Swimming to the Surface

Hello dear readers, or those of you at any rate who haven't wandered off, wondering whatever became of the woman? It has been such an intense few months and it ain't over yet! Today we take our poor dear old fella to the vet's and send him off to his next life. We're back in Prospect Bay in our old house (the one where I first lived with my guy and his kids. It has been nothing but snowy and cold since we moved in near the end of January. The inside upstairs (main floor) is pretty good but the downstairs (where my office is) is pretty darn chaotic. So that, as they say, is the context - the usual victories and defeats, comings and goings of modern life.

Within that contextual detail let me set my writing. I am writing many poems - some of the best ones I think I've ever done. Sue Goyette's poetry class at the university continues to be inspiring and I am smitten beyond measure with every one of my fellow students. They are a grand bunch and I am sad we only have seven more classes. As to Bright Angel - I am feeling not too bad about that! I have taken my first chapters to my writing group and the whole shebang to my editor and am on a good if arduous path.

Let me explain. I wrote the mad hot first draft in 60 days. I wrote it in first person - four different characters but one - Pinky - is the heart of the book. It was pointed out to me that the energy was with her and it was confusing to have her sister's, mother's and step-aunt's voice - they weren't distinct enough one from another and just repeated the same info. I fought this by deciding to keep Pinky in first but change the other first person chapters to third. Got about half-way through the novel doing this. At my last writing group I was urged to go Pinky all the way. I knew as soon as someone said it that they were right and that I was just having a lazy fit at the thought of all that work. Turns out it isn't that much work because I KNOW her voice - I've got it. And it isn't hard to get what needs to be got into the story - it just isn't. So I'm exactly half-way through. If I keep to my schedule of a chapter and a half revision a day I will be finished THIS draft by the end of the month. And I'm loving it.

Mid March me, the man and the step-dot are going to Cuba. My first finished novel has a chunk set there and so it will be interesting. I would like to revise that first book 'Feckless' - we'll see.

So, I'm swimming to the surface with strong sure strokes.

Wish my dear dog well today as he journeys out of this world.