Check the meters on the side.
While the word count fluctuator code won't show that the project's finished, it's done. It's really, really done.
25 November 2008
24 November 2008
One
Word Nerd's got one section of the book left to edit tonight.
One section. Less than 10 pages, really.
Then she'll be done with the work-in-progress. After this, it'll be sent out to some trusted readers. And likely she'll stop talking about it as much on this blog. Here's why -- after some feedback from readers, Word Nerd;s plan is to send it out to agents. She doesn't think that whole process should be public.
So... thanks for reading during this writing/revising process.
Word Nerd will still be writing even while waiting for beta readers and/or agent feedback, so keep reading.
One section. Less than 10 pages, really.
Then she'll be done with the work-in-progress. After this, it'll be sent out to some trusted readers. And likely she'll stop talking about it as much on this blog. Here's why -- after some feedback from readers, Word Nerd;s plan is to send it out to agents. She doesn't think that whole process should be public.
So... thanks for reading during this writing/revising process.
Word Nerd will still be writing even while waiting for beta readers and/or agent feedback, so keep reading.
19 November 2008
Editing Progress
So this is it. Word Nerd is to her last week of editing the novel before turning it over to a group of dedicated readers to get some feedback.
Word Nerd's NaNoEdMo has been a great success. Starting Monday, she's got seven solid days of editing in a row to finish. Barring no emergencies, next Tuesday, she should be able to post that she's done.
Yes, done.
This is the second novel Word Nerd's written, but the first one never got close to this stage of done-ness. Word Nerd's sure she'll get some comments back from readers, but nothing that would unravel the plot.
She thinks there will have to be some sort of celebration for this kind of done-ness. What exactly, she doesn't know. Maybe some chocolate cake in honor of the old Chocolate Cake Club.
Any thoughts on an appropriate celebration?
Word Nerd's NaNoEdMo has been a great success. Starting Monday, she's got seven solid days of editing in a row to finish. Barring no emergencies, next Tuesday, she should be able to post that she's done.
Yes, done.
This is the second novel Word Nerd's written, but the first one never got close to this stage of done-ness. Word Nerd's sure she'll get some comments back from readers, but nothing that would unravel the plot.
She thinks there will have to be some sort of celebration for this kind of done-ness. What exactly, she doesn't know. Maybe some chocolate cake in honor of the old Chocolate Cake Club.
Any thoughts on an appropriate celebration?
14 November 2008
Book Banter -- Sitting Practice
Title: Sitting Practice
Author: Caroline Adderson
Length: 329 pages
Genre: Literary fiction
Plot Basics: Ross and Iliana are newly-weds when a car accident changes their lives. Iliana is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Somewhat strangers before the wedding, Ross and Iliana now have to relearn who each other is in the confines of her disability.
Banter Points: The plot was an interesting premise.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd really didn't like this book. There aren't many that she just dislikes flat out, but this one definitely is one. This book was the pick for her book club and she's hoping December's title is better. The problem Word Nerd saw with the story was that Ross and Iliana were only 2D character before the accident, so trying to make them into 3D characters after the accident didn't work. Word Nerd never really felt bad for them and the life they lost before the accident. Moreover, the thing Adderson dwelt on so much was the lack of physical intimacy between them and Word Nerd would suppose that while that would be a big deal between newly weds, there would be a whole lot more to have to adjust to in a relationship that only that. The relationship in the story between Ross and his sister Bonnie was more compelling that the relationship between Ross and Iliana.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it unless you read only literary fiction.
Author: Caroline Adderson
Length: 329 pages
Genre: Literary fiction
Plot Basics: Ross and Iliana are newly-weds when a car accident changes their lives. Iliana is paralyzed from the waist down and confined to a wheelchair. Somewhat strangers before the wedding, Ross and Iliana now have to relearn who each other is in the confines of her disability.
Banter Points: The plot was an interesting premise.
Bummer Points: Word Nerd really didn't like this book. There aren't many that she just dislikes flat out, but this one definitely is one. This book was the pick for her book club and she's hoping December's title is better. The problem Word Nerd saw with the story was that Ross and Iliana were only 2D character before the accident, so trying to make them into 3D characters after the accident didn't work. Word Nerd never really felt bad for them and the life they lost before the accident. Moreover, the thing Adderson dwelt on so much was the lack of physical intimacy between them and Word Nerd would suppose that while that would be a big deal between newly weds, there would be a whole lot more to have to adjust to in a relationship that only that. The relationship in the story between Ross and his sister Bonnie was more compelling that the relationship between Ross and Iliana.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Skip it unless you read only literary fiction.
11 November 2008
Book Banter -- Proven Guilty
Title: Proven Guilty (Dresden Files bk. 8)
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: ~370 pages
Genre: urban/paranormal fantasy
Plot Basics: Chicago's resident wizard, Harry Dresden, has managed to tick off the White Council and their Wardens and start the war between the Council and the Red Court vampires. Now, drafted as a Warden, Harry's coming to terms with the magical justice system that doesn't leave much room for redemption. When a horror movie convention starts getting plagued by real attacks, Harry sets off to figure out why, and discovers that the person behind the attacks may be at the mercy of the Council's not-very-lenient justice system.
Banter Points: Word Nerd loves Harry Dresden. She's been having such a great time reading through Butcher's backlist that she's a little disappointed to be almost caught up. Harry's such a great hero, so exceptionally flawed that it's impossible not to love him. The other thing Word Nerd really loves about this series is how nothing Butcher does as a writer is accidental. The stuff that Harry did back in book four has ramifications now in book 8 and beyond.
Bummer Points: Dresden and Murphy. If you've read the series, you understand.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Stop thinking about reading this series. Just go do it.
Author: Jim Butcher
Length: ~370 pages
Genre: urban/paranormal fantasy
Plot Basics: Chicago's resident wizard, Harry Dresden, has managed to tick off the White Council and their Wardens and start the war between the Council and the Red Court vampires. Now, drafted as a Warden, Harry's coming to terms with the magical justice system that doesn't leave much room for redemption. When a horror movie convention starts getting plagued by real attacks, Harry sets off to figure out why, and discovers that the person behind the attacks may be at the mercy of the Council's not-very-lenient justice system.
Banter Points: Word Nerd loves Harry Dresden. She's been having such a great time reading through Butcher's backlist that she's a little disappointed to be almost caught up. Harry's such a great hero, so exceptionally flawed that it's impossible not to love him. The other thing Word Nerd really loves about this series is how nothing Butcher does as a writer is accidental. The stuff that Harry did back in book four has ramifications now in book 8 and beyond.
Bummer Points: Dresden and Murphy. If you've read the series, you understand.
Word Nerd Recommendation: Stop thinking about reading this series. Just go do it.
06 November 2008
The Writing Wall
Just over a month ago now, Word Nerd moved into a new apartment.
The highlight of the new place is this: It used to be an elementary school and when they did the renovations, they left five large blackboard panels in the living room. Word Nerd could not believe it -- it's like a dream for a writer who was trying to keep notes to herself on sticky-notes attached to her wall.
Two of the boards near Word Nerd's desk are her writing boards. A part of a third board has been taken over for her weekly editing schedule.
Here's a glimpse of what it looks like:
Here's a close-up of the best advice Word Nerd's got written on her board. A few weeks ago, she saw writers Marcus Sakey and Sean Chercover at a local appearance here. Marcus said he taped this phrase to his monitor. Word Nerd's shamelessly ripped it off because it is so liberating.
05 November 2008
04 November 2008
Editing
Word Nerd kicked off another week of editing last night, after taking off a three day weekend for a Halloween shindig for her work on Friday and having her mom (Hi Mom!) in town for the weekend.
Last night, she plowed through initial changes to chapters 30-33. Tonight, the real work begins as she picks apart ch. 30-31 and makes the big fixes. This two-step editing process seems to be working. First Word Nerd inputs the mostly cosmetic changes to the chapter that she noticed when she read the whole book through sometime much earlier this year. Punctuation and missing words fixed, then she prints out a clean copy of the chapters and edits for content, consistency, pacing, etc. The second set of fixes is where all the work really happens.
On the first fix pages for these chapters, Word Nerd had huge sections where she didn't change anything, which she hopes is sort of a good sign... not a good sign for having polished prose, necessarily, but a good sign that when she hit this section of the book on the first read through, she forgot about editing and got sucked into story.
Watch for editing meter changes soon.
Last night, she plowed through initial changes to chapters 30-33. Tonight, the real work begins as she picks apart ch. 30-31 and makes the big fixes. This two-step editing process seems to be working. First Word Nerd inputs the mostly cosmetic changes to the chapter that she noticed when she read the whole book through sometime much earlier this year. Punctuation and missing words fixed, then she prints out a clean copy of the chapters and edits for content, consistency, pacing, etc. The second set of fixes is where all the work really happens.
On the first fix pages for these chapters, Word Nerd had huge sections where she didn't change anything, which she hopes is sort of a good sign... not a good sign for having polished prose, necessarily, but a good sign that when she hit this section of the book on the first read through, she forgot about editing and got sucked into story.
Watch for editing meter changes soon.
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