I am supposed to be working on my last big round of edits. I’ve managed to get the first half done and was just starting on the second half on Friday when I got a rather distressing text from BG saying that she needs to talk to me about something really important, that she is probably going to be in trouble and I’m most likely going to get a call from the school. This from the girl that is obsessiveness about following rules and doing the right thing. Both her and MC are straight A students and just NEVER get into any trouble. The most I’ve had to do is yell at them for pestering each other. To say I was stunned is a massive understatement.
Tag: Book Writing
*Sigh* Again, Muse?!
Between working on my edits and dealing with both myself and MC being sick, the last several days have been… fun. The whole not feeling great thing had me taking meds that wouldn’t let me sleep. As is so typical for me, my brain simply would NOT shut up in that situation. So, sitting there at 3 or 4 am wanting desperately to sleep, my crazy Muse pops her head up and points out that BG’s point costume this year (a romantic length for the first time ever instead of a stiff, flat tutu design) would make a stunning cake.
Back to Crazy
As has been the pattern since I started my book project, everything is hitting all at once again. I got my final round of edits back from my editor the night before a family outing to celebrate MC’s birthday (not on the actual day). I still have the actual day to work on, which means making a batch of Death By Chocolate, again, along with fixing a massive pile of chicken fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. That pretty much wipes out any time I’d have to work on edits that day. I also have MC’s appointment to get stitches out and his post-surgery check up later in the week along with a couple of other appointments.
So, I’m over the moon excited about getting my edits back, but beyond frustrated that I’m going to have very little time to actually sit down and work on them this week. I WILL make time to work on them though because this pushes me really close to being ready to work on the cover design and being done. I’m so close!
I’m trying really hard to stay focused on those things and not the fact that this is birthday #17 for MC. When the hell did that happen?! Or the fact that I’ll be adding another year to my age only a week later. But hey! Great birthday present, though!
2018 Book Totals & A Look Back
I didn’t set any reading goals for 2018. Not really. If anything, I wanted to cut back on the amount of books I read because I wanted to make sure I did other things besides just read. Based on my total numbers for the year, I think I did just that.
Edits & Revisions Round 1 Done!
I just hit send on my first round of revisions back to my editor! Now I’m back in sit and wait mode for round 2.
Don’t Wanna!
I apparently can’t get my head into my book today even though I KNOW I should be finishing up on my edits. Instead, I’m finding way too many distractions in music. Apparently I’m grooving instead of writing today. These are just a few in the current rotation.
Book Editing – Revisions Part 1.5
I just finished up the final edits from my editor for this round. I still have another full read through I need to do to make sure all my changes work and that I didn’t break anything. I’m still feeling a little iffy at the moment because this ended up being such a choppy, broken up process with some rather big time gaps between when I was able to sit down and work that I’m not sure it all works like I think it should. At one point, I started second guessing the way I was writing certain things (more of a stylistic thing than anything), even going so far as to change how I was doing it, only to realize I was being stupid and had to go back and fix it.
There were so many parts moved around, added and removed that I’m worried I missed something and broke something in the timeline (a huge peeve of mine is to have those kinds of things messed up even if it is a tiny little element). That is one of my biggest reasons for the additional read through, but I’m worried that I’ve looked at this so much that I’ll still miss something. It is a little frustrating because I was so incredibly conscious of this as I was writing originally, I KNOW I didn’t miss anything. Now, I’m just not sure. Hopefully my read through will make me feel better about it.
Hubby is on standby ready to do yet another read for me. Can I just say how crazy awesome he is that he is willing to do this for me even though he kinda hates to read? I’m even more grateful because he is most likely going to be the only one putting eyes on this besides me before it goes back to my editor this time since my other beta reader is in no position to be able to read again with her still unable to return to her home after the fires. It makes me nervous, but I have to work with what I have.
Once I do finish and Hubby has added his dime to the mix, it goes back for another round, so I’ve still got lots of work ahead, but I’m almost over this bump.
Hanging In There
My maple is hanging in there, still full of leaves and color, with the core still being pretty green. I’m expecting that to change rapidly over the next few days with the crazy cold heading our way. One of the things I love about this tree is the range of colors we get from it throughout the season. Bright, vivid reds, deeper burgundies, oranges, all set against the darker looking branches and the central green (at least for a chunk of the time until we hit complete color). Maples are one of my top favorites for that very reason.
I didn’t get a chance to work on my revisions yesterday, but I spent close to 9 hours working on Monday and only got through the first two chapters. I’m not even completely certain I’m done with those. It isn’t flowing like it did when I sat down the first time to write. Or even when I did my first round of my own edits before sending it off. I’m still hoping that changes some when I get a little deeper into it, but I’m not expecting it to be easy. I still have a lot of work ahead of me, but I’m slowly chipping away at it. Progress, that is what’s important.
Book Editing – Revisions Part 1
I had a nearly three hour call with my editor last week. It was majorly productive, but it left me at a point where I have a LOT of work ahead of me. I’m grateful because I know that this process will make this better when it is all said and done, but… it is still a lot. It’s a little ridiculous how not prepared for that I was. I KNOW on every level that this isn’t an easy process just from what I’ve read about it from authors I read, but it still came as a surprise just how much work I have left to do.
Aftermath
Today is insane. I had a nearly 3 hour call with my editor (notes on that to come). Now I have to deal with the aftermath of having a haunted garage for Halloween and still wanting to put the cars in after it is all over (and that is only a small portion of what I still have to pack up). Having spent 2 days going in and out, then up and down on a ladder, my body is trying to revolt, but I still have to get everything packed up. So… I’m off to get busy. Then crash.
Book Editing – Round One
I am almost always an emotional person first. My initial reactions to things come from an emotional point rather than a logical one. I am also very logical, but that isn’t usually the basis for my reactions unless whatever situation is in play isn’t an emotional one for me. So, having my initial reaction to the first round of feedback I got from my editor be very emotional should have been expected. It still kinda wasn’t and, for a little bit, I felt a wave of not so great things.
Doing A Happy Dance!
Sorry! No image for this one, just needed to have a little moment. I heard from my editor today and I’ll have my first round of feedback and suggested edits ready by the first of next week. So crazy excited right now!
Book Update: October 2018
It looks as though my editor has started work on my manuscript. Yes, I got kinda stupid and giddy there when I first found out. It will probably still be a few weeks before I get the first round of feedback from him, so I have spent some time working to get some random To Do list things taken care of. I now have a Twitter account (@TJFoxAuthor), though I will most likely just post from here to that account.
All the other stuff was just some long overdue background things that needed to get done with my hosting service for my other domains. I’m hoping to get my Shades site up in a different format and intend to use it more as a portfolio site as opposed to a shop. At least for now. If I decide to do any kind of selling again, I’ll figure something out then. That is the next big project on my To Do list but has to wait until all my stuff gets moved around and that is on my host, thank goodness!
So, big steps, slow steps and baby steps. I can’t start cover work until the editing is done so that one is hanging out in limbo at the moment, but I’m still crazy excited that things are moving.
Next Step – Research
I have finally finished the last of the suggested edits I have for my book. Those are edits I’ve gotten from my two beta readers. I also managed to get a last complete read through completed once those were done to make sure the changes I made didn’t mess anything up in the process.
All that means is that I’m now at the point where I need to hire an editor and a cover designer. I don’t have either one picked out yet, so that means it is time to do some heavy duty research. I know what I’ll be working on next week!
The Story Behind The Story
When I said that this whole book writing thing had been a wild and crazy experience, I wasn’t joking. People say all the time, “Hey, I had this crazy dream!” Well, that is exactly how this whole thing started. With a dream.
The Universe Made A Liar Out Of Me
The Universe, Luck, Coincidence, Random Moments of Inspiration… whatever you want to call it, it looks like I’m going to have to rewrite at least a small section of my about page. Continue reading “The Universe Made A Liar Out Of Me”
