I'm kind of in love with my first few chapters right now (which I'm scared to admit because the FNC is periodically ripping them apart, stomping my heart on the ground over sentences and some of the MC's actions-all at my request). But anyway -whatever, no one else might understand but we are in love. We've been spending all of our days together and our nights. We snuggle, we print, we save, we erase and rewrite, we listen to our playlist together and discuss which song is our favorite at the moment. PS. I've listened to that playlist so many times now...I may not be able to much longer. And as a dancer, I have a very HIGH tolerance for hearing the same song over and over and over again. But alas it is finally, finally perfect and fits sooo well it makes me ridiculously happy. But I really need to finish this revision soon-not only because I gave myself a December deadline but because sooooo many crappy things happen to my MC and it's sort of exhausting me right now.
And just for pure interest I thought I'd post a total page count and word count for the whole shebang because I've been doing some more random revisions in random places when I feel tired of a section.
When I finished writing, my epic WIP closed in at 22 chapters, 489 pages and 138, 217 words
Today my WIP has 22 chapters (though I think it may possibly become 23), 490 pages and 145, 143 words. I swear I am deleting words like crazy, so I don't know what's happening, but I'm working on it.
But anyway, remember when I bought a printer? Well it was time for me to get new ink. So I went back to the store and guess what? Helpful Salesman was there and he remembered me! Crazy! He saw me and went "Oh you're the writer!"
:-)
Then I went to Barnes and Noble where I shamelessly manipulated two of my sisters and three employees to pose for me with copies of Maggie Stiefvater's Ballad-all in the name of contests!
See how much I want to win Maggie? I'm getting strangers to pose for me!
But so yeah, that was my night! On to some lesson planning so I can do that professoring thing in the morning.
PS I have no explanation for why I look sooooo freakishly tall next to my sisters, or why my teeth seem so funky. Clearly I am the Khloe Kardashian in my family, though birth order should make me Kourtney...
Hi. I stumbled across your blog today and just wanted to say, I'm really enjoying it. Also, I can so relate to your word count issues. My draft stands incomplete at 89,000 words...and when I say incomplete, I mean there's probably another 20,000 words to go. And every time I delete anything it seems like my count goes up! Glad to know I'm not the only one fighting this battle (especially when I read agent's blogs who say YA should be 70,000 words max-ugh!)
ReplyDeleteEvery time my editor tells me to trim a story, I end up adding a few inches of copy. It never fails!
ReplyDeleteHi Frankie - congrats on getting your book to that point - feels good doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI read that you'll be at the Fall Philly, so will I. Hope to run into you there!