Sorry for the long time between updates! I have a draft of something I was working on, but I won’t post that yet. For now, news on the novel.
Things have been smoking along at quite the clip.
I have another day of read-through and editing to do, and then my manuscript will be ready for the beta readers! I am so excited. I’m already feeling relief; I have written so many challenging things these past few weeks, and I really will be glad to be done.
I have to make a tough call tomorrow about cutting a piece. The fact that it’s on the chopping block means it’s probably already been chopped, but for some reason my current self hasn’t accepted it yet, so I’m still “considering” it. I am being careful not to say the same thing twice in this book… so I need to really look at what I said and see if I come at this part of the event at two different enough angles.
Of all the segments I had to write, the pregnancy miscarriages and deaths of infants was one of the hardest. In the insomnia apocalypse I’m writing, children get a pretty shitty deal. I wanted to cover it but not dwell on it- because it might come off as shock-value- but damn. It really took it out of me. And I fricking wrote the damn thing twice. One from a paediatric nurse working the neonatal unit, and one from a medical hypnotist.
Guess which perspective is more interesting?
See, it’s obvious. But my stupid writer brain is clinging to the nurse. It took so much time to pull that off, it was haaard, it thinks. Cram it brain, the Hypnotist is better. But the nurse shows it better. The Hypnotist is all about The Hypnotist.
Ugh. Cutting is hard sometimes.
Sorry, this is all abstract. Here’s a bat.
This is the most challenging thing I have ever written, and keeping it held together in my mind, dozens of stories, vignettes, characters, locations, research- it’s messing with my brain. …And my life a little. Like missing appointments, shifts at work… my brain is just about at its limit with this one.
I got four hours of sleep last night, then went to the cafe, and spent five hours fervently writing (one segment completed) and editing (perhaps 45,000 words read-through/edited.
Once I get this book done I can go back to the methodical agent researching. I already have notes on several whom I’d love to work with- I hope one of them loves my project enough to work with me on it.
A new apocalypse scenario, who would have thought, right?
Onwards. Oh god I just devoured The Handmaiden’s Tale. Man alive, that one will stick with you.
Banished is an amazing medieval city building game. If you like resource management and seeing your villagers die of starvation, this game is for you! T_T
It is hard as butts. But addictive, and also fun.
And also we’re getting another kitty, a kitten. Will post pictures, of course. It’s going to be a toss up between news about this book and a kitten. …I will try and mash them together, maybe like a cute kitten photo with a caption that’s all business.
*
Today I got a full manuscript request from the most amazing agent ever!**
*not my kitten
**is only a caption example, has not happened (for this particular manuscript, yet, as it is not finished).
Ta ta for now, beautiful readers. I will have a tidbit of good news to share with you soon. 😉
And then, hopefully soon, the best news.
Thanks for reading.
Heidi out.
H.G. Bells 