not actually an update, just a note
Aug. 25th, 2005 04:46 pmI think I've finished editing chapter 9 of "Secrets," but I'm going to sit on it for one more day, just to make sure. (See, I changed more than I usually change, post-beta, and I'm not completely certain of the structural balance anymore.)
I think future chapters shouldn't take this long to write. This one was just... I wanted to write it and didn't want to write it, in about equal amounts. Because it's kind of the... I don't want to say climax, but certainly the pivot point of the story, and that means that if it doesn't work, the other chapters could be the most wonderful things ever, but the story as a whole would be misbegotten, because it would be anchored on crap.
So I was very nervous all through the writing, and the editing, and I dragged my feet a lot. Now, granted, I was also writing "Knives," "The Way of the Apartment Manager," and "Tides" during that period, but still, nearly 8 months is a bit much for 11,000 words. *sigh*
I resolve to do better in future.
I think future chapters shouldn't take this long to write. This one was just... I wanted to write it and didn't want to write it, in about equal amounts. Because it's kind of the... I don't want to say climax, but certainly the pivot point of the story, and that means that if it doesn't work, the other chapters could be the most wonderful things ever, but the story as a whole would be misbegotten, because it would be anchored on crap.
So I was very nervous all through the writing, and the editing, and I dragged my feet a lot. Now, granted, I was also writing "Knives," "The Way of the Apartment Manager," and "Tides" during that period, but still, nearly 8 months is a bit much for 11,000 words. *sigh*
I resolve to do better in future.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-26 08:29 am (UTC)You're worried about Chapter 9 because it's climactic, but you're really good at writing climactic scenes. One thing I've come to notice, in beta-ing for you, is that most of the comments I make are during the more filler, let's get the plot moving bits, where your mind has started to wander a wee bit and mistakes get made. The big payoff scenes, though? They're gold.
(no subject)
Date: 2005-08-26 10:18 pm (UTC)Also, since in America nobody calls the day after Christmas anything special, St. Stephen's Day and Boxing Day are equally "foreign" to me, and I just grabbed the one that sounded nicer. And 'Great-aunt' is my own spelling/capitalization peculiarity; pay no attention to it.
Oatmeal cookies are made with oats, and sometimes with raisin or chocolate chips, and often with some brown sugar. They're very good, in my opinion, especially when they're not too sweet, the way chocolate chip cookies often are. (Nothing beats Thin Mints or gingersnaps, though.)