From deep in the trenches
I always have a vague guideline that Wednesday posts should be about writing. And then...yeah, that never happens.
So in an attempt to actually write about my own writing occasionally without boring you all, this is what I'm up to in the writing world:
Revising a contemporary middle grade story which I wrote for NaNoWriMo. I've heard that there are people out there who have actually felt confident enough to query their NaNo pieces by the following January. That'sjust ridiculous very nice for them. But I'm pretty sure I'm going to be working on these revisions about one day less than eternity.
Or I could be done by the end of the month.
This is what revising feels like. I bet soldiers in the trenches during the First World War felt as though they were never going to sleep in a clean, lice-free bed again, that war was going to last forever. And then in the next moment they'd feel certain that this madness must be coming to an end very soon. I can hardly equate the fun/frustration/work/play of revising a novel with the horror of war. But I understand that feeling of endlessness on the brink of the end.
When I get too caught up in the imperfections of my story, I push myself forward by quick jaunts into agent research and query writing. Query writing has somehow become one of my favorite things to do, even though it's wicked hard. It leaves me with phrases swirling around my head as I go about my housework and homeschooling the rest of the day:
...a sibling story in the spirit of The Penderwicks or All-of-a-kind Family...
...Georgie Coleman thinks life would be perfect if someone smashed all the television sets, flambeed the cell phones, and crushed every computer...
...spurring an all-out battle between the two oldest Coleman sisters...
I'm not sure that I'll get it all together before the story finishes itself up. But query writing helps me keep my focus as I revise, and reminds me of what I love about the story.
Do you have any advice for getting though the hard revising days?
So in an attempt to actually write about my own writing occasionally without boring you all, this is what I'm up to in the writing world:
Revising a contemporary middle grade story which I wrote for NaNoWriMo. I've heard that there are people out there who have actually felt confident enough to query their NaNo pieces by the following January. That's
Or I could be done by the end of the month.
This is what revising feels like. I bet soldiers in the trenches during the First World War felt as though they were never going to sleep in a clean, lice-free bed again, that war was going to last forever. And then in the next moment they'd feel certain that this madness must be coming to an end very soon. I can hardly equate the fun/frustration/work/play of revising a novel with the horror of war. But I understand that feeling of endlessness on the brink of the end.
When I get too caught up in the imperfections of my story, I push myself forward by quick jaunts into agent research and query writing. Query writing has somehow become one of my favorite things to do, even though it's wicked hard. It leaves me with phrases swirling around my head as I go about my housework and homeschooling the rest of the day:
...a sibling story in the spirit of The Penderwicks or All-of-a-kind Family...
...Georgie Coleman thinks life would be perfect if someone smashed all the television sets, flambeed the cell phones, and crushed every computer...
...spurring an all-out battle between the two oldest Coleman sisters...
 |
| (Not as though I have ANY inspiration or copy for a book about sisters...) |
I'm not sure that I'll get it all together before the story finishes itself up. But query writing helps me keep my focus as I revise, and reminds me of what I love about the story.
Do you have any advice for getting though the hard revising days?
I love revising. Maybe because that's mostly what I've done. The first draft is more torture for me. You may be one of the few people who like query writing. Good luck with the revisions.
ReplyDeleteHa! Maybe. I like a challenge. :)
DeleteRevising is NOT my favorite. It's so...unglamorous. I am very excited about this story though and cannot wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie! Yeah, drafting is much more glamorous than revising, but it is wonderful when you start seeing everything come together.
DeleteI am hoping to get around to *finishing* my NaNoWriMo novel one of these days, let alone revising it! In the meantime I'm trying to blow on the sparks and keep them alive. :)
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your revision!!
Thanks! And good luck keeping the coals kindled. :)
DeleteI love revising too ... but some days are just too hard. I recommend a nap, or a shower, or putzing around the kitchen or garden. But it sounds like you've found a great solution that's going to be helpful when you're ready to submit. You have some Velcro words already!
ReplyDeleteI hope you can finish your revisions in the next few months and that they don't drag on endlessly ...