Well, at about 92K. My impressions: the new opening chapters seem pretty darn good. I think the reason I keep moving some chapters around is that they didn't follow well what came before, so for a couple of those I wrote transition sentences. Think it worked. I was thinking that GML should not be hitting on PE at all until the chapter that sets everything in motion, but stuff keeps creeping in, so I think I'm going to just go with that because it's a CLUE. Oh, anyway. Have also been plotting the fp thing because, well, gee, just why not. It's Monday. The day has pretty much sucked.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/29/2004 06:29:00 PM Permalink
90K. Yesterday I was in the dumps because my *ahem* passionate scenes were a complete mess, given the changes. But I've fixed it and now I'm good. I also worked on my synopsis, meaning, completely rewrite. Did that too. But I'm not very good at those so we'll see. Tomorrow being Turkey day and therefore a high angst day, we'll see if I get any work done. Thank goodness Deaf Dog is open tomorrow. I can't live without caffiene. Anyway, I'm hoping to maybe have stuff off to Kate next week.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/24/2004 10:28:00 PM Permalink
Well, let's see. I cut The Rake from 94K to 82K and I'm back to 89K. Most of the gutting is done. Some reordering of chapters. Everything was fine (I think) up to chapter 8 and then it sucked, so I just rewrote the guts of that, which turned out OK (I think) which change also added some pretty good complexity. Also, I added some stuff about PE trying to write a novel (to replace the other writing stuff in the counterfeiting version) and actually, I think it works great. The change (i.e., no counterfeiting) has introduced some instability in the interactions between GML and PE, so I had to do some reworking of that. I think it works. Who knows?
posted by Carolyn @ 11/21/2004 09:03:00 PM Permalink
In a funk for a couple of days. Kate called day before yesterday and asked about some edits to The Rake. So, here's what's frustrating; she didn't ask for anything I hadn't been thinking about (So, why didn't I do it before?) Examples? Like no counterfeiting. Yeah. She's right. Of course, that means chapters 3-5 are history. That means 8,000 words gone. That means deep dark depression. Ok, not that bad, but close. That means ripping and gutting again. She thought my hero was too dark. Well, I did that on purpose, but what that really means is I didn't quite succeed in planting the suggestion that this would change. She didn't like "the scene" but the truth is 6 months ago it worked great and now it doesn't.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/19/2004 09:05:00 PM Permalink
So, I have a new writing goal. My goal is to be famous enough that people won't spell my name wrong. One of my craft articles got a mention in RWA eNotes. Hey, cool! Only my name is spelled wrong. But, they got the URL right (which happens to include the correct spelling of my name) so that's good. This is a worthy goal, I think, being a well-known enough writer to have my name spelled right. Or, to be well known enough that people think, wait, I should make sure I'm spelling her name right, because she's getting famous.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/15/2004 07:21:00 PM Permalink
Today I engaged in avoidance behavior.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/14/2004 05:05:00 PM Permalink
Am going through edits on The Rake. 93.7K with the chapter removed. Someone has offered to read the MS and maybe this version fixed the last of the pesky problems. Anyway, had an OK day. Local RWA chapter meeting was today. It's nice to chat with other writers. Aside from that, no news to report. I'm thinking of drinking some coffee and trying to stay up to read the whole thing. One of two things will happen: I'll make it through or I'll start reordering and gutting it again. Possibility 3 I suppose is it's so boring I fall alseep. sigh.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/13/2004 07:08:00 PM Permalink
So, the moment, the absolute precise moment I hit the "Publish Post" button, I thought, "Oh, cripes, what if I'm wrong and it really does stink?" Sheesh.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/08/2004 09:30:00 PM Permalink
Deep breath. OK, I read some of the weekend's changes today at the gym (it's sometimes a good thing to be nowhere near a computer...) and actually, it's pretty freaking good. I also read a bunch at my son's soccer practice tonight, and it was still pretty freaking good. Now, as I go off to continue reading now that he's in bed, I may start crying and wailing again. But I'm going to enjoy this particular moment for at least 15 seconds. {Jeopardy Theme music playing) Moment over. Off to work.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/08/2004 09:25:00 PM Permalink
Sigh. Well, my head's spinning so I don't know what to think. I have reordered the mid-section of The Rake and deleted an entire chapter. I've long suspected it was necessary so other than being at 93K, that isn't bugging me too much. But now I seriously can't tell if the whole thing just sucks or what. I know I was reading parts and thought, wow. And then I wasn't quite there and I swear I fiddled with and edited edited edited chapter 6 so many times that I can't even stand to read it any more it feels so stale, which is what the new middle feels like. Arghhh!
posted by Carolyn @ 11/07/2004 09:30:00 PM Permalink
Well. The good news is The Rake is at 95,494. But I've reordered chapters. Twice. Mostly because I was reading along and it was fabulous until all of a sudden it was only good. I decided it's because GML comes on too strong, there's no up-tick in his behavior - or, rather, there's no up-tick in the stakes of what he's asking for. Remains to be seen if I'm right.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/04/2004 07:08:00 PM Permalink
Well. The good news is The Rake is at 95,494. But I've reordered chapters. Twice. Mostly because I was reading along and it was fabulous until all of a sudden it was only good. I decided it's because GML comes on too strong, there's no up-tick in his behavior - or, rather, there's no up-tick in the stakes of what he's asking for. Remains to be seen if I'm right.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/04/2004 06:51:00 PM Permalink
I have nothing to report writing-wise, except that even though I sent the MS off to JC to read, the idea about what I want GML to be like early on would not leave me, so I started reading it again. Some minor revisions to the key chapter tonight. But, all in all, it seems pretty good to me. Last night Iwrote part of another chapter on the alternate project, which from now on I will abbreviate as AP. The AP is going OK. Lots of notebooking. I guess I'm just going to go for it.
posted by Carolyn @ 11/02/2004 07:08:00 PM Permalink
Liz Maverick
Jennifer Ashley
Sandy Schawb
Patti O'Shea
Marjorie M. Liu
Megan Frampton
Kristin Nelson
Miss Snark
Dystel & Goderich
The Rejecter
Evil Editor