First Edits Done

It's done. I've gotten through the whole manuscript. Wow, that's pretty cool.

So the first edit is done, which is awesome, and I feel like I fixed a lot of the writing. Now I know what major problems need to be fixed, and for the second edits I can go back and do the major cutting and pasting and touching up logistical problems and anomalies.

But first I'm going to take a small vacation. My spring break is next week, so I'll spend that time to do some more editing research, relax, and maybe get some work done on other projects. I haven't written any short things really, I think I'll try and get a few written to get back into writing, instead of just editing. I might even look at my failed NaNo attempt and see if it's worth salvaging.

I'm also going to be working on my art portfolio again, so I'll probably do some more sketches for y'all as I do that. What kind of images are you guys curious about? I'm thinking of doing some more landscape and architecture sketches, I do so few of those.

I do have one sketch to post now- I redid an interior sketch I drew a long time ago. I've fixed a lot of discrepancies and will try and restart that digital painting of it I wanted to do.

So there's that. Wow, I can't believe that last half went so quickly. Kind of makes me scared to go back and see why the beginning gave me such trouble; I doubt I fixed it all up.

I've got a lot of schoolwork to get done now that I can't use my manuscript to procrastinate, so... I guess I'll see you all in two weeks!

What a Fantastic, Wonderful World

This last week has been awesome. In just about every way.

But especially regarding editing progress! I'm kind of on a role, have edited a good amount every day, and gotten through a huge chunk of text. I've organized and edited quite a few chapters-worth of material, and gotten through I think like 30k words. That means of course....

...That I'm three-quarters of the way through! I have around 50k words left, and I expect it to go pretty quickly, seeing how the last 50k went. I'm on a very productive streak right now. But the last part is also more recent, so the writing should be more according to my present level. Of course my present skill level in writing may not be amazing anyway, but at least it's waaay better than it was two years ago. Way. Better.

I now run the risk- and I feel I was doing this over the weekend, when I went through a huge mass of text in one sitting- of just reading instead of editing. Which is good in that I find my own writing decent enough to enjoy reading, but also bad because I'm not thinking or reading as critically when I do that, I think. So I'm going to try not to do too much at once (who thought I'd ever have this problem) so I won't fall into an easy and lazy habit.

Many major things need to be solved- like major choices made by characters- there was something that impacted many chapters that was caused by Taim, but I don't remember the reasoning I put behind it when I wrote it, since it doesn't seem to make sense now. These types of things I've made notes of (something Scrivener has been awesome about and is very handy for) and will review my original story notes and figure out solutions for my second edit. That may be the procrastinator in me, but I don't want to stop my momentum now and I can't wait to get the preliminary editing done.

So I'll see you next week! And hey, I'm even getting to bed before midnight tonight! What a grownup.

Page: 306/415

Problems I'm Thinking About:
-logistical consistency
-character development
-messy writing and being too wordy(one of my main problems. It's horrific, really.)
-Pacing, especially regarding action and suspense for emotional scenes.
-making sure characters agree both with their own reason in their decisions and actual logic.

Finally Intensity

I started my daily editing around nine thirty this evening... Or technically last night, since I got super carried away and it's now twelve forty-five AM. Oops? But I just edited a very exciting bit- a bit including my first fight scene of the book.

I think my timing was well done during the first fight scene, and I remember being very careful to line everything up. I'm still finding mistakes of course, and with fast-pace scenes it's harder to make action ownership clear, so I'm working on that.

Otherwise I'm very happy with this- the action has started, it isn't horrible, and I'm working with newer writing as well as characters that I dearly missed that were not in the first half of the book. I don't know if I should worry about this, but I seem to have introduced a whole new cast of characters for the second half of the story, mostly due to relocation. Would that ruin continuity or all the work I've put into developing other characters? All characters reappear by the end of the book, they're not gone forever, of course, but I don't know if that's something that sits well with readers. Anyone have any advice regarding that?

This past week I missed a lot of days for editing due to my life being for a brief period of time CHAOS ITSELF, but especially regarding my binge tonight, I think I'm still on track. Not that I really have a track, other than just constant progress. Because I'm obviously a very organized person(NOT). I love having these random three to five hour spans of productivity. It's like my brain decided to cooperate unconditionally this once.

I had to stop and post this because I need to go to bed/do more homework before I go to bed because I promised myself I would. My Humanities class is reading Macbeth this week- one of the only Shakespeare plays to have a well rounded female character. So I'm excited- I've read it before but the class is being taught by the drama professor who's directing Macbeth this semester (a happy coincidence) and it's going to be an interesting next couple weeks going through it. Swords have already made one appearance in the classroom (like, real ones).

Page: 258/415

Problems I'm Thinking About:
-logistical consistency
-character development
-messy writing and being too wordy(one of my main problems. It's horrific, really.)
-Pacing, especially regarding action and suspense for emotional scenes.
-not letting this part of the story drag, especially for the next few chapters.