Tuesday, April 26, 2011

3 Signs That I'm Revising

 I'm in major polishing/revision mode for my new ms, and some telltale signs have appeared:

1) My basket runneth over. Okay, if you've read my prior laundry related posts, you know I haven't seen the bottom of my laundry basket in years (seriously, I think it's possessed). But I aim to keep the clothes level lower than the rim of the basket. Hey, it's good to have goals. This week, a tower of abstract clothing art has overtaken my closet.

2) My inner addict emerges. I know I'm in trouble when I wonder if mainlining caffeine would be a more efficient delivery method than drinking it. While coffee is the biggie for me, chocolate also has a way of disappearing when I'm revising. I've tweeted about the evil called Cadbury Creme Eggs, but since Easter is over, my ass is safe for another year.

3) Sleep is for babies. There's not much I love more than my sleep. In fact, my husband would attest that I am a baby--like, a huge, super cranky one--when I don't get enough (and with two young kids, I never get enough). For me to willingly sacrifice sleep is not typical, but I've been up til midnight or later for the past week because I've been so excited about finishing revisions. As I do best with 8-9 hours of sleep, I realize this 4-5 hours a night thing will catch up with me soon, but I'm really close to the end. At least I better be, or my hubby is going to spike my coffee with benedryl.    
 
Can anyone relate to these? What are your signs that you're deep in writing/revision land?
  
Also, I wanted to pass along info about a great upcoming event: Want to ask an agent a publishing question? Super-agents Kathleen Ortiz and Liz Jote are going to do a LIVE podcast on Thursday, May 5th at 9pm ET.

14 comments:

  1. Science is on the side of not sacrificing sleep. A friend of mine wrote about it just the other day: http://lessisenough.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/sleeping-on-the-job/

    For me, clear signs that I'm revising mean piles of print-outs with blue/red/green ink scrawled across the pages; at least one clipboard with the "latest gold master" to be worked on while riding the bus; and long walks to sort things out in my head.


    -- Tom

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  2. Tom--I don't need to read about it to know I need more-lol. Taking walks is a great one. I do a lot of biking, which is also a good way to combat the chocolate. :)

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  3. You made me lol with "a tower of abstract clothing art"! Love this post, Kristi. I managed to only buy one four pack of Cadberry eggs this year and I ate only one!

    Good & Plenty is my revision candy. Which will probably be funny to you since you know my book. :)

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  4. Lacey--I so wish I had your will power when it comes to Cadbury Eggs. To quote Jack, "It takes a special kind of person to like Good -N- Plenty." ;)

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  5. Aww, you quoted Jack!*blush* I miss that scene. Lol!

    My worst Easter candy weakness has to be the Reese's Peanut butter Eggs.

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  6. I'm definitely a #2. I know when I start imagining myself with a Starbucks IV and think its a plausible idea, I've gone too far. But hey, it is a good stinking idea!...see what I mean. I'm in the last few days of a re-write and I only come up for air to read blogs or post on FB other than that I'm like a laptop-toting, Starbuck's junky.

    Great post!

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  7. Oh this spoke to me. Loudly.

    I am at a stage in my WIP where I need to stop and evaluate the first 200 pages to see if I need redirection/restructuring -

    This goes against my desire to plow through until the end and THEN revise. But I've got a complicated plot with past/present and multiple narrators.

    Still. I'm afraid once I start revising, I'll finish off all the potato chips in the house start serving meals on dishes already piled in the sink...

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  8. LOL! This is so me too when I'm in the zone. Although to be fair, the laundry pretty much always looks like that. So excited for your revision!!

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  9. Lacey--if I wasn't allergic to peanuts, I'm sure I'd be addicted to those as well!

    Nicole--you're exactly where I am right now. Coffee junkies unite!

    Julie--oh, I forgot about potato chips. Yeah, I also have a small problem with Pringles.

    Valerie--my laundry has never looked great either. I'm thinking of buying a new basket to shake things up a bit. ;)

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  10. So true! The chocolate Easter eggs are just about decimated in my house. When I'm revising, I tend to walk around with a glazed expression since my mind is focused on finding fixes.

    Don't know what I'm going to do when I have to tackle a huge revision this summer with kiddos out of school. Yes, I'm looking for some decent camps. :)

    Good luck with your own revisions!

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  11. Thanks Jeanne. I'm worried about summer too as the kids only have a little over a month left of school. Good luck w/ you too!

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  12. Good luck with the kids this summer, Jeanne! I always write with my tiny girl right by my side. She's probably part of the reason I've revised the same MS about twenty times. :)

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  13. YES! This is my existence! Although it could be said I do this when I'm deep into a first draft, too. But I can relate well!

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  14. Carolina--I'm like that in 1st draft stage too...I'm realizing my laundry might never recover. :)

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