Wednesday, March 3, 2010

WIP Wednesday: Spring and Other Stories


Look what popped up in our front yard yesterday.

I think it means Spring has come to Central Washington State. And to celebrate, Sophie learned how to say "flower."

In other news, my official word count on my most recent WIP, Back, is 49, 172, which means I'm getting closer. But of course, when writing a novel, one is always getting closer. Word count on a first draft gives no real indication of how close to finished one actually is, because one might have to rewrite the entire novel if one realizes at some point that it's diarrhea on paper. Still, one is closer. Is that encouraging, or not?

I'm still tinkering with V-Day. I'm being very patient. I have the urge to query (similar to the urge to push when delivering a baby), but I'm holding back because I know I'm not yet ready to enter those dark waters again. I have a new critique partner who is drilling into the thing chapter by chapter and there's no way I'm querying again until either she quits or she finishes the entire manuscript. She's very thorough and I'm very appreciative! There have been so many times when I've been ready to throw in the towel with this particular manuscript. I keep thinking there's too much to fix. The fixing will never end. That's when I remind myself that writing a book is work. I used to be the first one to giggle and coo and say how much I loved revisions and editing. That was my first book. I was obviously very naive and didn't know the real meaning behind the word "revising." I'm wiser now. Definitely less giggly.

If you're a fellow writer, how are those WIPs going?

3 comments:

  1. "I have the urge to query (similar to the urge to push when delivering a baby)."

    Very clever, and true (although I'm probably not the greatest judge of that, seeing as how both of mine have come by C-section...).

    Bob is coming along. I just topped the 49,000-word mark (49,447 words, to be precise, which means we're still shadowing each other:) ), and I'm (back to) feeling good about him. (Hit a small snag earlier this week - funny how my feelings about him can swing back and forth so violently in so short a time.)

    I'm looking forward to having his first draft finished, because I've learned a lot about revision since I was editing my last book and I can't wait to try some new things out.

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  2. Ooo, Krista, I hope you'll share your wisdom about revising with me at some point. I also have those violent swings of feeling towards my books. It's bizarre! Thanks for commiserating. :)

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  3. haha writing is pretty bipolar isn't it? I'm on chapter 6 of a rewrite now and it's making me want to break out the pick axe.

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