Ramping Up

Again with the radio silence, I know, but all that's about to change.  I did the unthinkable and took 2 whole weeks off work to really push forward with revisions for OHN.  (I had about 5 weeks of vacation time saved up, so they kind of owed it to me!)  I do work this Saturday, and I've got stuff going on this weekend, but from about October 6 until October 19, it's "all revisions, all the time".

The revisions workshop [link] I've been participating in is wrapping up this week, and though I meant to blog my progress through it, obviously I haven't had time.  So as I move through each of those stages during this big marathon push I'll try to get a post in about what I'm doing.

The "big" goal of the next two weeks is pretty straightforward: a Second Draft.  This will be the draft that incorporates the plot changes and such I've planned based on a few readers' comments and the workshop.  When the HNCSD (Hopefully Not Crappy Second Draft) is done, it will go out to betas for comment while I work through some final polishing.

Beginning Monday, I will drop Little Boy off at school as per usual routine, and then take myself and my laptop off to Panera Bread, or Starbucks, or the local library (if they've got wifi) and "work" my normal hours.  Home in the evenings for dinner and LB's bedtime, then likely back on the computer for a bit in the evenings.  But I need sleep too, or I'll fold in on myself and be useless, and I can't afford to waste this opportunity.

The Plan:

1. Finish slashing-and-burning the SFD (most of Act 4; about 8 chapters)
2. Organizational Session (new plot and character arcs, timeline the book so I can visualize everything and where the new material goes)
3. More s-and-b (if necessary) based on the new outline
4. Draft new material to fill in gaps/make changes
5. Begin series of edits: character/POV, dialogue, IM, description, language & style, etc. (most of these on a scene-by-scene basis, and combined; this will be the majority of the time spent, as I – currently – have 35 chapters with an average of 4 scenes per)

If I don't get done in the two weeks I'll at least be *mostly* done, and rolling with some serious momentum.  Then I'll shoot for the end of October to have the HNCSD in the hands of betas.  That will give me about a month to make any final tweaks based on their comments and get it ready for submission.

I've decided I WILL submit, no matter what.  If I don't send anything, I disqualify myself from the competition and forfeit my entry fee.  If I submit – something, anything – who knows?  Maybe it will still be good enough.  If not, and I don't final or win, well…I'm still out the entry fee but I can try again next year with the same (presumably improved) MS, providing I don't publish in the meantime.  Honestly, I'd be okay with that eventuality.  *g*

In other words, I don't really have anything to lose by submitting, and possibly everything to gain.  But I still HOPE it will be ready and in tip-top shape, and I PLAN to make that happen.  We'll see.