My dear friend made a comment on my last post that got me thinking. Yes, perhaps I’m procrastinating unconsciously. I don’t think it was conscious because I truly believed — and still do to some extent — that Pirouette wasn’t agent-ready. Even now, there are some unfinished scenes, a scene in which a dead person returns to the living (and no, she’s not supposed to — that’s called a continuity error), three scenes in a row do the exactly SAME thing, and a few other things that might make me look like an idiot. Those have to be fixed. However, I’ve issued myself a challenge: finish the book (as in agent-ready) and get it out by the 1st of the year. Even though I’m not sure I can finish in time, I’ve made the decision and I’m taking it seriously. This is it.
So, as soon as I finish Alpha Female and submit it, Pirouette is next. Alpha Female is roughly a week from being done. That’s the first draft/rewrite/whatever it is. Still needs critters and still needs to be polished. But I’m seeing this one through because 1) it’s a great opportunity and 2) I’m making a serious effort towards finishing what I start. Which includes Pirouette.
I’ve never considered the possibility that I was procrastinating until my friend mentioned it. All this time, I believed that the rewrites were crucial. I still believe that. But there is such a thing as going through rewrite after rewrite after rewrite. This is why Holly Lisle does one big, overall revision on every book and then lets it go. She’s able to do it in one fell swoop whereas I tried and it took 5 passes. I’m still learning what works for me. But I think I’m on the edge here, and it sucks because the longer I wait, the less chances I’ll have. I’ve known this for a long time, but maybe part of me was scared of failure. It’s crazy out there in publishing. But unless I self-pub everything (which is not my goal), I’ve got to take the plunge. I gotta see if I can do it. If not Pirouette, then something else. Lord knows I have a ton of ideas.
So that’s the plan for the rest of the year. Wish me luck.
Weaver of Words 