably like them too much, as well.
As far as edits, I have a specific name for some of them, but I don't really count them after the first couple. I just say it's in edits unless I'm going through for something in particular.
I feel you on the blogger woes. There are so many issues right now; it's frustrating.
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