Work, work, all day long.
My house is a mess. I can't even begin to explain how bad it is.
In a week we leave for Washington DC, for the RWA Conference.
My kids are off to camp on Monday.
And I'm on the final stages of finishing a book that I need to mail next Friday.
NO PRESSURE.
Final stages of a book. What happens in the final stages.
I read back through the book, delete scenes that really don't move the story forward and add scenes that will help to keep the conflict strong and the pacing strong. I hope.
I tend to write fast, so I also go back and fill in where I might have rushed to get the story down. I find places where I fell into 'telling' rather than 'showing.' Those always stand out. The places where I tell that they did something, but fail to take the reader on the journey with the characters. And isn't reading all about taking a journey?
The truth is, I work better under pressure. If I have plenty of time to get things done, I procrastinate. I have time, so why rush?
Whether it's writing a book or cleaning house because I have company coming, I'm a last minute person. When it comes to the trip next week, I'll be doing laundry and packing bags the night before we leave.
My favorite part of having a deadline for a book, "I'm sorry, I just can't get to those dishes right now."
2 comments:
LOL I'm a bit of a last-minute person too. NOt with chores, because I tend to do those throughout the day, but I also don't write for a job. Someday, I too shall proclaim, "I absolutely Can NOT finish those dishes, my dahlings. I am an artiste, a creator of stories. I have no time for tedious, menial household tasks."
And then I'll flounce to the couch and happily forget my house exists.
HA!
Like that would happen. LOL
Have fun at RWA! Thanks for sharing your process too. So far in my manuscript revisions, I haven't deleted too many scenes. Hadn't really thought about it, so now that makes me want to check them for plot advancement. :-) Thanks!
LOL...Jessica, the only problem is, those dishes reproduce! They start to follow you around the house.
I'm the queen of delete. As I revise I delete the scenes that don't work or I highlight parts of the scene i want to keep and revise the rest.
And I keep notes to myself in the file, things i think about that need to be added for the conflict, or to further the plot. Later I'll go back and make sure those details are in the story.
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