Friday, January 1, 2010

The Writing Life

I know I said this last year as well, but this IS the year I'm going to get published and in order to get published I have to submit something.  I did submit a few things last year, but in late November and early December so even if any of that finds its way into publication it won't be for a while.

I have finished the rewrite on Maggy, which is now The Narcissist, but that doesn't mean I'm through editing.  When you've worked on a book for twenty years or so, it's hard to come to the absolute end point with it unless someone else takes it away from you.  The rewrite I just finished was a drastic reworking of the material into a new form.  The whole story is now told as if it were being remembered in present time and in therapy, so there are millions of tense changes.  I will be editing to find missed tense changes.

I've been doing the last two hundred pages of rewrite on Word.  I had an unfortunate accident on Blogger.  I wrote a whole new chapter and was delighted with it.  The whole chapter was dialogue.  I saved it and went to bed.  When I woke up the next morning it was gone.  So I will not do my fiction writing on blogger anymore.  Phillip tells me it must be here somewhere, since blogger autosaves all the time.  I know that's true, but...  Where the hell did that chapter go?

So, for anyone reading The Narcissist on the blog, it's incomplete and unedited.  But once I have it finished to my satisfaction I'll probably repost it.  In the meantime there are several chapters from Maggy that have been dropped from The Narcissist.  This means I have work that can be turned into short story material.

I hope you all had a lovely New Years Eve and are now embarked on a lazy New Year's Day.  I went to the best New Year's Eve party ever.  I spent last night partying on Twitter.  It was so much fun.

Don't forget to eat blackeyed peas and cornbread today.  It's for good luck in the new year.  Besides, it's good for you.

9 comments:

GDAEman said...

Our 9-yr old recently read a story she started writing and shocked us with her talent... and I'm a tough critic.

Hope your writing blossoms in 2010 and beyond!

susan said...

I too am sure you'll be getting published in the coming year and I do like the new title.

At least now we're another month closer to Spring and all good things happen then. All the best wishes to you in 2010, Utah.

Anonymous said...

Feliz Año Nuevo de Ecuador, Utah!

Fran said...

Well, no cornbread or blackeyed peas here-- how about avocados & salsa?

I could care less about football so much-- but out local home town team is playing in the rosebowl today & Duck mania has been in the red zone for the last few weeks... even the weather report seems to evolve around "the game". Since we are both recovering from colds & low energy... what the hell we will chill out & watch the game. our kiddo is a student @ the U of O, so it's close to home.

I see some sunshine-- a change from the recent weather report simply dubbed "downpour"-- which means nonstop rain.
Maybe I will literally get my arse out the door & go ride a bike before becoming one with the couch.

Happy New Year to you!

Utah Savage said...

I'm so glad to see you all. GDAEman happy to see someone new. Do encourage that 9 yr old of yours.

Susan, Happy New Year to you. Thank you for your faith in me. I'm so glad you like the new title. There are many narcissists in the book it will keep the reader guessing.

Kvatch, Feliz Ano Nuevo to you, too.

Fran, I have a nap in my near future due to all that twitter partying last night. No football, just a bit of reading and a snooze. Happy New Year to you.

Tengrain said...

Happy New Year, my little cornbread.

Regards,

Tengrain

Utah Savage said...

Oh my, Tengrain! I've missed you. Happy New Year sexy man.

Mauigirl said...

I hope you get your novel published this year Utah!

Let's hope 2010 is your year!!

Madam Z said...

Oh my, I admire you so much for writing a whole novel. I am so lazy, I only write short stories.

And if I had written "a whole new chapter" that I was delighted with and it DISAPPEARED, I would be beyond distraught. You have my sympathy.

Thanks for the reminder about the blackeyed paeas and cornbread for NY Day. I haven't done that for so long! It's too late now, but I'll try to remember it next year.