Deadlines, lovely deadlines...

Starting a challenge for myself to be published by June 1st, no matter what.
The actual goal was May1st but June is my emergency cushion :)

Plan: I need to high-level revise a chapter/day, 2 on the weekend.
Then line edit 2 chapters/day, 4 on the weekend.

****

Revision update

Status for today:

Walk the cat- yes, that's a thing.

10 min walk- yes, I'm that pathetic.

Revision:

Ch: 17...  

ugh.  I got doing something else.
tomorrow

Goals for today

"So now it's just me and the writing project.  The ugly, ugly writing of a wonderful world that I just loves (kiss/kiss)
The only thing is to suck it up and face up to the novel that just has potential but doesn't fly.
But revise and move on, revise and move on.
Goal: 1 chapter/day. 2 on the weekend.
15 chapters left.
~2 weeks.
Yay- that would work. If it's possible.
And if I publish a novel... that's special. To me, that's everything.
Just get it out there and move on."

Progress:
Ch 16: DONE
Ch 17: ... (later on the changes will get much more difficult. This will be good if I can get REALLY, really far ahead)... Can I shoot for 3 or 4 chapters today and tomorrow?

I got part way through Chapter 17... will be back tomorrow

Closing the loop

Just to update, I have made some major changes in my life.

I found a way to make my current writing space work. I actually love to be here now.
I found a way to make the job work. So far I'm able to push it to the upper echelons of the morning which means I get afternoon hours to be a writer.
(I go to bed early but it still makes a difference. Amazing difference)
And the writing office...i loves it. yeah, life is really good right now. if only i can keep the new schedule. Pretty please.

Cat is getting ignored. I need to take him out for a walk, poor thing.

So now it's just me and the writing project.  The ugly, ugly writing of a wonderful world that I just loves (kiss/kiss)

Ok, must walk the cat. seriously. he's dumb as a stump and will actually lie down in front of cars.
It's only fair since my life is so good that he should get some fun in life too.

I took a short walk on treadmill when I got home so that's something. Unfortunately I have to start over. Bum knees and ankles and everything else. :(

The only thing is to suck it up and face up to the novel that just has potential but doesn't fly.
But revise and move on, revise and move on.

Goal: 1 chapter/day. 2 on the weekend.
15 chapters left.
~2 weeks.

Yay- that would work. If it's possible.
And if I publish a novel... that's special. To me, that's everything.
Just get it out there and move on.

Also dvorak is awesome. definitely. try it.
totally worth it by leaps and bounds

And goals for the edit!!

Ohhh. how I do love setting goals.

I seem to be doing a lot of procrastinating this afternoon which makes me sad. (eek, make that evening!)
Let's get this on the track...

Objective: Publish Novel by end of May 2016

Steps remaining to meet objective:

• Complete the edit
• Hope for a Beta read but set a firm deadline for responses (since I might not get any and the story's not worth waiting another 3 years, holding my entire writing career up. I've already given it 20 years. That's enough of that!).
• Get a cover (this may be a problem but I'm hopeful.)
• Revise to feedback (if I get any)
• Another read-through for flow and punctuation errors
• Publish
• Update site/update mailing list
• Do a happy dance for at least 1 minute

Goal 1: Edit    High-level plot revision, Line edit revision.

• Scenes left in plot revision: ~64
• Line edits: Possibly 128... too lazy to even attempt the count

I need to get the edits done by the end of April. Which means the story needs to actually be solid by mid-April.  Not going to happen.

...I just cringe...

But here we are.

Goal- high-level revisions- 10 scenes/day.

Done in two weeks.  due: 4/4

Goal- line edits: due 4/28  (these should go much faster.. maybe 20 scenes/day)

Nothing like setting impossible goals so I give up. Again.

Yup- So I GAVE UP!!

I couldn't wait any longer for edits.  My beta reader was just too busy and it just seemed silly.
This is a small and short story- I don't expect it to sell many copies and I just needed to psychologically get past it.

And it's funny because the novel-length series that I'm working on is also kind of odd. But I just like it. I can't explain it but... no, I love it.  It's such a fun story to me.
The elements are all wrong though so it's just not going to have wide appeal.
And I just have to do it anyway.
And it's going to be 3 stories at least.  But dang it, it's getting completed and edited and freaking published.

All this to say: I published the short story... and I'm trying to re-focus on getting novel 1 edited.
I'm hopeful that eventually I'll write a story that will fit genre expectations and this will just be some interesting/strange backlist.

I didn't set out to write stuff that didn't fit. But it just doesn't.
And now I can't turn my back on it.

I must give it a place, complete it, and move on.
It deserves that since it's been percolating for 15-20 years... something like that... something horrible like that.

And I'm published.

Let my family know and... [drumroll please]...

I sold one copy to my sister. ...yay...???
Oh well. They always say your family is not going to read it. But I kind of figured they'd pony up the $1 just to own it, for the sake of owning it.

Live, learn, move on.  [insert sad but resigned face here]


P.S. By the way, this means I'm actually published now. For Realz.

Cover was secured... now on to the novel edits...

Got my cover.  Story is STILL out for edits!! UGH. that's too long.

I grow impatient with the litl pip

But no excuse- my novel has still not been edited. And that has nothing to do with the above story.

I made a list of 3-4 scenes that must be updated tonight (or at least I need to START on the list/put in some solid effort to get those fixed)

Will update as I go...

TO DO:
M scene- vague it up/make it unclear. remove hidden msg [DONE/SORT OF]
C: streamline, not so much back and forth
O: change to she's dormant/special and link
G: doesn't know what happened. but offshoot of what she does.

Compiling...

Picked out/ordered the cover yesterday. But no word back yet from the designer.
Hopefully it wasn't snapped up by someone else yet. I will remain very afraid until I actually get the file.

Today's Goals:

• Get story compile-ready and save as custom setting for this story.
• Make some major progress on the line edits

Getting closer...

Getting closer to being published.

Got it out for beta reads.
Narrowing down on a cover (nothing's perfect but oh well...)
I need to edit and I need to format for ebook.