Write Space

Writing-and-editing-space. Gotta have it.

This was perfect for a Monday afternoon editing session. Other than the 30 minutes during which I thought I'd lost a revision in my book and almost had a heart attack...

E.M.E.T.I.B.

My book was done.

Like seriously done.

Until I changed it.

I'm already down from 92k to about 83k, and I'm still cutting... but still adding, too.

Why? Character Development.

Because my main character needed a little more, for lack of a better word, balls. And she's a woman. But I realized I had too many things happening TO her and not enough things happening BECAUSE of her. She was REACTING at times I wanted her to ACT.

What does it mean? That Arthea just got ten times more badass. Think Sydney Bristow in the first 50ish seconds of this clip:



BOOM

FIRST DRAFT DONE!

Okay, my first draft is done. As of about a week ago. It topped out at 92k words. That's a lot of typing, people.

Now... editing. Bah. As it turns out, I'm extremely verbose and repetitive. I've only edited ~10% (guessing) of the manuscript and I've already knocked it down to 85k. Here's hoping I don't throw out the baby with the bathwater... or cut off my nose to spite my face... or one of those weird phrases that sound smart but also dumb at the same time...

Sometimes I am just staring at my manuscript thinking... WTF were you thinking, Carls?

This shit is a mess and not even interesting!

And it makes your eyes hurt!

But I really love editing. It gives me a chance to get rid of the crap so that a shiny, beautiful gem is left over.

Writing Music

Band of Horses - The Funeral
Slow, building, then entirely epic around 1:22 and beyond.


Damien Juardo - Sheets
Contemplative, melancholy, emotional, rough