January 1st, 2012.
I'm officially over deadline on BB #1 Re-write. (New Year's Resolution 2011)
How close am I you ask? There are 5 chapters sitting next to me awaiting re-write. 25 are done along with an intro re-written 7 times over 2 months.
Let's re-cap (mostly so I feel better about my New Year's fail)
Prologue - scribbled 2001 SM fanfiction entitled "Blood Bond" shoved in dusty drawer until writing degree nervous break-down years later and hearty re-write/expansion that proceeded to cleave 8 years of my life. #worldtravel #RIPibook #97chapters
Step 1: Entire BB legacy (that's right, legacy) finished
Step 2: Epic wordcount revealed - novel axed into 3 - hyperventilating + extreme chocolate eating needed to recover
Step 3: Delightful "name the three book series" vote-a-thon ensued (Book 1 = Choice, Book 2 = Will, Book 3 = Fate <-- all suggestions that more than 3 books can be made of this series are met with threats against suggester's well-being along with dramatic comparisons to Wheel of Time and permission to club me to death if Wheel of Time-like expansions ensue)
Step 4: BB #1 submitted via query letter with much anguish, terror, re-writing and moral support to Fab Agent P.
Step 5: Query letter replied to with epic feedback, encouragement and suggestions including - join a writing group and revise.
Step 6: January 2011, joined writing group. Re-writing begun.
Step 7: A year of chapter by chapter rewrites with the exception of November when Nano manages to squeeze a totally different novel out of me (apparently all that sleeping/eating & cleaning my house was really getting in the way of my writing, who knew? #MyTerribleHabits)
Step 8: Present day. 101K, 5 chapters left. Sitting in cubby. Why did I eat so many gummies? Stickies, cue cards, files, dictionaries, maps, printouts, cut scenes, scrivener, evernote, BB playlist of songs, years of LJ, my 33rd birthday staring me in the face (when did this aging thing happen? I think I missed it)
blood? check.
sweat? check.
tears? check.
People who've encouraged me? Countless <3
Teas drunk? A zillion.
I have gone from not knowing what will happen next in this novel, but knowing what will happen next in my life to: I know what's happening next in this novel, but after that, what happens next in my life? TERROR ELATION NUMBNESS PRIDE EXHAUSTION JOY
To conclude: I feel like Sir Didymus from Labrynth.
The end.