Yesterday I shipped off a freelance proofreading job–my last job until I finish the publisher-requested revisions to The Revolution of Every Day and turn the manuscript back in. Billy and I talked it over and agreed that I need to seize this opportunity and give all my available time and energy to revising. It would be idiotic to let this chance slip away because I was busy editing other people’s books for money. Things will be kind of tight around here without my freelance income, but we have to take that chance. Here’s where a contract before revisions would have been nice–a portion of the advance paid out at signing would have given me a cushion to do the work without having to stress about money (more than usual).

But I’m not complaining! Hell, no, I’m not complaining. I’m going to do brilliant work on these revisions and get that book deal and then use the (modest) advance to buy me time to revise the Portland novel.

Ah, the Portland novel. The novel formerly known as Cold Black Stars. It is now the novel known as Nightbirds of Oregon. You name a thing, and then you make it and it changes on you and the original name no longer fits. Children are stuck with their names. Novels, luckily, can be renamed many times before publication. So Nightbirds of Oregon is the working title now. For now.

Nightbirds of Oregon, also known as Nightbirds, also known as NOO (to be said with a moo, of course), is a first draft that wants to be a second draft. Oh, how it longs to be a second draft. Alas, it has to wait. Backburnered, baby. Its big brother needs more attention. Tonight I’m taking down all of my NOO revision notes and plans to make space for Revolution once again.

These were my NOO boards:

I don’t outline from the outset, but once I’ve got a finished first draft I outline and make maps and character webs and many, many notes. It helps me to get my hands around it, to understand what I’ve done while writing blind.

It’s hard to pack this all away and set it aside. The characters in Nightbirds are the ones who live in my head now, the ones who show up in my dreams. It’s going to take some doing to work my way back into Revolution.

I think I can get Revolution revised and back to the editor in a month, maybe a month and a half. The changes they want aren’t really all that extensive–especially considering the last time I revised it I added three new POVs. That was a major rewrite. What they’ve asked for? A new beginning, some aggressive pruning and reshaping. I can do this. I won’t rush–MC (beloved mentor) once told me no good ever came of rushing and I took that to heart and believe it–but with no freelance on my desk I can dedicate all of my work time to this novel. Whatever happens with this publisher, that feels like a gift.