Revision

What is harder, writing the original story or revising it? I think it's revision. I think my story has good bones, but its full of filler, sentences that make no sense, sentences that are ambiguous and abstract. Then the character change, but change so much the ones at the end don't seem to be like the ones at the start. It's going to be a long process but I'll stick to it. If I can't revise a story there is no point in writing them as no one else will fix them up for me.
On another note I've just read my first e-book. An author Mike Wells, has some free e-books and I downloaded one "Lust Money and Murder", I loved it and down loaded book 2 which you have to pay for but it was only 2.99 I am yet to get book 3, but I will. Here is a link to the free copy "Lust Money and Murder book 1"
Happy reading all.

Chapter 1

So I've just finished my 3rd draft of chapter 1. I've spent a fair amount of time on it and I know it'll need some more, but I think I ready to have some one else read it and give me some feedback.
I've decided I will give myself a week for each chapter, at 27 chapters that's 27 weeks, well 26 now, half a year! But with so many commitments in my life it's hard to do it faster. Maybe I'll surprise myself.

At the moment I'm reading Burned by P.C and Kristin Cast. I buy most of my books online and I like having them in paper and one of the websites I used had this book for 3.99 including postage on a daily special, so I bought it. It's interesting, very simply written, but a very complex story. It's part of a series book 7, so I've come in at that end. Not sure if I'll read any others in the series yet, but I will finish this one.
Cheers.

Draft number 3!

So now I have to do it all over again. I dread revising, I feel like it's easier to spill it all out then refine it, but I realize that it is an important part to writing. So I'm trying to think about the process differently, it's a matter of refining whats already there, which is, if you think about it, easier. This time I've decided to print each chapter and work on it as a hard copy. When I say 3'rd draft each chapter will be reviewed multiple times. For chapter 1 I did 2 revisions on the computer and then one on the hard copy I printed out. It's going to be another long process.
Better get to it.

I'm excited!

I did it, finished my second draft. Just like that, it's done. I don't know how long I've worked on it, but it's been a long time. My first draft I finished in three months, full of spelling mistakes and random bit and an awful ending that I didn't like to read—it seemed boring—so this time I rewrote the whole thing, changing the novel totally from the middle. I can't believe how long it has taken me though. I started on the redraft in  2009 and now were in January 2012. I hope that I do the next draft quicker.

I also wanted to talk about some books that I've just finished. First, Daughter of Smoke and bone by Laini Taylor http://www.lainitaylor.com/ Wow! I really enjoyed this book, even though it is a Young Adult novel. It is packed with magic, adventure, loss and love. I can't wait for the next one to come out.
Second was my book club book The making of us by Lisa Jewell. About the children of a sperm dona who find each other and themselves. It was something I wouldn't pick up on my own, but I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the relationships that the characters developed and the ending. There were some very sad sections and I did cry, but that's good, sometimes.

I saw the new Girl with a dragon tattoo film and although I haven't seen the original I thought this one was really well done. I did try reading the first novel and found it a bit hard going, it may have also been the large pile of other books sitting on my bedside table that were more enticing. Anyway I decided to try reading the next one.

So far 2012 has been a great year!

Cheers!

I'm almost there!

Yesterday was an exciting day for me, as I sat at my computer I realized I had almost come to the end of my book. I thought maybe tonight I would finish my second draft (which has taken much longer than my first draft did). I haven't finished it, but I am so close. I need some fresh eyes so will look at it again tomorrow, and hopefully I'll be writing again tomorrow to say it's done!
It is such a long process no wonder so many people who start to write a book never finish. It's just hours at the computer and music for me.
Well I may just go and read before going to sleep. I love a night without TV, don't you?

Spiders!

I'm not sure what your thoughts are on spiders, mine—I just don't like them. We have lots of spiders in Melbourne at the moment, due to wetter then normal weather conditions. All sorts of spiders. I don't mind the orb spiders, or the little jumping spiders, even dirty long legs. I can deal with a huntsman from a distance. I hate all the others, especially the big black fat ones that are hiding in my fence next to my washing line. In fact I think they have invaded my garden and as I sit here writing this I can feel imaginary spiders crawling all over me. That may have something to do with the fact that I was just outside watering my garden in the dark, I felt something on my legs and kept moving them, thinking the mozzies were getting me, but then I looked down. Two big black hairy things one on each leg. I let our a well stoppered shriek and squirted my legs with the hose. My heart hammering in my chest I looked down at the ground and it seemed that there were spiders everywhere. I tried to water the garden form the front door step instead. Then I came inside and told my hubby, he grabbed a torch and searched the garden and found nothing, not one! I swear there were two on me. God I hate spiders.