Return from Oblivion

Listening to: All Time Low, "Coffee Shop Soundtrack"

Surprise! Betcha thought I was gone for good, didn't ya? Ah, ye of little faith.

I didn't intend to take such a long break, but once you fall away from blogging for a while, it can be tough to get back into it. But I'm here, whether you like it or not.*

We went back home for the weekend, and I actually had a pretty spectacular few days. I started editing Attempt to Write a Decent Novel #3 Friday night, and made quite a bit of progress. Also, found a gigantic plot hole, but that's just part of the process. Of course, I wore my "I'm a Writing Nerd" shirt, as seen here. Prose before Hos, baby. Yes, I'm a geek.

Saturday I went out to lunch with a friend, which is definitely something we need to do more often. Then I went to a punk-show-benefit type thing for a while, then out with some friends again. And only one friend blew me off--and not the one who usually blows me off, either. He showed up. They keep me on my toes.

As for the editing--it's going well. Probably one of the best feelings in the world is when, after finishing a first draft and taking several weeks away from it, you come back and realize that it's not awful. And you don't hate it. And the ideas and characters and events still have the power to excite you. That's a damn good feeling.

Honestly, I can't recall having that feeling with the last two attempts. It's entirely possible that I did, but I don't remember it at all. So maybe I'm onto something?

I guess I'll find out. In the meantime, here are a couple very useful articles and blog entries about the revision process, all of which have been helpful to me this time around:

Tess Gerritsen: The Second Draft
Holly Lisle: One Pass Manuscript Revision and How to Revise a Novel

For anyone who's in the same place that I'm in, or soon will be--these links might prove invaluable. I generally just kind of dive into my revisions, with a few things in the back of my mind that I know will need attention. This time, I'm keeping all these things in mind, and although it's pretty hard to address everything--I once again feel like I'm a freaking juggler, keeping all these balls in the air--it helps to have a sort of map. It keeps the cobwebby, paper-strewn pigsty that is my brain a bit tidier, you could say.

Question: Is anyone doing NaNoWriMo this year? I really considered it, but we're moving back to PA the first week of November, so...I'm going to lose a few days. I may still give it a shot, if only because I find an excuse not to participate every single freaking year, and I'd like this year to be different. If any of my, um, three regular readers are doing it, or anyone who pops by the blog, let me know in the comments and maybe we can all blog about it together and keep each other motivated. I'd kind of like to do this with a group, or at least one other person...for sanity's sake.** It always helps to know someone is going through the same insanity you're experiencing.

Man, it would be awesome to be able to say I wrote two novels this year. It might even be worth the severe damage writing a novel in a month would do to my brain.

Be back tomorrow.


*I guess if you didn't like it, you wouldn't be here. Or maybe you're a glutton for punishment like that. But that's your own business.

**Yes, I know NaNoWriMo has a forum, but...eh. I'm not really a forum-posting kinda gal. I'm a lurker. I'm that nerdy chick in the corner who listens to everything you say, but doesn't speak. Well, at least on the internet.