Today Billy took Thumper to the neighborhood café (yes, the one with the muffins) to give me some time to work on the novel revisions. I was totally alone in the house for the first time since June. Such a strange feeling…
The revisions… this will be Draft Seven. Except it would be more accurate to call it Draft 3.8. I have to admit that some earlier revisions were quick and lazy, because I left some big questions unanswered—not just in the pages but also in my own mind—rather than do the hard and somewhat painful work of answering them. Lesson learned: If it’s painful to think about why something is happening in your novel or what is motivating a character, chances are that’s EXACTLY the question you most need to ask yourself and to answer in the text. Because chances are it’s at the heart of what the book (and likely your own issues, but isn’t that a topic for another day and place?) is about. Go figure.
The thing that really sucks about revisions? When you have a big revelation, it almost always turns out to be embarrassingly obvious.
So this time IÂ’m really taking my time and reading through draft six again and making lots of notes. IÂ’m feeling good about it. Hopefully my agent will feel good about it too and we can get this beast back into circulation.
IÂ’ve been looking at my yarn and thinking about projects IÂ’d planned long ago and havenÂ’t yet started, as well as projects abandoned when pregnancy made my brain go all gooey and useless for chart-following. And now my knitting time is so limited that IÂ’m—get this—pretty much just working on one project at a time. IÂ’ve realized thatÂ’s the only way IÂ’m ever going to finish anything. (Full disclosure. I guess I mean mostly one big project at a time. I’ve also got a hat for Thumper on the needles, as well as a flared smoke ring that I work from time to time, and some socks. But they’re small, so they don’t count. Anyway, that made sense in my head. Less once I typed it.)
Cassie came by last night and we were looking at my stash and she pulled out the (Jade) Starmore Valtos kit. IÂ’d swatched for it while pregnant and hadnÂ’t been able to follow the chart due to acute pregnancy brain. Now my time is much shorter, but my brainÂ’s nearly back to normal (unless the baby is crying or IÂ’ve just finished a marathon nursing session). IÂ’m thinking maybe itÂ’s time to give Valtos a try again. But first, must finish the Sunrise Circle Jacket (two-thirds done) and ThumperÂ’s Donkey Jacket (a bit more than half done). And that IK Fall Â’06 cover sweater, not yet started.
Oh yeahÂ…and the novel revisions.
Heh. Just a few things on your plate, eh??? When do you find the time? Caring for an infant seems to me to be two full-time jobs!
Posted by: Elinor
Oh I really hope the novel revisions are successful. I so want to read this book.
Posted by: Carole
This sounds extreemely familiar to me. I’ve got way more project ideas than time.
Posted by: LaurieM
I know exactly what you mean on the writing thing. Its the same in my kind of writing.
Ouch.
Posted by: claudia
Small projects count too! It’s all knitting. I have yet to knit something really big. It all gets done in the end. Best of luck with the revisions!
Posted by: Craol
Heh. Just a few things on your plate, eh??? When do you find the time? Caring for an infant seems to me to be two full-time jobs!
Posted by: Elinor
Oh I really hope the novel revisions are successful. I so want to read this book.
Posted by: Carole
This sounds extreemely familiar to me. I’ve got way more project ideas than time.
Posted by: LaurieM
I know exactly what you mean on the writing thing. Its the same in my kind of writing.
Ouch.
Posted by: claudia
Small projects count too! It’s all knitting. I have yet to knit something really big. It all gets done in the end. Best of luck with the revisions!
Posted by: Craol
i am so with you on the line of thought/doing that is getting to work on what you’re supposed to when suddenly inexplicably you’re fondling yarn and planning and fantasizing about projects…anyway, i’ll be so excited (and like hundreds of other readers) when the book is getting published. if you don’t get to powell’s when i do (for a reading…), i’m already wondering if i can mail my copy to you for a signing for you to then send back (with postage included by me!).
Posted by: k
Gaah, pregnant brain. I hated that. My brain is my main thing, and to feel that go to such an alarming degree (and indeed so rapidly when the baby was crying) was frightening. And onya for diving back into the revisions! Good luck with them.
Posted by: marrije
I got that icky feeling reading about your revisions and revelations. I’ve been there. It’s worse when you have a peer review which tells you to make the changes, you resist and then realize they are right and it does make a better paper.
I hope it all gets done quickly and not too painfully and someone buys your book soon.
Posted by: Steph
more power to you for being able to do all the revisions. I have a paper I need to rewrite for the 3rd time, and I keep putting if off (I will assume the journal editor I am avoiding doesn’t read your blog) Although despite your efforts I still don’t knit, I did decide to procrastinate yesterday (when my little one was sleeping and I should have been doing revisions) to start painting the walls. Score 1 for wrong color green in the kitchen. Score 0 for revisions.
Posted by: rebecca
I love that baby picture below. you didn’t even need to add a caption, it’s so cute.
Posted by: nik
I’m working on baby #3, and I totally get what you’re saying with the whole short on time thing. I’ve also found that it’s best for me to concentrate on one thing at a time…of course this doesn’t stop me from casting on several things in a row, but I do focus my efforts pretty exlusively on one large project at a time. =) You made sense. =)
Posted by: Faith
i love valtos! what yarn are you going to use? i constantly pick out yarns to make that with.
Posted by: carolyn
i am so with you on the line of thought/doing that is getting to work on what you’re supposed to when suddenly inexplicably you’re fondling yarn and planning and fantasizing about projects…anyway, i’ll be so excited (and like hundreds of other readers) when the book is getting published. if you don’t get to powell’s when i do (for a reading…), i’m already wondering if i can mail my copy to you for a signing for you to then send back (with postage included by me!).
Posted by: k
Gaah, pregnant brain. I hated that. My brain is my main thing, and to feel that go to such an alarming degree (and indeed so rapidly when the baby was crying) was frightening. And onya for diving back into the revisions! Good luck with them.
Posted by: marrije
I got that icky feeling reading about your revisions and revelations. I’ve been there. It’s worse when you have a peer review which tells you to make the changes, you resist and then realize they are right and it does make a better paper.
I hope it all gets done quickly and not too painfully and someone buys your book soon.
Posted by: Steph
more power to you for being able to do all the revisions. I have a paper I need to rewrite for the 3rd time, and I keep putting if off (I will assume the journal editor I am avoiding doesn’t read your blog) Although despite your efforts I still don’t knit, I did decide to procrastinate yesterday (when my little one was sleeping and I should have been doing revisions) to start painting the walls. Score 1 for wrong color green in the kitchen. Score 0 for revisions.
Posted by: rebecca
I love that baby picture below. you didn’t even need to add a caption, it’s so cute.
Posted by: nik
I’m working on baby #3, and I totally get what you’re saying with the whole short on time thing. I’ve also found that it’s best for me to concentrate on one thing at a time…of course this doesn’t stop me from casting on several things in a row, but I do focus my efforts pretty exlusively on one large project at a time. =) You made sense. =)
Posted by: Faith
i love valtos! what yarn are you going to use? i constantly pick out yarns to make that with.
Posted by: carolyn
You forgot the part where I played with the baby, and then played with him some more, and then made a fool of myself while trying to make him smile. Ah… Thumper. 😉
Good luck with the revisions.
Posted by: Cassie
You sound so energetic!! Good for you.
Posted by: Anne
What a great picture! I love the mommy/baby socks! I’m going to be able to come into NYC on Thursday night to check out The Point. I’m taking a train in from NJ, and I’ve never been to NYC before. What is within a few blocks of The Point that I should check out while I’m there? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted by: Jenn
Oh, I can totally relate to what you’re saying about revisions. I did two cursory revisions of my one completed novel, mainly because I didn’t want to rip the whole thing apart, lay it out on the carpet and deal with the really major problems. I’m trying to get up the gumption to attack it again. Anyway.. empathies! And good luck 🙂
Posted by: Valerie in San Diego
You forgot the part where I played with the baby, and then played with him some more, and then made a fool of myself while trying to make him smile. Ah… Thumper. 😉
Good luck with the revisions.
Posted by: Cassie
You sound so energetic!! Good for you.
Posted by: Anne
What a great picture! I love the mommy/baby socks! I’m going to be able to come into NYC on Thursday night to check out The Point. I’m taking a train in from NJ, and I’ve never been to NYC before. What is within a few blocks of The Point that I should check out while I’m there? Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Posted by: Jenn
Oh, I can totally relate to what you’re saying about revisions. I did two cursory revisions of my one completed novel, mainly because I didn’t want to rip the whole thing apart, lay it out on the carpet and deal with the really major problems. I’m trying to get up the gumption to attack it again. Anyway.. empathies! And good luck 🙂
Posted by: Valerie in San Diego