Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Visions of Revisions

Notes to self:

  • If you know you don't like to write two books back to back without a week of play (reading, writing shorts, recipes and the like) don't try it with revisions. Egad. It's like looking at yourself in one of those ultra close-up mirrors that makes your pores look like moon craters.
  • Don't use a plot device. Your editor and your agent will NOT let you get away with it. They'll demand you think of something better. So, just think of something better to start with. Do not throw in cancer at the last minute just to up the tension. Do not try and connect books at this point in your career. Do not fill your book with Elvis jokes, just because they make you laugh. Especially if that book comes out in the UK, where they think of Vegas Elvis and not young postage stamp Elvis, because Elvis was not on their stamps.
  • Hide your To-Be-Read pile. The pull of an escapist book (Peggy Webb's Flying Lessons anyone? I wanna run away too!) is too much when you have work to do.
  • Stop reading your own book! This is my biggest issue. A good sign when it's eventually published, but when it comes to changing minute details, it makes them too easy to miss.

Must get off the internet and finish up the revisions. Made it to chapter 9! And my m-i-l took the boys so I could get down to business.

4 comments:

Karen Erickson said...

Thanks for the suggestions. And good luck finishing your revisions - lucky you with a MIL that'll take your kids to help you out. Gives you blessed free time, so nice...

Trish Wylie said...

aAAARGGGGHHH - You're nearly FINISHED! No fair!!!

And yeah, I'm exactly like you - I can't work them back to back without a break either. We all need down time. AND a break away from constantly trying to add a word here and a word there to make it *better*... Sigh...

Off back to my own revisions then...

Julie S said...

Good luck with your revisions!

That To-Be-Read pile gets me every time.

Laura Rose said...

Well, at least your muse isn't KNITTING and hooked on Big Brother 06!!