:puts on author hat: :stares into the distance:
This time last year, I was coming to a realization that I was absolutely unable to write, read, or even look at my WIPs. I don’t know if it was a block, or the lockdown getting to me. I just remember feeling useless, and that’s not the greatest of feelings.
Cut to a year later, now, I just submitted this round of revisions on MONSTERS, am working on Book #2 synopsis and first act, and jotting down notes on Adult Horror WIP. Which is to say, goddamn it, patience and cutting yourself some slack is a good thing who knew, and an especially important reminder during Nanowrimo.
This is very rich coming from me, by the way, since for some reason I always go haywire in the days leading up to a deadline EVEN IF I’M ON SCHEDULE. Are my eyes still burning? Yes. Am I go to do something differently next time? Probably not but maybe you will. (This probably has nothing to do with the myriad of mental illnesses I have, no.)
Anyway, hopefully my editor signs off on this version and we can head to copyedits. I both had fun and kind of despaired during this stage, because the book is so very close to being done. One of the things I found out during these revisions is how the word MONSTERS is a play on multiple things–you’d think that was obvious as these things are, but at no point was this word in any of my previous titles, which were all solely focused on highlighting my main character, Koral, not her monsters.
Another word, or line, that gave me so much grief in the past 3+ years that I have worked on this book now is the first one. I’ve had so many first lines for this book, and when I finally settled on the opening that is going to be in the versions yall will read, I had multiple versions of the new first line as well. Just last night, I spent five hours replacing words, clauses, testing the syllables and saying the line out loud for so long it started to sound completely unhinged. It was the absolutely last thing I was doing, even after having drafted the accompanying email to my editor, before I was exhausted and just pressed send.
And I think it’s safe to share snippets now. I THINK.
