My Self-Challenge

"Rewriting is like scrubbing the basement floor with a toothbrush." - Pete Murphy

Charity mentioned yesterday about editing her latest WIP (this feels a little incestuous, because she links to me in that entry... ) and how she did it and the fact that she *gasp* enjoyed the journey!

I have three completed drafts (well... two, really, cuz I trash-canned the end of one and am now short about 20,000 words. Yes, it was that bad.) and I like them all. They're a little wacky and odd, but then again -- so am I, and they say to write what you know. Right?

What they really need (aside from the one that needs a decent ending) is good editing. In a recent contest, the feedback I received on my entry included the comment that many of my sentences are structured the same -- to the point where, if you were clapping out a beat, it would be identical. She was right. And no one else had ever pointed it out to me before! I also got some other wonderful feedback from that contest, and despite the fact that I didn't final, I may enter it again. It was worth every penny.

Charity commented that she used "The Donald's" Writing the Breakout Novel workbook and did every exercise whilst editing, even when they got hard.

I agree with her that this workbook is really fantastic for digging deep and pulling out the heart of your story (Oh man, I just got this visual from that Indiana Jones movie... you know - the one where he's on a cliff and the bad guy climbs to him and starts to magically remove his heart from his chest? Ewwww....) and I also agree that it's tough. This may be why I haven't gotten past exercise 21 with any of my WIPs. There are thirty-four exercises.

I have fifty days until NaNo starts. I'm challenging myself to choose one of my WIPs (you out there who've read bits of them, do you have a preference? Camilla? Liv? Tish? Here's your chance to vote!) and work through the Breakout Novel workbook and do EVERY exercise. If I choose Camilla or Liv's story, I'll have a head start because I've started it with them. My editing ideas need to be completed by October 31st, if not the actual edits.

My goal is to have something marketable by the end of the year. I want to send out queries in January. In the midst of all this, I plan on writing at least 50,000 words for NaNo and another couple short stories. Oh yeah... and take care of hubby and DD, and homeschool my DD and clean the house and, and, and...

What is that saying? If you want something done, give it to a busy person?