Friday:
Today was the last day of school term for the kids (three out of four terms), we head into two weeks holiday. Tim doesn't have any time off so it will be the three of us finding things to do. If we get some nice spring weather we'll definitely head over to the beach a few times.
I completed my goal of finishing this round of editing by the end of term, scribbling on the hard copy print out which Tim had also made suggestions on, and I'm part way through typing up the changes. I can finish that with the kids home, no problem. The thinking part is done. I hesitate to say my novel is completely finished because I keep thinking of new things. This is version nine of the manuscript and there have been some pretty big changes since the first draft!
It's so nice to have Tim back home. And now it's the weekend!
Showing posts with label editing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label editing. Show all posts
Friday, September 23, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Another Tuesday
Tuesday:
I meant to get out to the park, I really did. But the weather turned a bit gloomy in the afternoon so I knuckled down and worked at home in my comfy armchair and got some really good editing done. My goal is to get that finished by the end of this week, which coincides with the kids' end of school term. I'm scribbling changes on a hard copy print-out, so I'll still need to type them up, but that is easier than the thinking creative work I've been doing. It's nearly done, and polished, and a reasonable approximation of as good as it's going to get! It's been a long process, even not counting 40 years of practice. Over a year of writing, then a long break due to life happening, then about a year of rewriting and editing and polishing.
Then the scary bit, looking for a publisher.
I spent some time this morning dealing with issues about our planned swimming pool. It's those damn trees. The council decided one big tree right in the middle of the backyard has to stay, there is also a protected zone around it so that is most of the backyard blocked. They sent a suggested revised plan with the pool squashed down one side. The rest of the yard would remain wild scrub, I guess; full of lizards (nice) and spiders (not nice), under the tree constantly dropping leaves and branches (Australian gum trees like to drop branches with no warning, and although they are evergreen (ever-grey more like) they drop leaves all year round), not great for a pool. Or a pretty garden or lawn or seating around a bird bath. We had to get a big gum tree lopped at our old place in Canberra because it dropped a big branch on our neighbour's roof and broke some tiles. It is not a particularly nice tree either, it's not the one I thought we were going to have to keep. So I've been in conversation with our pool people, I told them about the bushfire protection rule which seems to allow us to remove the tree anyway because it is close to the house and we are in a bushfire-prone area. They haven't confirmed yet. It's a bit of a worry, but I guess we'll work with whatever we have, even if it ends up being a little plunge-pool in one corner. That would be sad though. I feel like we have a completely unusable back yard at the moment. None of us have been out there for ten months except to plan the pool! The kids need a backyard they can play in.
I meant to get out to the park, I really did. But the weather turned a bit gloomy in the afternoon so I knuckled down and worked at home in my comfy armchair and got some really good editing done. My goal is to get that finished by the end of this week, which coincides with the kids' end of school term. I'm scribbling changes on a hard copy print-out, so I'll still need to type them up, but that is easier than the thinking creative work I've been doing. It's nearly done, and polished, and a reasonable approximation of as good as it's going to get! It's been a long process, even not counting 40 years of practice. Over a year of writing, then a long break due to life happening, then about a year of rewriting and editing and polishing.
Then the scary bit, looking for a publisher.
I spent some time this morning dealing with issues about our planned swimming pool. It's those damn trees. The council decided one big tree right in the middle of the backyard has to stay, there is also a protected zone around it so that is most of the backyard blocked. They sent a suggested revised plan with the pool squashed down one side. The rest of the yard would remain wild scrub, I guess; full of lizards (nice) and spiders (not nice), under the tree constantly dropping leaves and branches (Australian gum trees like to drop branches with no warning, and although they are evergreen (ever-grey more like) they drop leaves all year round), not great for a pool. Or a pretty garden or lawn or seating around a bird bath. We had to get a big gum tree lopped at our old place in Canberra because it dropped a big branch on our neighbour's roof and broke some tiles. It is not a particularly nice tree either, it's not the one I thought we were going to have to keep. So I've been in conversation with our pool people, I told them about the bushfire protection rule which seems to allow us to remove the tree anyway because it is close to the house and we are in a bushfire-prone area. They haven't confirmed yet. It's a bit of a worry, but I guess we'll work with whatever we have, even if it ends up being a little plunge-pool in one corner. That would be sad though. I feel like we have a completely unusable back yard at the moment. None of us have been out there for ten months except to plan the pool! The kids need a backyard they can play in.
Friday, September 9, 2016
Editing
Friday:
Shopping and editing today.
I am currently only editing my own novel, but I have worked as a professional editor. Last night an old colleague (ie I used to work with her, she's not old) texted me to say there was a job I might be interested in. But it was back in Canberra, she didn't know I'd moved. Still, it was nice of her to think of me. She was the president of the local editing society at one time, and she'd got me work before. Boring government work - much better paying than my freelance fiction editing business!
The last job I did with her was at the Department of Immigration (Australia). Our task was to turn their entire website into "plain English". This was particularly important considering a lot of the users had English as their second or third language. But the trouble we had! We'd write our translation of department jargon into plain English and send it to each section to be approved. Often as not it would be returned changed exactly back to the original! No compromise at all. Our contract there kept getting extended because of all the back and forth, and in the end I left saying I had a prior commitment, but actually it was mainly that my RSI was returning with the longer hours we were working.
And I thought fiction writers had to be handled with kid gloves...
Shopping and editing today.
I am currently only editing my own novel, but I have worked as a professional editor. Last night an old colleague (ie I used to work with her, she's not old) texted me to say there was a job I might be interested in. But it was back in Canberra, she didn't know I'd moved. Still, it was nice of her to think of me. She was the president of the local editing society at one time, and she'd got me work before. Boring government work - much better paying than my freelance fiction editing business!
The last job I did with her was at the Department of Immigration (Australia). Our task was to turn their entire website into "plain English". This was particularly important considering a lot of the users had English as their second or third language. But the trouble we had! We'd write our translation of department jargon into plain English and send it to each section to be approved. Often as not it would be returned changed exactly back to the original! No compromise at all. Our contract there kept getting extended because of all the back and forth, and in the end I left saying I had a prior commitment, but actually it was mainly that my RSI was returning with the longer hours we were working.
And I thought fiction writers had to be handled with kid gloves...
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Ready to edit
Monday:
All our scheduled guests for these school holidays have gone, and today is a public holiday (celebrating the unions winning an 8 hour working day) so we have Tim home. A lovely quiet day. Tim dug up the hard-packed earth in the herb garden for me, so I planted the chives and did a bit of weeding. I am still hesitant in venturing out at the moment as my hay fever is pretty bad. Antihistamines are helping. But I forgot to take one yesterday and really noticed the difference. My nose was too blocked to use my CPAP last night and I didn't get a very restful sleep.
There is still another week of school holidays so I'll need to think of some fun things to do. Then the following week I start editing my book. There are already things I know I need to change/fix but I didn't want to stop my momentum as I was writing so I just made quick notes for myself when I thought of things. So I will attend to those first, then go through and work on the fine detail. A lot of people dread the editing process but I am looking forward to it - it's my day job after all, so I feel like it should be easier than the actual writing.
I've done government work and edited articles for scientific and medical journals, but what I like best is editing novels. And what I like very very best is substantive editing fantasy fiction novels. That is the big picture stuff - world building, characterisation, holes in the plot, why does magic work one way in chapter 3 but completely differently in chapter 12? Cutting out the 37 pages on the life cycle of Quirmian High Elves. Though it can be hard sometimes to convince the author that their readers don't need to know all this groovy world-building they spent four years creating. The trick is weaving the essence of it into the story instead of just dumping it on the readers' heads. Then after that you get down to copyediting, the nitty gritty of word choice, spelling and grammar. Important, but less fun. I am itching to get back to work. I find it very difficult to work with my kids around, so I'm waiting until they're back at school.
All our scheduled guests for these school holidays have gone, and today is a public holiday (celebrating the unions winning an 8 hour working day) so we have Tim home. A lovely quiet day. Tim dug up the hard-packed earth in the herb garden for me, so I planted the chives and did a bit of weeding. I am still hesitant in venturing out at the moment as my hay fever is pretty bad. Antihistamines are helping. But I forgot to take one yesterday and really noticed the difference. My nose was too blocked to use my CPAP last night and I didn't get a very restful sleep.
There is still another week of school holidays so I'll need to think of some fun things to do. Then the following week I start editing my book. There are already things I know I need to change/fix but I didn't want to stop my momentum as I was writing so I just made quick notes for myself when I thought of things. So I will attend to those first, then go through and work on the fine detail. A lot of people dread the editing process but I am looking forward to it - it's my day job after all, so I feel like it should be easier than the actual writing.
I've done government work and edited articles for scientific and medical journals, but what I like best is editing novels. And what I like very very best is substantive editing fantasy fiction novels. That is the big picture stuff - world building, characterisation, holes in the plot, why does magic work one way in chapter 3 but completely differently in chapter 12? Cutting out the 37 pages on the life cycle of Quirmian High Elves. Though it can be hard sometimes to convince the author that their readers don't need to know all this groovy world-building they spent four years creating. The trick is weaving the essence of it into the story instead of just dumping it on the readers' heads. Then after that you get down to copyediting, the nitty gritty of word choice, spelling and grammar. Important, but less fun. I am itching to get back to work. I find it very difficult to work with my kids around, so I'm waiting until they're back at school.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Work stress
Saturday:
I've been very stressed all day. I'm not going to go into too much detail except that my current client has been very difficult to work with. On Friday I thought the final revisions were all done. Now the client has said they are not happy with my editing of their book. I feel that there has been some poor communication on their part and they are being unreasonable about some things but also I am unhappy with myself as I did rush the last stage because I really wanted this project to be over so I didn't have to interact with them any more.
I refused to work during the weekend, although I have before during this project (it's my wedding anniversary and Mother's Day!) and said I will go over it again next week. I considered just dumping them and forfeiting the second half of the money, but after six weeks work I have enough professional pride to want to get it right, and I do totally take ownership of my part of the problem. But the client has some freely-admitted psychological issues and I don't know if we will ever actually have resolution, or if I will get paid.
Oh well.
It has totally ruined my whole day, I've struggled to think about anything else. It keeps going round and round in my mind.
It the first time ever that a client hasn't been delighted with my work. I guess I'm having some rejection issues too! But mainly I just don't want to have to deal with six or seven emails a day any more.
But I didn't turn to food!
I've been very stressed all day. I'm not going to go into too much detail except that my current client has been very difficult to work with. On Friday I thought the final revisions were all done. Now the client has said they are not happy with my editing of their book. I feel that there has been some poor communication on their part and they are being unreasonable about some things but also I am unhappy with myself as I did rush the last stage because I really wanted this project to be over so I didn't have to interact with them any more.
I refused to work during the weekend, although I have before during this project (it's my wedding anniversary and Mother's Day!) and said I will go over it again next week. I considered just dumping them and forfeiting the second half of the money, but after six weeks work I have enough professional pride to want to get it right, and I do totally take ownership of my part of the problem. But the client has some freely-admitted psychological issues and I don't know if we will ever actually have resolution, or if I will get paid.
Oh well.
It has totally ruined my whole day, I've struggled to think about anything else. It keeps going round and round in my mind.
It the first time ever that a client hasn't been delighted with my work. I guess I'm having some rejection issues too! But mainly I just don't want to have to deal with six or seven emails a day any more.
But I didn't turn to food!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Sugar and Satan
Wednesday:
Day two of eating excellently well. I don't claim perfection (not sure what that would mean, anyway); I've had a bit of salad dressing, and some oyster sauce and soy sauce. And also two squares of dark chocolate. So if I was going for utterly nothing processed and no sugar whatsoever I would have failed. But I'm not. So I didn't.
My days are currently revolving around work things, some of which are a bit frustrating. I finished editing a manuscript and sent it back to the author. She asked me to make a few changes/additions (I always expect some revision, and allow time for that) so I did that today. And half an hour after she got the manuscript she sent an email asking could I please make the changes to the attached new version instead. So basically a day's work down the drain. Not very happy about that. I shall be investigating some way of quickly comparing two documents so I can find the changes. And she wants to send it to the publisher on Friday. And she hasn't responded to all my queries yet. (Punches mouse-pad.)
Then tomorrow I have a Skype interview for a short-term government position (still as an editor). I like the idea of working in a office with other people for a couple of months instead of at home alone. And I know and like the woman who would be my supervisor. My husband has Skype on his computer but I have never used it and I usually even leave the room when he does -- I hate it. I look horrible on screen and I don't like people watching me. Why I feel different when it's through a camera than if they were just there in the room with me, I don't know.
And my husband is away tonight so he was trying to explain to me over the phone how to get it to work. Still having problems that I have to sort out by tomorrow! I might have to call a friend over tonight to help me. I'm definitely not tech savvy. So I'm stressed about that.
My foot still hurts whenever I walk. Maybe I should see a physio about it. Of course if I do get this job, suddenly all my plans to do stuff like that and go to the hairdresser and get the gate fixed and all that will be delayed.
My subconscious has decided that sugar is literally the devil. I dreamed last night that I was at a children's party where the hostess put out trays and bowls of lollies and chocolates for the parents, and I was hoeing in. And putting more in a party bag to take home (actually the "party bag" was an empty wine bottle, so there is more symbolism for you). Then it all segued into my being in a Satanist church (it was all Gothic and this stone image of Satan lunged at me which was scary) -- apparently I was there to bring them down from within, but I was rather concerned that my iPhone playing "Affirmation" would blow my cover. Anyway, the two parts of the dream seemed linked at the time. Sugar is evil!
I really am about to take my daughter to a birthday party this afternoon. But I will decline all offers of cake.
Day two of eating excellently well. I don't claim perfection (not sure what that would mean, anyway); I've had a bit of salad dressing, and some oyster sauce and soy sauce. And also two squares of dark chocolate. So if I was going for utterly nothing processed and no sugar whatsoever I would have failed. But I'm not. So I didn't.
My days are currently revolving around work things, some of which are a bit frustrating. I finished editing a manuscript and sent it back to the author. She asked me to make a few changes/additions (I always expect some revision, and allow time for that) so I did that today. And half an hour after she got the manuscript she sent an email asking could I please make the changes to the attached new version instead. So basically a day's work down the drain. Not very happy about that. I shall be investigating some way of quickly comparing two documents so I can find the changes. And she wants to send it to the publisher on Friday. And she hasn't responded to all my queries yet. (Punches mouse-pad.)
Then tomorrow I have a Skype interview for a short-term government position (still as an editor). I like the idea of working in a office with other people for a couple of months instead of at home alone. And I know and like the woman who would be my supervisor. My husband has Skype on his computer but I have never used it and I usually even leave the room when he does -- I hate it. I look horrible on screen and I don't like people watching me. Why I feel different when it's through a camera than if they were just there in the room with me, I don't know.
And my husband is away tonight so he was trying to explain to me over the phone how to get it to work. Still having problems that I have to sort out by tomorrow! I might have to call a friend over tonight to help me. I'm definitely not tech savvy. So I'm stressed about that.
My foot still hurts whenever I walk. Maybe I should see a physio about it. Of course if I do get this job, suddenly all my plans to do stuff like that and go to the hairdresser and get the gate fixed and all that will be delayed.
My subconscious has decided that sugar is literally the devil. I dreamed last night that I was at a children's party where the hostess put out trays and bowls of lollies and chocolates for the parents, and I was hoeing in. And putting more in a party bag to take home (actually the "party bag" was an empty wine bottle, so there is more symbolism for you). Then it all segued into my being in a Satanist church (it was all Gothic and this stone image of Satan lunged at me which was scary) -- apparently I was there to bring them down from within, but I was rather concerned that my iPhone playing "Affirmation" would blow my cover. Anyway, the two parts of the dream seemed linked at the time. Sugar is evil!
I really am about to take my daughter to a birthday party this afternoon. But I will decline all offers of cake.
Monday, December 10, 2012
The one day detox
My clean eating plan went really well yesterday, I ate within my guidelines with fruit for snacks and salmon for dinner. But today, not so good. Maybe because I started the day with butter on my toast? I didn't have morning tea and was starving at lunchtime, my planned chicken and vegetable stir fry seemed too labour-intensive and bland (even though I love it when I have it, it isn't really bland at all) and I ended up having some reheated leftover pepperoni pizza. Then I had a mini Magnum (premium ice cream covered in chocolate) in the afternoon. So basically no vitamins have passed my lips today.
I also haven't been exercising much lately, for nearly two weeks I really haven't done more than short walks. I am trying hard to get some work finished by the end of this week so I can have a break before Christmas (BTW I was wrong about the kids finishing this week, they still have another week after that, but my husband has taken next week off). I know that busyness is no excuse, I have the same 24 hours a day as everyone else and a lot less to do than some. But still, I do struggle to fit in more than a couple of things a day, while the kids are at school. I can do grocery shopping plus editing work, or exercise plus housework, or review a book plus have tea with a friend ... I can't fit it all in. To do my goal of a couple of hours of exercise a day I would have to give up some TV in the evening, or sleep, or playing with my iPhone, or reading other people's blogs or something vital like that. At the moment Christmas planning and shopping has taken up a lot of time too.
Still working on becoming a better me.
picture of pizza by roccospizza
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