I spent forty-five minutes this morning staring at the screen. I typed two words, and then forty-five minutes later I erased them. It was the right thing to do: what I was trying to write about needed to be in a different place, not where I was trying to force it to be, but it was really frustrating. Once I figured out where it needed to be, I was fine and I wrote for another hour without a problem.
This is fun, this editing thing. I’ve completed all the line-edits from My Agent (even in my head, she has capital letters), and now I’m working on the bigger stuff — the scene additions, moving scenes around completely, and deciding on the wisdom of others. I’ve added a character, and I’m changing another one. My Alpha Male hero is a little too Alpha, bordering on complete jerk. I love him, but I can understand why he’s a little too unlikeable. I’m softening him, which is fun. And I feel like I’m getting it! When I first sat down last week with the changes that needed to be made, I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know if I’d be able to pull it off. But I think I will. I really do. I like the book so much better now, and I hope it keeps going that way.
In other news: I danced my legs off last night! The Whoreshoes played with Devil Makes Three, and you know how I LOVE them both. I think I might have hurt my knee a little because it’s sore today. Run six miles, no problem, but dance in heels for hours, hurts a little. I loved my outfit, though. Black and white checkered dress and shoes.
It totally made me dizzy when I walked into our bathroom, though.
I crack myself up.
Listening: My new Stopwatch Hearts station (link to left: Pandora is FREE, people, and it’s the BEST) is awesome. Mellow chick electronica highly-produced tunes. Check it out.
Reading: I finished the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (link to right). And oh, god, I loved it. It was two things I don’t usually go for: historical (WWII) and epistolary. But it was awesome. It’s about the German occupation of Guernsey in the war — did you even KNOW about that? It was fascinating and sweet and romantic and it made me cry. I do NOT cry over books. I don’t know why — I just don’t. (Lonesome Dove, okay, yeah, I did cry. But I was so mad about it I threw the book across the room and refused to finish the massive tome twenty pages before the end. I’m still mad at McMurtry.) But this book, it made me tear up, and that’s not even a spoiler — it happened in the MIDDLE of the book. It was lovely. And there wasn’t even a mention of knitting in the whole damn thing, which I thought was truly weird, and I still loved it. (I adore this picture of Guernseymen wearing their ganseys at a farmer’s market.)
Now! To the beach with dogs and Lala, where if happen to find a lox bagel, I will eat it.
Dude! My mom was telling me about this book but couldn’t remember the name. Thank you! It sounds like a great read.
You’re not the only one you crack up! That picture makes ME dizzy, and I wasn’t even there.
Dancing is a more fun way to get sore knees, in my slightly biased opinion, than running; but I’m prejudiced.
Thanks for the book recommendation!
Pandora doesn’t like Canada yet (weep, weep). I do LastFM instead, it’s OK. I’m getting to that age where if I’m not careful, I start to listen more and more to music from 20 years ago…those online music services are really good for that.
Sounds like you’re in a good writing-place, that’s awesome 🙂
The skirt, the shoes, the floor … I can see why you’d feel a little dizzy! Yet, it still works….
I bawl my head off at the end of Animal Dreams every. single. time. I. read. it. Which is at least every couple of years since 1991 or 1992.
I love that book!
the skirt, shoes and floor are great – very Alice in Wonderland!
thanks for the bagel and lox reminder now am jonesing 🙂 you have no idea how I would kill for Noah’s lox schmear right now. I know NYC great bagels SCHMEAR not so much (a few ok but nothing in my hood anymore now that I moved)
Did you get the email from Pandora re: the new bill that would ultimately end Pandora and free Internet Radio???? Yikes! Call your Rep today to stop this nonsense! And of course it’s big business (Clearwater) that wants to stop this wonderful service.
I just finshsed the Guernsey book myself – absolutely LOVED it!!
Completely not my usual type of book either (no elves, dragons or swords), but it really spoke to me. It was like I knew all of the people personally.
I knew! I knew! ( she said waving an arm in the air)- but then as I was born and live on the island and it is part of my personal family history I should shouldn’t I 🙂
We have heard over here that someone has bought the film rights to the book and wants to film it right here on our little old island. – I must get a copy of this book and see how it compares to the stories I have been told….
All the book bloggers are going on and on about that Guernsey book. If I didn’t already have a tall TBR stack next to my bed, I would check it out. I have your last recommendation, though — Hillbilly Gothic.
The last time I remember crying during a book was when I was reading Bridges of Madison County. I only read it because my coworkers kept pushing me, and I had a similar reaction to yours with the McMurtry book. At the time I thought I was too sophisticated to read mushy romance novels, so I was mad at myself for letting the book get to me. Nowadays it is all about the mush because I need the escapism :-).
I love that shot!!!