End of term

Progress slowed during the last three weeks. The end of the quarter brought a lot of work. But now that I'm finished with my academic commitment until January 2, I have some time to get back to what's important. I need to complete my last rewrite and query letter soon because I have an overloaded schedule for the next quarter. Four three hour grad seminars plus a readership, twice what I took during the Fall. Oh well...

Literature is beautiful. I'm working on a few snippets to add to the HAMMER. I'm also thinking of adding ambiance quotations to the beginning of each chapter.

First words

A reader got back to me two days ago, and followed-up with a second critique. Both were by and large positive. He zoomed through the manuscript in three days, while in a foreign country and reading from printed paper.

He also shed some light on a few weaknesses. Only one approaches a major problem, and I already have a solution (it was nice knowing you, Bishop). Once I finish grading the tests and papers of my undergrads I'll be back in the cockpit, trimming and refining Jovian Hammer Draft Number Four.

I can't wait! :)

Preamble

The first thirty pages received a cursory rewrite last night in anticipation of partial requests (fingers crossed). The biggest addition is an ethical dilemma for Yarn. I am going to revisit the Prologue tonight to rethink some awkward lines uttered by the XO.

After a couple weeks I discovered that the readers started their efforts late. I'm not even sure any one of them has made substantial progress. Hopefully I'll have something to work with before beginning Winter Break.

Still reflecting on my query letter. Should I downplay the political aspect of the novel in favor of elucidating Yarn's struggle?

The Sounds rock, by the way. So do Foster's Oil Cans.

Irk

"Idear" is not a word.

That is all.

Refocus

The drafts are out. The readers are reading. The anxiety is building. Will Yarn win their hearts?

Can I pull myself away from my work long enough to finish the quarter?

I'll let you know on December 5.

Lumbering walk

Things are speeding up. The (second) finish line is in sight. By the end of the week another draft will be kicked out, then shuttled to my (tentative) reviewers.

I wonder about their turnaround. I suppose the better the read the faster it will be.

Marathon

Eighty 1.5 spaced pages out of 288.

After those first eighty pages the word count has only decreased by six hundred words. That's good. I'm a miser when it comes to writing. Editors like that. Now if only the plot/characters/imagery is strong enough, I might make a sale.

Still, editing goes more slowly than I'd like.

Increasingly, I find authorship preferable to science studies.