My revisions are in. They're in!
To celebrate, I'm going up to a condo in Midway for a writing retreat this weekend. And guess what I'm going to do on that retreat?
ANYTHING BUT WRITE!
So, here's a rundown of the highlights from the revision:
Total words added: Um... 20,000. Please don't tell my editor. Pretty please.
Total times someone flinches in my book: 1
Total times someone spots a little from laughing too hard: 0 (still trying to work that one in)
Strangest Google search for revisions: "4 syllable names that start with P"
Second strangest Google search: "Different ways to describe the shape of a knife wound"
(I think I was a little desperate on that one. The search turned up nothing of use. I finally had to use my own descriptive terms. I hate it when I have to write my own words.)
Third strangest Google search: "Does anyone want to write a slam-bang finish for my book? Anyone?"
(Okay, I didn't really search for that. But I wanted to.)
Favorite line from my book (today, at least): "There are no heroes. And if there were, I wouldn't be one of them."
Second favorite line from the book: "Nothing says 'I'm sorry' like a tea cozy."
Third favorite line: "They expected me to wear pants!"
Best part about revising: Friends bring you treats!
Worst part about revising: The smell.
So, now I plan on relaxing for a moment. I'm going to Midway with my writers group, where cinnamon bears will be eaten and Diet Coke will be mainlined.
I hope you used Pinocchio.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on revisions being done! Don't have any plans for Thanksgiving as of yet, but it's my favourite holiday; I can't wait to cook and be with family!
Kathryn- I try to use Pinochio in all I do.
ReplyDeleteAnd Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday too! I can't believe it's already here.
Sorry for eating a bunch of those cinnamon bears and the majority of the red vines. I left the fruit alone though.
ReplyDeleteWait, if you are going on a writing retreat and I am going on a Mancation to Wendover, who is watching the kids?
Yay!! Congratulations on finishing!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite lines in my WIP involves a tea cozy too. Tea cozies are very important things in live.
Have fun on the retreat.
Yay! Congratulations! I hope you have fun in Midway. And Diet Coke and cinnamon bears are definitely a celebration necessity! P.S. I am excited to see y'all over Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteYou have awesome friends. Can't wait to see everyone tonight!!!!!
ReplyDeleteSam- I'm pretty sure they're old enough to take care of themselves. Kid C knows how to ride a bike now.
ReplyDeleteJenilyn- Really?! I mean, I love tea cozies, but who would've thought we'd both have them in our books? Crazy!
Lulabell- I can't wait for Thanksgiving down at the ranch!
Valynne- I do have awesome friends. Who constantly thwart my diet.
I love your favorite lines! I want to read the book even more now! I can't wait until it's released! :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! It feels great to have that done. I'm in a rush to finish my revision by the end of the month.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I'll bet that feels good. Especially once you've come down from the sugar rush.
ReplyDeleteWait, I thought nothing said "I'm sorry" like wine and spackle. *Sigh* How can I ever be expected to keep up with these things when they change every decade or so?
ReplyDeleteAh well. I'm sticking around home this Thanksgiving, spending time with my family that I'm not related to and their relatives who I'm also not related to but sometimes wish I was cause they're pretty cool people. Also I'll be making pie. Because one of the guys I'm not related to seems to be convinced that it's not Thanksgiving without one of my apple pies. And his uncle probably would have devoured the whole French silk pie himself, but it would have been a bad example to his youngest son (the older ones are all married and I think he's given up being an nutritional example to them).
And I'm also rejoicing that, thanks to the FAA, there is little chance of my little corner of the world exploding next week and causing me to be stressed out and try to get a hold of coworkers on their cell phones while they navigate distant airports so that they can talk me through how to fix the things that exploded while also dealing with the TSA and trying to find their luggage. Woo-hoo for governmental agencies!
Jenni- Thanks for the support! I hope you still love me after you read it.
ReplyDeleteShallee- Good luck with yours! I hope you have friends who will bring you lots of sugar and chocolate.
Robin- I plan to come down from the sugar rush some time in 2012.
Rue- Great comment! I love government agencies! Wait, who are we talking about? Have a great holiday, and I hope your apple pie turns out. My hubby only wishes I knew how to make apple pie. It's his favorite.
I've been dieing to know more about the smell. Are you talking your smell from revising for so long? Or the smell of the friends that brought you those treats? Or the smell of the treats in general? I'm so curious. I might not be able to stand the wait. I'm calling you this minute.
ReplyDeleteDebbie- I've been wondering when someone was going to ask about the smell!
ReplyDeleteMostly, I was referring to my own personal smell due to lack of showering. But also, there's another smell that's a little more subtle, akin to despair, and probably smells like the inside of any writer's lair, particularly during nano or revisions.
The third smell, is of course, chicken.
something more
Congratulations on finishing your revisions! That has to be a huge weight off your shoulders. Revisions really are interesting... Like you've said, pet words and phrases easily sneak into the MS over and over without you even realizing it. (My main characters seem to grin an awful lot. Ha!) As far as word count, well, that's another issue. So far I've added 8,000 words to my MS, and by the time I am finished, I'm sure there will be a few thousand more. But we won't talk about that..... :)
ReplyDeleteYou make me smile, Brodi! Have fun on your retreat.
ReplyDelete"Worst part about revising: The smell."
Okay, maybe I don't want to know.
Kristin- congrats on the word count! And I've had to come up with 7,000 different ways to say "smile" because my characters do it a lot.
ReplyDeleteDonna- You most definitely don't want to know.