I got two more hours of editing in before midnight and then the power went out. We had so many power problems this last winter, and during the last blackout the entire sub-station blew out. Since then we've been using a portable sub-station. The regular sub-station has been repaired so tonight was the night to transfer back. That's why the power went out.
I was amazed that the guys were out there in the cold wind and rain (it was pouring heavily)... fixing the electricity! I gotta hand it to them, what they do is very respectable and very much needed.
After the electricity was restored I got back out of bed and came back here to my computer. I put in another 38 minutes editing, then noticed I've reached the half-way point with my revision hours for NaNoEdMo.
There aren't very many of us participating this year... though NaNoWriMo has been around a few years, the editing version is being test-run for the first time. Quite a few people signed up but there's not much activity on the message boards. We've had our first winner... some guy in England named Rod Duncan... finished first.. on March 21.
I had a hard month and didn't get much done but now I'm pushing to try to make it to 50 hours by the end of the month. Wish me luck! Four hours a day????? Will I do it? I just don't know but I'm one determined lady sometimes.
Enough for now... I've celebrated my half-way point long enough.. now.. back to work!
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25:12 hours revised
24:48 more to go
Not only is life in Iraq a living hell right now, I'm at the last week of NaNoEdMo and am only 22 and 1/2 hours into my 50-hour revision task. To finish, I'll have to complete four hours each day for the next seven days.
For the last three days I've managed to complete the four-hour goal. It is really hard, but each day may get easier. Who knows, I may develop a real writer's work ethic because of this.
While the war is highly distressing (for me, and most people I think)... doing this work helps focus me. Were it not for this, I'd spend my time obsessing over news accounts and worrying about my daughter who's in the Navy. Its good to have something to keep my mind off all the pain and heartache in the world right now.
Besides struggling through the first revision of The Scribe of Irohila this month, I wrote a short story for my writers club project. Its a fantasy, paranormal folk tale of the miners and Karuks of the Klamath River Valley. A bit of fun, really... and the other writers liked it, or at least they said they did. 1900 words.
I just finished reading The Scribe of Irohila for the first time since I wrote it 16 months ago. Wow... it is such an incredible feeling! I loved the last couple of chapters. I cried... I got excited.. it all worked just like a novel is supposed to. What confidence this gives me!
I still have a lot of revision to do, but there's hope for this manuscript and I'll keep working at it.
I'm not doing too good at NaNoEdMo sorry to say. I'm only 11 hours into the project. Unless the next part of revision keeps me glued to the task a lot more than the read through / edit did, I'm doomed.
I've been reading through and editing the first novel I wrote, and am surprised at how entertaining it is. I'm really enjoying this manuscript!
Already I'm nearly half done with this portion of the revision activity. I have it planned.. to do the hard-copy read-through and editing first, then to go through it making revisions on the computer version.
Editing is moving right along. I'm reading and editing at the same time. I've spent 2 and 1/2 hours on the job so far and am working my way through chapter five at this time. There are 19 chapters total.
This is the first time I've read this far into the manuscript since I wrote it in November 2001. Its kinda fun, really, like revisiting old friends and familiar situations. I'm finding lots of room for improvement, yet there's plenty in the manuscript that's already good.
Its entertaining, and I believe I can make kids laugh.
