guilty revisions.....

I am now going to state the obvious, the act of revising absolutely sucks!  It's been four, six  okay fine like 8 months and I'm stuck in a place worse than eternal fire; revisions-dum, dum, dum.....(not dumb like stupid but you know a suspenseful-sound)  I can't seem to get past p. 85 of my book and it's driving me crazy.  Don't get me wrong I'm very pleased with the changes and everyday I'm amazed at what my characters have blossomed into but it seems like I've dug a deeper hole than I wanted to.

I began this book on a whim back in 2010 and worked on it sporadically until May of 2012-then everything changed.  There hasn't been a morning since that I haven't worked on it in some capacity until, well until recently.  I want that gut screwing feeling of excitement back that I had when I first began writing, not this constant state of guilt.  How does one get past it?    

I'm currently involved in other projects and reading books that aren't my typical genre.  It's helping a little but I have set a deadline for myself and if this book isn't completed by then I know it's time to move on unless someone out there has any words of wisdom....(I can't stop revising this blog post either!)  

Here are some fun quotes that strike a chord:

I probably spend 90% of my time revising what I've written.
Joyce Carol Oates 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/revising.html#9WEEJGcrx0ykFolI.99 

If things are going well I can easily spend twelve hours a day writing, but not writing writing, just thinking and revising and taking a comma out and putting it back in.
Francine Prose 
Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/revising.html#9WEEJGcrx0ykFolI.99 

“Books are never finished, they are merely abandoned.”  Oscar Wilde

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”  Ernest Hemingway

“I think the only person a writer has an obligation to is himself. If what I write doesn’t fulfill something in me, if I don’t honestly feel it’s the best I can do, then I’m miserable.”Truman Capote

“The self-criticism of a tired mind is suicide.” Charles Horton Cooley

Happy (distracting) Holidays!

It was a fight-a constant struggle and the holidays won.  Even though I continue to set my alarm for 5am to work on my book(my 3rd major revision), it takes me 30-45 minutes to respond to the annoying noise.  At 6am with my cooling coffee next to me and the blinking cursor on the screen-what am I thinking?  Certainly not about my character's next words, no, but  rather did I pick up everything from the grocery store?  Or, should I pick up one more thing for so-and-so.  Don't forget to add vanilla to that-wait-the expensive vanilla not the imitation stuff...

Okay, I've lost my way and now I'm finding it very very difficult to pick up where I left off.  Wouldn't it be easier to just drop the whole thing?  I've already received a rejection to my agent query so shouldn't I quit there?  Everything inside of me screams (NO!) but I'm so tired and my family complains that I work too much.   Where can I sign up for a workshop on balancing one's life?

So calm down, I'm not quitting but instead I'm trying to take it one day at a time.  The inspirational quotes have become my bible of sorts and I try my best not to push too hard right now.  I need to ease my way back into my regimen and drink lots of vodka (just joking).

How do you cope with situations such as these?



Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. 
Thomas Merton 

Women need real moments of solitude and self-reflection to balance out how much of ourselves we give away.
Barbara de Angelis 

I don't think balance is something you get from someone else; it's something women have to find from within. For me, finding balance is still a work in progress.
Rachel Weisz 

 

Revisions and decisions...

        Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement....
              -Ronald Reagan

It's final-I absolutely detest revising.  I find myself cleaning the toilets or organizing dresser drawers instead.  Why?  Grandiose notions of birthing a flawless novel?  Hardly!  It's like driving down an unfamiliar road with thousands of exits that might take you somewhere interesting or a dead end.   Then of course there are all those places to pullover to admire or hate the view, or even to relieve one's bladder. It's so damn easy to become distracted, especially on those particularly sunny, breezy days.

            I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.
                    -Douglas Adams

Then you have that little person (Sd-I call him he doesn't deserve a vowel) living in the back of your head telling you Why bother, it's not like you'll ever be published! Writing is so much fun, right?

Tell me, how do you remain focused while revising?