Friday, July 23, 2010

Working and Working and...

Thanks to everybody who commented on Tuesday's Summer in the South entry. I posted one of those last month as well, and I hope I'm not being tiresome, but I'm working on a little project... at least one entry a month detailing whatever season it is, and how it relates to the South. June, July and August are my summer entries. September, October, November are autumn... December, January, February winter... March, April, May spring. Then next year I want to read them all in succession, maybe make a little story out of them. What do y'all think?

I've been working on editing again after being away for over a week. I was my sister's "hospital buddy" as she had surgery last week, and I wasn't able to do anything with the book while taking care of her... then when I finally got some time for myself again, a strange apathy had stolen into my muscles and bones, and all I wanted to do was read Stephen King stories and avoid my needing-to-be-pruned novel. I was able to get back into it last night, though, and I got another twenty pages or so carved out. Hopefully this is a sign that the struggle is lessening.

And my treacherous muse continues to taunt me with good ideas for short stories, ideas I would MUCH rather be working on instead of editing the novel. Currently I'm working on a steampunk short, for the upcoming steampunk deadline at Fissure magazine. I've already been published in Fissure, but I've never written a steampunk story, and I thought it would be fun to try my hand at it... and of course, it's yet another way to avoid the work that needs to be done on the novel. Gah!

Then there's the "death and shoes" short that still needs to be edited, and a host of other short pieces I could be working on to send out... but the novel just hangs over my head like a little raincloud made of pages. I want it to be DONE. Especially before I head to Vegas next month for KillerCon. I want to get the edited copy out to my first readers so I can have a clean copy to push to agents ASAP. Of course, I'd also like a mansion built out of ice cream sandwiches, and my very own pony. We'll see how it goes.

How are y'all doin? Anything exciting going on in your neck of the woods? Got any advice for me, to help me stay on task with the editing? How 'bout plans for the weekend?

Hope y'all have a fantastic Saturday and Sunday.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Even if you're not getting you're editing done, it sounds like you're being fairly productive. Best of luck with your first attempt at steampunk and wishing you a great weekend.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Hope you're doing ok, nothing too exciting happening here. but who knows what's around the corner.

Take care.
Yvonne.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's a good idea with the seasons. Still working on my sequel here.

sarahjayne smythe said...

Glad to hear your sister is getting better and that your life is getting back to normal. It sounds like you've been productive though, and that is always a good thing. :)

Sarah Ahiers said...

oooh my muse has been shoving awesome short stories in my face as well.

True Life and Fiction said...

I'm standing neck-deep in a novel draft. It's become an obsession and I count each completed scene a small victory.

I like to edit more than draft I think, and that's why it has taken so long for this draft.

Wishing a speedy and complete recovery for your sister.

Laura S. said...

Ooo, I like the idea of you putting your Southern seasonal writings into a collection or something. They're terrific!

I know what you mean when your muse wants to do anything and everything except edit or revise your novel! Set a deadline for yourself and just sit down and do it. You'll be thrilled when that deadline rolls around and you're done the first round of edits!

Jemi Fraser said...

Sounds like you've got a lot going on. Good luck with it all! :)

ggray said...

I'm glad your sister is doing better and you're back to editing the novel - but I do urge you to take a break and send do the shoes piece. It's brilliant! I can't get it out of my head.

Hart Johnson said...

I really LIKE the Greensboro, once a month thing. Your skill with description is amazing.

Huge luck with editing the book. I would fight against the short stories so hard--I think they are a nice balance for the editing---just know they may need more editing that your other work, but I think they will help your sanity.'

As for Death and Shoes--having seen it, I KNOW it doesn't have THAT far to go.