?

I received a letter today to say that a letter I wrote has been published in this month's Prima. Trouble is, I don't remember writing one and I haven't recorded it on my what to where list. I'm sure that the magazine is right so I'm very much looking forward to getting the magazine so that I can see what it was.

Almost there

I've spent the best part of three hours editing and polishing the rewritten 3 chapters of BTL and I think that I am at that stage again where I am almost tired of reading them. I know it practically word for word. I also know that I could carry on faffing with it forever - just changing things for the sake of it.
With that in mind I think that I'm going to leave it a day or two and then come at it again for a final polish and then send it off.
That's the plan at the minute anyway.

I just know that I'm going to agonise over resending these three chapters. Remember how I was when I sent it the first time. But it won't promote confidence if it tales me months to rewrite 3 chapters will it? On the other hand I want to make sure that they are right.
I also want the engineer to give the boiler a clean bill of health. It's been making some very odd noises.

I've got a couple of hours to kill before the British gas engineer is due so a spot of editing and polishing is in order I believe. The first 3 chapters of BTL are now finished in draft form so there's atill a way to go before they are ready to go.
Here goes.

Weird

I was about to say that the weirdest thing happened to me today but that's probably not accurate but it was certainly pretty weird. As some of you may know I work in a charity shop and I was there today, minding my own business, looking at an audit roll and working out the chances of making target this week when a woman came up to me and said, "Didn't I see something you'd written in Prima magazine recently?" I said that I had and she said that she'd enjoyed it.
How chuffed was I? Very.

Chapter 2 - the verdict

I have heard form Jan and the verdict is in.
The choice between the original and the new version was apparently harder this time but she has decided to go with the revised "George-less" version. Phew!!!
Lots of editing to do though but I knew that already.
Chapter 3 here I come.

Productive morning

Have now rewritten chapter 2 without George and sent it to Jan for a second opinion. I've asked her to give it the once over when she gets a chance it's still the middle of the night where she lives so she won't have got it yet (unless she can't sleep and happens to be checking her emails - very doubtful) and she is a busy lady so it might take her a while to get back to me. When she does though you will be the first to know.

Not with the pink pen

I've just popped over here from my book for a second or two to let you all know how it is going.
Well, despite my friend Jan saying that she thought that the new version of chapter 1 was better than the original for being George-less as you know I struggled to start chapter 2. But after a reminder from some of you that I wouldn't actually be killing him but sending him on a long holiday to the back of my brain (very sunny at this time of year)I managed to make a start. It was slow progress for a day or two but last night it just sort of clicked into place and my fingers have been tapping away like mad things. And the same thing this morning. I'm giving myself a couple of hours on it right now and maybe a bit more later so hopefully I'll make some progress.
One of my concerns was that I would chop huge swathes of words out because George was in them and not be able to fill them but so far I'm doing alright. My MC (female) seems to be managing okay on her own.
Maybe they should leave Christine Bleakley on her own after Adrian Chiles leaves The One Show - she'd do alright.
That's it really - nothing else to report. I've submitted my W2W story but I've been concentrating on BTL so I haven't written much apart from that though that has just reminded me that my boss wants a press release for the local paper. I'd forgotten all about that so I'd best do that today.
I'll use the pink pen for that just so she doesn't think I've fallen out with her.

More than a letter

Just need to clarify something before I move on.
The character "G" who is about to be erased from my book has a name and that name is George.
The lovely Joanne and the equally lovely Suzanne both suggested that I put him in something else and do you know what they are right. George lives and breathes in my head and one day he will find his own place on the page. I don't feel so bad about taking him out anymore.
Anyway, just wanted you to know that he had a name. I don't know why I did, I just did. It seems a bit silly now but as is my habit, once it's written on here it's written and can't be taken back so silly or not, there it is.

Onwards and upwards

I really should get on with chapter 2 but I find myself putting it off. I started it this morning and I've just wasted an hour that I could have spent working on it doing anything but. I think that the enormity of the task has just hit me. My beloved G will be no more. I'm trying to tell myself that the new chapter 1 is better for him not being there and I actually like MC better now as they're not the drip that they were before. Now that has to be a good thing.
Job for the week:
"New" chapter 2 must be finished by next Sunday.
I don't really know why I'm putting it off because like I've said the new chapter 1 is better and the ideas that I've had for the revised version of the book are quite exciting. So I should just get on and do it shouldn't I? "Dear God yes," you all cry.
Okay then, I will.
Sorry G but you are collateral damage and have to be sacrificed for the greater good. It's funny in a way because when Jan reviewed the 2 chapter 1's for me she pointed out that G actually wasn't very nice and that is just the opposite of what I wanted.
Right I'm going to shut up and get on with it. Just needed to give myself a bit of a pep talk. Thanks for listening.
Onwards and upwards.

1st chapter report and good news

Jan has reported back on chapter 1 and it appears that dear old G has to go though I'm still toying with the idea of introducing him right at the end of chapter 1 or the start of chapter 2 and giving him a much smaller role. My MC is so much stronger without him.
But now I have another problem. To get rid of him/reduce his role is quite a big job as he is in the entire book so should I
a) send the first chapter to nice agent and ask if I'm on the right track
b) work on the first three chapters, send to nice agent and explain that it means changing the whole book
or
c) change the whole book anyway.
I don;t mind changing it. It means that CT goes on the back burner and I'll spend the next six months working on it but c'est la vie, if that's what it takes.

On a different note I sold a story to TLFF yesterday. It's the first one that I've sold to them in a while so that's good and the second time I've sold this particular story so that's even better. Having said that I sent this one to them about 5 weeks ago and they've had another 2 of my stories for 5 months. Maybe I should give up on those.

Chapter 1 done

Well I've just completed the changes to chapter 1 of BTL and I have sent the old and the new versions to my friend Jan to get her opinion. I'm going to be really interested in what she has to say.
It still needs a polish but I want to get a feel for if I'm on the right track.
To say that they are telling the same story they are two very different animals.

Task of the day

I heard back from the agent that I sent BTL to the other day. She said that she liked the idea for the book but would like to see some changes made. She said that if I was happy to work on them she would be happy to look at the revised chapters. I think that she is right and I am happy to try to improve the book so that's what I have started to do this morning. The only problem is that it involves changing the influence of one of the characters which is quite a big job (in my head at least.)
I have given myself a month to get the first three chapters done.
I am still hoping to write a little of CT every day as that has its own wrting slot scheduled into my day.
Wish me luck.

Thanks ladies

Thanks to Suzanne and LilyS for awarding this to me. I really appreciate it. However I couldn't find 10 other blogs that I regularly read that haven't already been nominated. Sorry, hope that doesn't mean you want it back.

Project update

Just thought that I'd let you all know how the new project is coming along. The major project that is not the host of little things that I have going on.
Well, Wednesday will see the end of the fourth week which given my personal target means that I should have 6000 words committed to the page. I am a little behind following the false start that I had but as of ten minutes ago the word count was 4695. I don't think that I'll be far off the 6k mark and would certainly expect to be back on track by the end of week 5.
The project (CT) itself is coming along quite nicely thank you. The first three chapters (yes they have been short) has been setting the scene. Now we get down to the grittier stuff. I am learning a lot through the research that I'm doing which is interesting even though its not neccassarily information that I would have chosen to know. Needs must when the devil drives eh!
No, so far so good and I just wanted to share that with you.
Hope you all have a happy Easter.
x

Comments on the first 3 months.

Can you believe that it's April already? Where on earth has the time gone?
I thought I'd have a look at my "What to Where" folder and see what I've done in the time that has flown by. I have submitted 21 pieces of work of which 4 have been accepted, 7 not (if you know what I mean) and the rest are still technically in with a chance. There are also 3 pieces outstanding from the end of last year which I haven't heard about mainly from That's Life! (Aus) and as I've had acceptances from them after 8 months before now I'm choosing to believe that they are still in with a chance too. As 21 in 3 months averages out at 7 a month I think that's okay.
I've also started my big new project in that time - twice. That's coming along slowly but surely. It's like everything else, I wish I had more time for it. Hopefully unless there is a change in plan I will get some time on it today. Also I am now part of a writing group which requires me to write a short story every 2 weeks which is a great discipline and also the standard is so high that its certainly made me up my game.
That was it really, just thought that I would share a few random thoughts with you. Time to go and wake Himself up now so that we can "enjoy" (you will darling I promise you) our day off together.