TH and Tog sleeping in. Me and Tog at Starbucks. Double tall soy cinnamon dolce latte for me. Bagel for Tog.
Edits due for novel in ten days. I may need a tiny extension. I’m petrified. I know EXACTLY what needs to be done . I know which characters need tweaking. Which need to be completely omitted. I just have to sit down and barrell through it.
In the comments this week someone likened rewriting to math. You add multiply subtract divide. Finding the perfect equation of words.
I’ve never been good at math but I do feel like a mathemetcian or an architect when I revise and edit. I get this deeply satisfied feeling in my stomach when I read what seems like a well executed sentence.
I am very grateful to my dear readers. Blogging is helping me as a writer. I’m especially grateful to the eight members of my online writing group. Reading and commenting on your prose has helped me immensely with my own.
THings I Will Keep In Mind As I Revise
1. Keep it moving. Snappy pace is important. Don’t let the reader out of the room.
2. Don’t get attached. Certain sentences, plot points and even whole characters may have to be scrapped. Be ruthless.
3. Read your dialogue aloud. What sounds good in your head doesn’t always sound realistic.
I begin revising in earnest first thing Monday morning.
This weekend I write without writing.
Fellow writers: do you know what I mean by writing without writing? I’ll be thinking about my book all weekend. But no writing.
If you happen upon this random Saturday post tell me what you’re up to today. Are you writing? Thinking about writing? Wishing you were writing?
I’d love to hear from you…
Photo: Tog and her Starbucks crew
Aliya S. King 
August 22, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Hey NYTBA!
I’m writing! I’m writing!
And yes, I know exactly what you mean about writing without writing. Sometimes I’m driving down the street or out drinking with friends and out of no where the best sentence ever pops in my head, or that one word I could not think of to save my life miraculously finds it’s way to my brain. Love when that happens. Hate that it doesn’t happen when I’m in front of the computer.
August 22, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Aliya,
Thinking about writing and writing. I agree about the writing without writing. Some of my better ideas come from when I step away from the computer screen. I just found your site recently, but I’m really enjoying the writing advice you give.
August 22, 2009 at 10:02 pm
First, Tog’s little dress is too cute! Today has been a day of unexpected things. I’m sitting at the computer in perfect health with my mind and all 10 fingers functioning and I’m STILL NOT writing. Has your mind ever been so full it’s hard to get the thoughts out? Or do you just call that pure laziness? I can never answer that question.
I think about things I could write about all day. When I sit at the computer, my mind goes as blank as my Word document. Let me see what I can push out. It’s just me and my Pringles.
August 22, 2009 at 10:06 pm
I do that all the time — writing without writing. Sometimes, its a great technique. Other times, I get all these good ideas that don’t translate on paper or I forget what it is before I can write it down. Quite frustrating.
Today, I’m in that ‘I wish I was writing’ phase. I’m forcing myself to relax today. It worked for all of about 6 hours. Then I started coding a new blog I want to start and doing some reading. I’m so glad you benefit from the fiction workshop as well. It has been SO invaluable! It’s hard to imagine someone as seasoned as you are still learning… but, I love to hear that you are.
Writing just like everything else I suppose is a continuing, evolving process. Is there a point where a writer gets to a place where its like okay, I am refined. I know all there is to know about how to write and how to do it well? Well anyway, these are my random weekend thoughts, lol.
August 24, 2009 at 11:22 pm
i’m writing about what i need to do to be a better writer.
August 26, 2009 at 11:57 pm
writing is one of the most dichotic activities of all time. dreadful, yet euphoric.