wurdburd

I keep saying I am editing- and so I decided to change my wording. From now on I am pulling in the strings - tightening up. Or novel numeracy might be another term, I guess. Adding in and taking away and hoping that the product is a winning formula. Or is that just a load of tosh?

Anyway tonight, I write a chapter in for James, a latecomer to be written from his point of view, but already known to the other characters. His side is tough to write and not just because I am the opposite sex, but because of the character he is. Very intriguing, though not sure how people will take him. Still we like a challenge as writers don’t we?

If you read of someone you don’t like in a novel you are enjoying, would you continue to read their part, if they were integral to the plot? I know this character well, his likes, dislikes, taste in music even, how he dresses etc . Well I guess time will tell. Onwards and upwards….

Oh, at last the words began to flow again on Thursday - just as my son’s friend arrived for the afternoon. What immaculate timing. It was all going so well, then the requests began, just a biscuit mum, could we have a drink please, are we going out now?

Still hanging on in there, I shelved it and hopefully can dust it all down tomorrow and finish the chapter I was working on. I so want to get this draft done, and send it to my readers for complete read through before third draft, but don’t want to ruin it by rushing. A toughy, right? Maybe trying to do it in the 7 weeks school holiday wasn’t my brightest idea, especially as now I have a brilliant idea for a new set of children’s stories I want to get going on. I need a wife…oh sorry, I forgot. I am one!

So cue more late nights, putting in half an hour, maybe an hour if the kids have Disney channel on,less when the fights start over possession of the remote control. Mmm, then there’s that nasty housework thing I’ve been hearing about. And maybe a little more of that procrastination habit…

Oh now this is something I know I am good at - maybe I should write a book about it!

So I guess it follows - I want my characters to be as lifelike and realistic as possible. So if I procrastinate then maybe they it’s ok that they do too? I have one currently faffing about whether he should tell the girl he loves how he feels. Do you take the risk on his behalf and let her see his feelings - or keep it dark and risk her getting together with another because she doesn’t know? She loves him, but is she in love with him? And if she isn’t, could he handle the truth and remain close to her? I have this right to mess about with peoples’ lives and hearts and I keep forgetting they are not real, just characters.

I forget how much I like writing this blog until I submit a new entry - but is this really just procrastinating too? For heaven’s sake get on with editing woman!!

Tonight was my little boy’s first proper football match at a real stadium - well I say a real stadium, Peterborough United, our local team in a friendly against Sunderland. I think they both had a good time. Not so sure the local team did, beaten 0-2. Me and my two girls? we went browsing in the big local supermarket. Browsing turned to buying….turned to filtering in the goods when those who do not need to know are not around. Sometime tomorrow when said person has left for the day. I know I am not the first to do that.

In this stage of my editing - I wonder if I need more words, all of a sudden I am panicking that it doesn’t seem long enough. So where to add? I always connected editing with reduction in words rather than addition - shows my naivety I guess. So where do I add? Back to square one, read through once more. It should read seamlessly, like the greats in this genre that has chosen me - Jill Mansell, Marian Keyes, Sheila O’Flanagan, Katie Fforde. These ladies who I hold in high esteem and hope that one day I will even shelf share in the book shop.

Now where to drip feed those new paragraphs………