Monday, May 3, 2010

I.HATE.MY.MANUSCRIPT.

Yes, that's right. I'm tired of looking at it, tired of editing it, tired of tucking it in at night, tired of picking up after it. I'm constantly polishing it, making it shiny and pretty, and what does it do for me? N-O-T-H-I-N-G. It's ungrateful. I'm sick of pummeling it, and molding it, and fixing its cracks, and filling in its holes. I want it to just BE something already. I'm ready for it to be its completed, sculpted form, so I can start on my next project. Because my next project is going to be oh-so-much fun. Just like this one used to be. Only better. So this is what I propose:

One solid month. I will give it one more painstaking month of at least an hour a day of editing, polishing, smoothing. One more month, and then I'm done with this manuscript. Whatever it is at the end of the month is whatever it will be for the rest of its life.

Unless an editor/agent needs me to revise it. :)

4 comments:

  1. oh, yeah, yeah...snicker.

    So you say, but then one dark night, something whispers, making soft promises.

    No, not that! Your MS! Suddenly a character speaks up, gets your attention, saying something you didn't expect. Its like finding a violet in the weeds, it's there, a new bright and shining voice shows you the way. And your love for your MS begins anew.

    Or else you down enough chocolate and life goes on :)

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  2. Huntress, you caught me! This happens to me at least every other Wednesday! And on the off Wednesdays, I DO enjoy some chocolate...

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  3. I hear you. I have to walk away on occasion--do something entirely different for about a week or maybe more and only then can I get anything accomplished on the most recent MS. Because I get to the point of feeling sick of looking at it!

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  4. This is exactly how i feel today! I just finished yet another edit and have to start all over again. I never read a book more than once and I've read my own manuscript at least 35 times.

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