Holly Lisle how to revise your novel - lessons 15 and 16 done.

Yup, I am now on lesson 17, which is terrifying. In lesson 17 we actually cut the thing and rewrite it. It's going to take a while.

So far, two scenes done of seventy-one. I'm trying out doing it by hand as the lesson suggests. Yeah, being dyspraxic, I average about 10wpm by hand. It's slow going, but I want to give it my best shot.

I'm determined. Just sixty nine more scenes to go.

So far I'm really liking this course. I guess the real test will be once the rest of the lessons are done and the novel is complete. Holly Lisle has a very systematic way of breaking down the steps of editing that my logical brain loves.

Holly Lisle how to revise your novel lesson 14 is done.

This one was a lot more straightforward than the last. It covered simple time, and did help me pin point an area where I have to think a bit more about the timing.

Next up is lesson 15, complex time. I hope to be done with this one soon, then I can spend quite a bit of time on lesson 16, making sure everything is ship shape before I move onto lesson 17 where I get to start the rewrite.

I'm on night shifts for four days straight starting tomorrow, so although I have a boat load of other stuff to do, hopefully I'll manage to get a good chunk of lesson 15 done tonight.

Holly lisle how to revise your novel lesson 13 is done

Wow, that one was fairly meaty. It was a good insight into conflicts, my only problem was it was such a good insight that I kept on wanting to go back to it. I don't think I'd ever be done thinking of ways to make my conflicts better and better.

So I've moved on for now with the promise that I'll go back and look over all my notes from these past lessons before I move onto the write in. I may even head back into the monastery (lesson 10) for a bit to see if I can improve things even more that way.

For now it's onto lesson 14. I am 61.9 percent through this editing course, and just three more lessons before I get to start the write in.

Holly Lisle - editing course update

Well, as some of you may know I am in the middle of taking Holly Lisle's 'how to revise your novel course'. Today I finished lesson five, and started lesson six. I am 23.8 percent of the way through editing this novel.

Lesson five was straight forward enough. I would have finished it sooner if it hadn't fallen on such a busy week of work. Lesson six looks long, but good as well. I aim to work really hard on it tomorrow, and hopefully get most of it done before I head back to work.

I love the systematic way the course works, it really meshes with how my brain works. Four more lessons breaking this thing apart then I get to start piecing it together again.

As for my story Monster (see last post for a preview), it is going well. I'm planning to work on the cover next weekend, but am using a new program so don't know how long it will take. Release date is still set as the 30th of June.

I'm also working on a new short story (horror of course). It's called 'second chance', and is really only just started so look for a more detailed description later on. 

Holly Lisle editing course - Lesson 4 (and updates)

I finished this lesson at about nine last night, so that I would have it out of the way for starting my new job today. So that means I managed it in four days, not including a read through of the instructions on Thursday. It was a pretty straight forward lesson, even I wasn't too confused about what to do.

I'm going to use this evening and tomorrow evening to knock my short story 'Monster' into shape. Then it'll be about time for lesson five, focusing on my big project 'Seeker of Truth'. Maybe I'll even get some time in there to get on with planning the series I've got in mind for my next big project.

Monster is still on schedule for publication on the 30th of June. I'll let you know if that changes. Keep an eye on this blog for extracts and cover art as they become available.

Starting editing lesson four of Holly Lisle's course

When I finish this lesson I'll be 19.05 percent through editing this novel. Yes, I'm working out percentages now. That happens when you edit things - or at least when I edit things. It's just nice to see the progress.

I've also decided that this poor novel needs a name. It's had some nicknames: 'Apate' (greek god of deception), and 'Forced Smile'. I think for now I'll call it 'Seeker of Truth'. That may end up having too much of a fantasy ring to it though, and this is a crime /sci fi novel, but I'll deal with that bridge when I come to it.

So for now Seeker of Truth is being torn apart nicely, keeping the bits that I love, because there are a lot of parts that I love about this book. I'll be able to tell you more about it as I edit it, because then I'll have a better idea of which parts I'll be taking out and which parts I'll be keeping in.

My novella 'Epidemic' is still being built. It's coming up for 16 thousand words now, but I sense it'll stop growing soon. I'm on the last scene. This is always an incredibly sad and happy moment for me. I know how it's going to end, but getting it out on paper (computer screen) with the same amount of vividness as it holds in my head is always a challenge - but a good challenge.

I'm going to try and get another short story published on amazon by the end of June, but I'm not letting it go until I'm happy with it. So that idea is more like a goal than a set in stone plan. I'll keep this blog updated.