Last time I blogged, I mentioned that I was waiting for my editor's notes on my manuscript. Well—I got them! And I've spent the past week and a half deeply engrossed in revisions. I can't stop thinking about my book. It's in my head when I wake up in the morning and as I lie in bed trying to fall asleep—and so much of the time in between. I am so excited about taking my editor's notes and finding ways to make this the best possible book it can be. And...yeah, okay, it hasn't all been easy. I don't believe it will all be smooth sailing for the next month. But it's rewarding work! (And you have my complete permission to remind me of the enthusiasm in this post if I start to complain or freak out in the weeks to come!) Considering that this is the first time I've had to revise a book with a deadline, I feel like things are going pretty well. I have my to-do list of edits. I'm working my way through the biggest, most wide-reaching changes first, asking big questions about my characters and their motivations. I'm revising a few hours a day, almost every day. I have a lot of momentum, and I hope I can keep it up.
There have been a few downsides to spending so much time working on my book revision. One, it's kind of hard to focus on my other work when all I want to do is write! Two, I haven't been able to fit in my usual full roster of dance classes. (Especially because rehearsals for my dance performance in October are also picking up speed!) And three, our apartment is kind of a mess. When I need to procrastinate, picking up the house is one of my favorite ways to do it. When I'm wrapped up in work I'm enjoying, on the other hand, cleaning is the first thing to fall by the wayside. I'm trying to decide how little housework I can get away with until my draft is due in a month. Or if I just have to suck it up and squeeze in an hour with the vacuum, the dishes, the toilet cleaner, etc...
Oh, and the fourth downside: fewer blog posts! I've been saving my creative time and energy for my revision. But I promise, when I turn in this draft, I'll get back to posting Friday Reads and other updates on writing, reading, and fun stuff. So please stick around for my eventual return to regularly scheduled blog posts!
For now, back into the revision cave I go. Wish me luck! More dispatches to follow...
~Kathryn