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Daily Writing Journal: Monday - show me your desk & Back to Basics with Editing



My desk is probably due a good scrub down to get rid of the pencil marks but let's roll. In the upper left hand side is  a bottle of Pukka organic castor oil, I use this as a hair treatment. A friend and former colleague suggested it was good. It sits on my desk because normally in a rush, I tend to use the living room mirror to do my hair. Don't ask why. I just realised I have a mirror in every room apart from the kitchen. What does that say about me?

Next to it is a container with scenes summary of my story, some masking tape and a complimentary post-its from Netgallery - I got this from a book fair. I needed the masking tape to seal some mail before posting. Yes, I still use snail mail. The greenish-blue tube contains some hand cream. I think that is a ringlet curly curler...Don't ask why...I have no idea. After that is a jewellery box - it contained a pair of gifted ear rings from Sis. A padlock which I tired to use for the gym but was too small.  My handy calculator, I'm not one for using the my mobile/cell phone.  The red stand for for my desk lamp and that is a daily calendar which I don't really use. Maybe I'll take it to work....Could do.

If you read the rest of my blog you probably know of my editing drama so that is one of the editing book I had to dig out. Revision and Self Editing for Publication by James Scott Bell. Desperate times, people, call for desperate measures. I have a lot of how-to books, I tend to buy the to feel good or thinking they will help only to find out not really.  Or the solutions don't meet what I want.

Then under the book sits my faithful MacBook Air.

Back to Basics with Editing

Bringing the pup again. In desperation, I pulled this out and looked at a few pages, then decided it was probably simpler to rewrite my story. Yes, the one thing I've been avoiding since I started this editing process about five months ago - REWRITING THE ENTIRE BOOK.  It's not as a bad as it sounds, I'm just going back to basics.

One that is done, I'll consult Revision and Self Editing for Publication by James Scott Bell's check list plan. It's a funny  (not humour but peculiar) old book that in the first part is just revision of writing or a rehash of James Scott Bell's  plot book - which I also have, but the final chapter is just a good clean editing checklist. Why didn't I follow it before? There is quite a lot of information in it and it's easy to get lost. However my present course (still good) had pointed  out areas I need to work at. This means I can focus and drill in on those areas rather than waste time.

So while I wait for week seventeen's lesson of my course, I'l still be making progress. The thing with anything even courses, if I get at least 50% that makes a difference and adds value, then it's worth it. It's  just at present, I think parts are repetitive but hopefully that will change.

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