I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

It was a day like no other.

Oops been watching Romancing the Stone again, and that catchy line caught my attention. Perhaps I can use it somewhere, one day.

But…

The project is proceeding on course, adhering more to the outline than less, and it’s looking good.

I know just in saying that the ship is about to founder on a reef, so I’ll brace myself.

Today’s quota of words is done early so I can sit down soon and door the crossword over a cup of coffee while waiting for dinner to cook in the oven.

Perhaps we might have a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with dinner. What I’ve noticed with these is they are not all the same, some actually taste terrible, and some are quite exquisite. I suspect it might be where they grow the grapes, even if it is in the same region.

And, later, I’ll take another look at the sidebar I decided to add and flesh it out a little more. In view of what is happening, it is rather fortuitous that it came out of left field because it will serve as a reminder that being home doesn’t mean they’re safe.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Like yesterday, the Maple Leafs are playing again, and as much as I want to forsake it and get on with the story, The fact that we are down by a large margin at the end of the first period has given me the opportunity to turn it off, or watch the stage a comeback.

Damn.

I stick with it.

Then, we made a decision to go and see a movie, Last Christmas, because it looked interesting when we saw the preview some weeks ago.

That means missing half of the third period of the ice hockey if we’re going there. Well, there’s always the live broadcast via the phone.

It is not easy driving a car and listening to a brilliant comeback by the Leafs, and the excitement in the car is almost at the same fever pitch as the commentators.

Alas, we lose.

As for the movie, it was everything we hoped for. Two delightful leads who didn’t overact, Emma Thompson as a Yugoslav, and Michelle Yeoh in a restrained performance that I’m unused to seeing her in. Perhaps Star Trek Discovery kick-arse was not needed here.

Christmas, no swearing, no killing sprees, a few songs, and a lesson hidden between the lines. What more could one ask for?

As for the story, I’m having a coffee and then it’ll be time to get back into the groove.

Or watch Jack Ryan series 3…

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Like yesterday, the Maple Leafs are playing again, and as much as I want to forsake it and get on with the story, The fact that we are down by a large margin at the end of the first period has given me the opportunity to turn it off, or watch the stage a comeback.

Damn.

I stick with it.

Then, we made a decision to go and see a movie, Last Christmas, because it looked interesting when we saw the preview some weeks ago.

That means missing half of the third period of the ice hockey if we’re going there. Well, there’s always the live broadcast via the phone.

It is not easy driving a car and listening to a brilliant comeback by the Leafs, and the excitement in the car is almost at the same fever pitch as the commentators.

Alas, we lose.

As for the movie, it was everything we hoped for. Two delightful leads who didn’t overact, Emma Thompson as a Yugoslav, and Michelle Yeoh in a restrained performance that I’m unused to seeing her in. Perhaps Star Trek Discovery kick-arse was not needed here.

Christmas, no swearing, no killing sprees, a few songs, and a lesson hidden between the lines. What more could one ask for?

As for the story, I’m having a coffee and then it’ll be time to get back into the groove.

Or watch Jack Ryan series 3…

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I didn’t take very long to finish off my quota of words today, and with my spare time, I decided to go back over the plan and see how the second half of the book is holding up in accordance with the plan.

Despite the misgivings I had in becoming a planner for this exercise, it proved a good idea, particularly when you have to write a certain number of words a day to reach the target.

Last year, it was a pantser effort, and I know, at times, I struggled with continuity, and found myself having to backtrack when plot changes required earlier intervention.

Writing as a pantzer is much more viable when you have a much longer time to write the story, like a whole year, because I find I sometimes get only so far, and I need to think about the next step.

Today I’ve taken the time to translate all of the notes for the forthcoming chapters into a bound notebook, with several pages for each of the chapters, allowing for a number of possible later changes.

I now feel I’m in a better place to continue.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I didn’t take very long to finish off my quota of words today, and with my spare time, I decided to go back over the plan and see how the second half of the book is holding up in accordance with the plan.

Despite the misgivings I had in becoming a planner for this exercise, it proved a good idea, particularly when you have to write a certain number of words a day to reach the target.

Last year, it was a pantser effort, and I know, at times, I struggled with continuity, and found myself having to backtrack when plot changes required earlier intervention.

Writing as a pantzer is much more viable when you have a much longer time to write the story, like a whole year, because I find I sometimes get only so far, and I need to think about the next step.

Today I’ve taken the time to translate all of the notes for the forthcoming chapters into a bound notebook, with several pages for each of the chapters, allowing for a number of possible later changes.

I now feel I’m in a better place to continue.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I’d like to say I have a cunning plan, but I don’t.

I’m happily working on the final part of part two, and have just completed two of the three chapters. It was going to be two only but I’ve found that I need one more. The section is still on the revised plan, though a little longer from fleshing out the plotline.

It reads well, but by the time it’s finished, it will change the start of the third section of which I was outlining, and going back to it, the pages now have lots of scribbles on scribbles and crossings out.

Editing the first and second sections as separate parts had crystallised how the start of the third will be proceed, and I find myself going over the outline for later chapters and discovering holes I missed the first time through that can now be filled.

And surprisingly I have a very clear idea of what will be in the last section, and, in fact, I’ve almost worked it through in my head. I think one night I’ll probably sit up and edit what I have already before it all disappears. I’m sure you all know that feeling, when the words are there in your head, and you can almost see it.

Until you wake up and it’s all gone.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

I’d like to say I have a cunning plan, but I don’t.

I’m happily working on the final part of part two, and have just completed two of the three chapters. It was going to be two only but I’ve found that I need one more. The section is still on the revised plan, though a little longer from fleshing out the plotline.

It reads well, but by the time it’s finished, it will change the start of the third section of which I was outlining, and going back to it, the pages now have lots of scribbles on scribbles and crossings out.

Editing the first and second sections as separate parts had crystallised how the start of the third will be proceed, and I find myself going over the outline for later chapters and discovering holes I missed the first time through that can now be filled.

And surprisingly I have a very clear idea of what will be in the last section, and, in fact, I’ve almost worked it through in my head. I think one night I’ll probably sit up and edit what I have already before it all disappears. I’m sure you all know that feeling, when the words are there in your head, and you can almost see it.

Until you wake up and it’s all gone.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Ideas are muddying the plan.

As the story progresses through part two, the anticipated conclusion to this part has changed a little.

This then makes the lead into part three a lot more cohesive in terms of teasing out the storyline in the direction I was hoping to take.

The problem is that I had made a start on the first chapter of part three originally but as I recall, it wasn’t quite running as smoothly as it should.  You know the feeling, the words are there, but you’re not very satisfied with them.

Now I am.

This means that chapters two and three will follow without any apprehension.

However, I am getting a little ahead of myself because I still have to finish of the last two chapters of part two.

So, it’s back to work.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Ideas are muddying the plan.

As the story progresses through part two, the anticipated conclusion to this part has changed a little.

This then makes the lead into part three a lot more cohesive in terms of teasing out the storyline in the direction I was hoping to take.

The problem is that I had made a start on the first chapter of part three originally but as I recall, it wasn’t quite running as smoothly as it should.  You know the feeling, the words are there, but you’re not very satisfied with them.

Now I am.

This means that chapters two and three will follow without any apprehension.

However, I am getting a little ahead of myself because I still have to finish of the last two chapters of part two.

So, it’s back to work.

I’m sure I’ve been down this road more than once, and with the same novel, but whereas the last edit, which was probably the second or third, finished up in the pile, then forgotten.

I’m doing an active update to all my works in progress, and sending them to the editor, after going through the manuscript once again, with a view to publishing.  Hopefully, before the year is out.

…

Part two is proceeding.

What can be a bother is that when you’re writing, even to a plan, ideas come out of left field, and can leave you scratching your head.

So, I’ll be honest, I’m not used to writing to a plan, more than I write by the seat of my pants. But I’m determined to stick to the plan and see how it goes.

On the ‘we’ll look at it later’ pad I write down the latest curve ball, then push it to the side of the desk again. I’ll come back to it when I get through the rest of the day’s work.

I’m still looking at part three, and while it’s the part where we bring the two together for the first time, that might happen sooner. I was scribbling down a loose outline that was leaning towards a meeting briefly after she was released.

It’s a difficult point and I think I will let the story go where the storyline leads.

More on this tomorrow