I got some time in revising today. Not much. Too much to do. And we have a small emergency with one of our appliances. You know… the kind that isn’t life-threatening but that makes your life a little bit harder. Frankly, it could be worse so I’m adjusting the sails as best I can while my husband steers the course.
The good part was the scene I revised is one of my favorites in this story. I’m learning revising, to me, is like when a sculptor has their basic frame and starts throwing clay on it, molding it into the form they want. I start with a pretty meager first draft, with just enough information to get the basic story across. In the revising process, I add detail to it, possibly make it worse because I have a tendency to get wordy in the second draft. Having a notebook filled with notes/extra info/long scenes that need to be inserted has really helped. I don’t have to hunt through the document for changes I’ve made.
On a side-note, one of the drawbacks to working on a story (I may have mentioned this) is that all sorts of ideas for other stories pop into my head. I’m listening to They Might Be Giant’s album Flood and one of the songs got me thinking about a variation on a story idea I had years before. As the song played, it was like a movie trailer running through my head, all the key scenes echoing the lyrics, especially the basic premise. I love that time when a story begins to settle and organize itself in my head, when all the pieces are moving into place so that I can write it if I choose, or write down the skeleton and put it away for a few more years.
Oh, I also got Dengeki Daisy, vol. 5 today. Very excited. This story reminds me that a romance can be sweet and powerful. If I manage to find the time, I’ll write a review and post it. The series so far has been worth every bit of money I’ve put into it (i.e. it’s the kind I pull down from the shelf more than once to read).
(Note: I get no money, compensation, or even an expected acknowledgement from Viz or any related companies. I have no ties to them. I’m just a huge fan of Dengeki Daisy, which they happen to publish.)
Falling asleep at the keyboard. Think I’ll turn in. Hope whoever is reading this is well and I should have better news tomorrow.
Amy Keeley 