Ah Revisions...

So I'm smack dab in the middle of my second week of revisions for Wolfy Love Story. Admittedly, this is new territory for me- since I have the attention span of a fruit fly and almost never see a story idea all the way through the end.

And I find I have several tasks ahead of me. Fist, and most importantly, I've got to go through and lengthen the parts I rushed and slow down the parts that drag on so the whole thing flows better, but that's much easier said than done.

What do you delete? What will you regret deleting? Does that part where the two MC's are having that heartfelt conversation at the beach really move the story along, or do you just like it?

It's really hard to find that balance. Even with feedback from a crit partner, but that's mostly because I'm always fighting that voice in my head that says "She just doesn't understand the characters as well as you do, that's why she doesn't think is necessary."

That little voice gets on my nerves about seven hundred and twelve times a day and there's no shutting her up.

I also have to figure out how to get from around 112,000 words to around 95,000, which is better than I expected. It would be a lot harder to chop out say, fifty thousand words, but when everything still feels vital, even five hundred is like tearing off your own skin.

Normally at this point I'd set Wolfy aside and  start on something else, but this story is so ridiculously stuck in my brain that I dream about wolf tracks in the sand, and I can't listen to country music without totally zoning out into that little coastal Maine town that lives in my mind. I even catch myself keeping track of how full the moon is!

So I'm in need of some tips! When you're wrapped up in a story like a raccoon caught in a fishing net, how do you distance yourself when taking time away just isn't an option yet? How do you separate the cute from the vital? How much of the love story can you sacrifice in favor of action before you lose the characters drive to do the things they do to save each other?

When real life gets in the way...

Sometimes I feel like I get so wrapped up in my writing world that the real world sort of vanishes for a little while, and then other times real life is so damn insistent that I can't do anything but focus on the mundane. :-( 

This last month was like the latter. There's a surprisingly small amount of time left in the day when you're packing, moving, unpacking, and trying to find the charger for your laptop- while pulling a certain little boy out of empty boxes so the movers could finish packing. And real life is so much less fun than my imaginary life. Full of writing checks, and grocery shopping- not a single werewolf attack to break up the ordinary a little. 

A few exciting things are happening in the real world however! I'm smack dab in the middle of month 7 with baby #2! Since we're having a girl this time, I have no use for about 2 tons of baby boy clothes with sayings like "Mommy's little boy" and "Daddy's tiny pilot" and have to start over with pink and yellow. I wouldn't complain except for how expensive baby clothes are. But my mind is full of tiny little flower headbands and tutu's. :-)

Also on the agenda is a new puppy! We pick her up next Saturday, she's a six week old Beagle, and my three year old says he can't decide what to name her, but apparently it's a toss up between "Chloe" and "Monkey." I'm rooting for Chloe. Monkey is a funny name for a puppy, but not so much for an 11 year old arthritic dog that likes to dig in the neighbors yard. Can you imagine running through the neighborhood yelling "Monkey! Get back here!" Nope, neither can I.

We have 3rd pick on a girl, so one of these will be ours:

They're adorable! And for my 3 1/2 old it's just about the most exciting event in his entire little life.

On the writing front I finished my rough draft of Wolfy Love Story and sent it off for a first read through by my fabulous CP Celeste. She's too nice as usual, but now that I have her feedback I feel like I have a good footing for where to start with revisions. So as soon as real life settles down a little I'll dive into revisions and I'll be looking for some beta readers around the middle of July. I figure I can send it off then, and they can take their time reading through while I'm knee deep in newborn diapers and can't think of anything but sleep. :-)

If anyone is interested in doing some reading for me in a couple months just let me know! I'll happily return the favor.

So to recap, boring real life, moving, 7 months pregnant, new adorable puppy, and finished rough draft. :-) It's been a crazy month...

How is your spring going?  Have you been inspired or suffering writers block? 

Toodles!

Megan.