I received comments from my first beta reader. She had a couple of “issues” and a couple of wishes. lol I agree about most of them, and honestly didn’t even think about one of them…which is pretty stupid of me. So, I have some changes to make. Nothing major, more like things I need to add. I need to clear up the hero’s motivation and why the heroine’s fallen in love with him. I need this one to sit and stew in my brain for a bit, trying to figure out how to make it work. I’m also wondering if she should BE in love with him or simply open to everything she feared before–marriage, kids, etc. I figure I have until the second beta returns her comments to figure it out. ![]()
I spent most of today cooking, sleeping and posting on Once Upon A Crime. I planned to spend my last few hours brainstorming my next book (a YA about six kids spending the night in an abandoned building and learning some terrible secrets), but I figured I take a look at my WIP and see how much work it needed.
When I write, I use WriteWayPro. It’s a writer’s software that I absolutely love. One of its many great aspects is no red or green squiggly lines. It’s great for ignoring your internal editor. So, while the revisions are done, there’s still the spelling, grammar and punctuation that needs to be checked.
At this stage, I’m just zipping through the pages looking for obvious mistakes. Once I get it back from any beta readers, I’ll go through it one more time with a much closer look to detail. So, I just completed 210 pages. Only 164 for tomorrow. There goes my braintorming for the evening, but it’s for a good cause. ![]()
I can’t believe it. I am finished with my first revisions.
Woo hoo!!!!
Now it’s just a quick check for grammar and spelling this weekend, and I send it off to any beta readers. Hopefully I can get this to the editor by mid-December–hopefully earlier.
I’m thrilled!
Almost Done
I am creeping along and almost at my goal.
276 / 360 pages. 77% done!
I just finished revising the second act. I’m about to start the third, which is roughly 6 chapters, which could be done in 3 more days, but some of them are on the small side and some major layering may need to be done…or even a couple more scenes.
But I’m coming to the end, and I’m thrilled! ![]()
Yesterday I did my marathon shopping, which entailed two hours at the grocery stores–literally. That doesn’t include driving there and back, but it does include standing in line, so I’ll say 1 1/2 hours of walking around. Granted it’s not strenous or brisk walking, but every little bit helps.
My back is killing me!
I’m still plugging along on the revisions. I’m currently working on the seance scene and having some trouble with it, but I hope to iron it out today and then finish this chapter. I received my comments from the agent judge of the Stiletto, and I don’t want to talk about it.
On another note, I haven’t mentioned how I’m altering what the kids and I eat. Yes, our diet. I hate that words because my whole life it was used to refer to stricting food and going hungry most of the time. Or starvation techniques, counting calories and being very meticulous about something that should be natural.
Anyway, I went through my cupboards last week and threw out anything old (mostly some salad dressings we never opened and other condiments from the frig). I then went through the items we currently had to look for hydrogenated oils. Surprisingly, they weren’t in every single box of cereal, the instant potatoes or the Saltines. Some of the items will remain and continue to be purchased–like some cereals, the occasional box of Cheeze-its or Goldfish, flour tortillas (I’ll make homemade bread, but I’m not making tortilla too…well, at least not now. I don’t have a press.). Other items, like Jiff peanut butter, instant oatmeal and pancake mix will remain only until we finish them, and then everything else will never see the inside of my house again.
No more cake mixes, bouillon cubes, margarine (I only used it to butter toast and I can count on two fingers how often we had that), brownie mixes, microwave popcorn. Of course, we’re not going to stop eating cakes, cookies, popcorn, etc. It just means a lot more cooking for me. Like daily! OMG! lol Last night I’m sitting here thinking how hungry I was and there was nothing to eat (other than cereal) that didn’t need to be cooked. *sigh*
My plan is to make bread of some variety (today is sandwich rolls because I’m dying for an eggplant sandwich in the panini maker with either melted swiss or provolone) and soup, stew or chili daily or every other day. I have the bread machine and the crock pot, and those items can accompany whatever else we want to eat for the day. I’m decent about planning dinners but never lunches. This could alleviate that problem. Today, I’m making vegetable broth in the crock pot and broccoli soup on the stove. Potato soup and shrimp gumbo (yes, I’m semi-vegetarian) are on the menu this month too.
Ok, guess I’ve talked about food enough. lol Now back to the revisions.
I just finished 30 pages of revisions today, plus the 8 from Thursday, which brings to 38 so far. Only 300+ to go. :P I’m impressed with what I accomplished today though. I also blogged at Once Upon A Crime about plotting and plan to do a weekly post to possibly give ideas to others who struggle in that process.
Nothing else really happened today, other than the overload of candy my kids are consuming and the dirty house that’s screaming at me to clean it. That’s on tomorrow agenda. ![]()
