- On Community Theatre (7)
- On Fitness (4)
- On Life (3)
- On Music (2)
- On Our World Community (1)
- On Sports (8)
- On Student Productions (7)
- On the Media (5)
- On Travel (9)
- On Writing (44)
- September 2, 2010: On the Second Time Around – or Maybe the Eleventh
- August 22, 2010: On Summer Ticking Down
- June 30, 2010: On Day 16
- June 29, 2010: On Day 14
- June 27, 2010: On A Summer Resolution
- May 8, 2010: On Face Off
- January 21, 2010: On January 2010
- November 6, 2009: On the Night Before a Performance
- October 22, 2009: On The Banes of Darkwood Hall
- October 16, 2009: On Snowflake: An Ode
- September 2010
- August 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- January 2010
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
- March 2007
On the Completion of a Manuscript
Last Friday I dropped off a draft of my sequel to Power Plays at Coteau. It was a busy week in all respects, and I would have liked to have proofread it one more time.
It is an honour to be able to walk through the doors of a publishing house and place a 74000 word manuscript in the hands of the managing editor. What a difference from sealing Not Just a Boy’s Game in an Xpress Post with a cover letter in July 2006 and sending it to Coteau, saying to myself “If it gets rejected again, I’m going to self-publish.”
I have done two revisions, and with each one, I am happier. I cut away about 4500 words from the first draft, even though I added a few scenes and rearranged others. For me the revising process is the most fun. I get a feeling of satisfaction when I lop off three or four paragraphs of “drivel.” If there’s a line of dialogue I don’t like, I get rid of it. It’s sort of like trimming the fat off a piece of steak.
I’m not sure what Coteau will think. In some respects I think this manuscript is superior to its predecessor. But Not Just a Boy’s Game/Power Plays had eight years to evolve. The sequel – as yet unnamed – was written in three stages. I wrote two chapters in February 2008, one chapter in May 2008, and the rest from October to February. Not counting plays, I have never written so many words so quickly.
And the trick for me is to give myself permission to write drivel. When I’m in the midst of drivel, I know it’s drivel, but I just keep telling myself, “I can always cut it later. Maybe something good will come out of it.” I also jumped ahead and wrote large chunks of significant events. I didn’t know how I was going to condense six weeks of Jessie’s life, but I was amazed at how easily it happened.
Now the waiting begins. Will they or won’t they? That is the question.