I've come to the realization that different stages of revision require different amounts of brainpower. I can line edit in the middle of the living room while Thing 1 drives trucks across the wood floor and Thing 2 goes to town on the Wii. But when it comes to smoothing the story, to adding in missing details and clues, I need quiet. And I need a chunk of time. My brain just can't immerse itself in the story when one eye is constantly on alert for a sibling scuffle.
So I'm squeezing in the edits where I can. An hour here another hour there. It would be nice if I didn't need so much sleep! I can draft in the early morning hours because my sleepy mind just lets the story flow. This revision requires analysis, and an alert brain. So sleep, at least for me, is a must.
I have to admit there are times when I just want to throw the whole thing out and start something new. It's that seductive lure of a new story. But what a waste of two years that would be. And really, no story gets to the end without massive revisions. So really I'd just be delaying the inevitable. So I persevere. I'll get to "The End" one of these days, and so will all you. See you guys on the other side. :)
Write on!
22 thoughts:
thanks for checking out my blog. Good luck with Nano
Sleep is a pain in my neck. I get nothing done when I'm exhausted.
Good luck, Anissa! You can do it!
I have to have quiet when adding new material as well.
I can do spell checks or glance at it for errors when there are things going on - but mostly need that quiet!
Good Luck! Have fun! Go go go!
Wow! I coulnd't have said it better myself. This is exactly how I feel right now. Glad to know I'm not alone.
good luck!
No! Don't give up. Keep on truckin' and you'll get there eventually. Then you'll feel awesome. I gave up on one of my stories before it was fixed and even six months later it's still there in the back of my mind--it's really irritating.
What a great post, Anissa. I had just come to a similar conclusion. I was frustrated that this part of revising was going so slowly, and I realized, too, that to rewrite big chunks of story requires a lot of concentration - uninterrupted concentration. I can't even pretend to do it while the kids are up.
We'll get there eventually!
Thing 1 and Thing 2- I love it!
I have to have peace and quiet to write. That's why I have to wait to write until my little monkey is in bed for the night. I've been getting up early on weekends just to sneak an extra hour of writing time in.
Good luck with NaNo! You're braver than I am!
I read a little further in your blog and thought, "Wait, she's NOT doing NaNo. NaNoRevisMo." Got it!
I need a nap. :)
I'm right there with you. I discovered this week that I CAN edit while my little one is playing/destroying the house. However, I must wait until everyone is in bed before I can even think clearly enough to write new material. So, I've had some very late nights with a lot less sleep.
Oh, you weren't kidding. You really do refer your kids as Thing 1 and Thing 2. Ha! (Did you also get 10 million hits on your blog during the month of October when everyone was Googling Thing 1 and Thing 2 for Halloween?)
Quiet is a must and let me tell you 4am is the best time for that.
Some days I think I'm a genius and others I want to scrap the whole thing but we all must persevere through. Revise, reedit and rewrite.
@Mary - thanks!
@spy - It's good to see you. Are you in AZ yet?
@Kathryn - Thanks for the encouragement, and for dropping by. :)
@Susan - Soul sister, I'm telling you. ;)
@Shelli - thanks!
@jade - That's pretty much what I figured. Thanks for the confirmation. So are you going to go back and finish it?
@Robin - Yes we will!
@Stephanie - I always need a nap! LOL! I wish I wasn't so exhausted in the evenings. I'm thinking I'm going to have to suck it up and get up before the sun.
@Melane - I'm just impressed that you can write on less sleep. My eyes just droop lower and lower until i'm pretty much asleep at my laptop.
@Corey - It's only for the blog, but yes they do resemble Thing 1 and Thing 2. Funny about getting lots of hits in October. i bet you did!
@Girl - 4am?! Yikes. But I'll try anything. Thanks for stopping by.
Can you imagine how much we'd get done (or how much more we'd attempt to do) if we didn't need to sleep?
I'm so with you on the quiet -I can't even listen to music while I work. Good luck with the editing!
No...and my husband loves the story. So do I, but since I decided it wouldn't get published in it's current state, I can't seem to find the time for it.
Hopefully I will. One day...
You can do it, Anissa! I can't imagine how you and other moms manage to do it - write AND take care of all the things only a mom can do. Superwomen! :) I hope you find some quiet time for yourself soon.
A chunk of time would be awesome (and unprecidented). I've tried to wait until everyone was asleep, but by then I'm too tired. I do institute a "quiet time" where everybody needs to be playing/resting in their rooms.
Anissa--you have a beautiful blog. And I like your revision method from a few posts ago. I'm revising a MG novel and writing a YA for NaNo.
@Sarah - I'm the same! I get so jealous of people who have soundtracks to their writing. My only soundtrack is silence, and the random shriek of one of the Things.
@Jade - that's exactly what I'm afraid will happen. So I press on...
@Julie - thanks. You're such a sweetie.
@Heather - thanks for stopping by. Sounds like we have similar techniques. Good luck with NaNo!
BTW- I left a little present on my blog for you today. I hope you had a happy Monday!
Thanks Anissa, for your comment - a trip like that is worth the wait, and your day will come, grasshopper! It's really not as much fun until the kids are older, otherwise you stress too much. I am impressed with your NaNoSkills! I am getting behind, and I need to do some makeup quickly! Good luck!
Julie
Good luck, Anissa! You can do it! Work from home India
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