Sunday, June 24, 2018

Manuscript Editing Update

I am editing almost every day. Even when I've been preparing to interpret a somewhat intensive (though very FUN) play, I have still managed to keep moving forward with editing.

It's all in time management.

Or that's what I'm expected to say. I suppose it's partly true - although my time is non-standard. With the hours I work and preparing for a play, my writing time is often very late at night - or very early in the morning, depending on one's perspective. I am fortunate to have a friend who is a coworker and author with similar hours, and we often help hold each other accountable. Which means, at times, we go write after work/rehearsal - meaning that we are writing at 11pm or midnight or 1:00am.

I have crossed the halfway point in my manuscript hand edits and the section I'm on right now is moving at a faster pace. The by-hand edits are a little slower, but I am making progress and strengthening the story. When I get through with the hand edits, then I will have to enter all of the edits into the electronic manuscript, which will undoubtedly mean more edits in that update process.

It is going to get done. I'm not sure when and there are a couple of potentially large projects, as well as two known large and time-consuming projects, ahead.

My goal is to have the hand edits done before October 30th. My super goal is to have the hand edits done and entered into the electronic manuscript before October 30th. If I can make that goal, then I want to spend November (NaNoWriMo!) on writing a first/rough draft of a new novel. No, I don't have anything in mind right now, but I would love to start something new.

Making progress! Lots of progress.


Wednesday, June 20, 2018

How Does My Garden Grow

This year I put in a small garden, again. I skipped the garden last year - I was busy, the timing of a trip, rapid sprouting spinach and lettuce the previous year which we never go to eat. And. I didn't.


But this year I purchased several varieties of tomatoes and different sizes of plants (ages). I wanted to have the tomatoes spread out as to when they ripen and are ready to eat. I also planted spinach, variety of lettuce, a spaghetti squash plant, a watermelon plant. And I put in beet seed. Oh, and kale. I don't have hope of getting much of the kale, since the aphids really love kale around here. But, from the last two times I had kale, the aphids keep primarily to the kale and off the other plants. So far, I have been able to harvest a little of the kale and no aphids, yet!

We do have a few baby tomatoes on the biggest plant, The others look like they're going to make it, too.

The beets have sprouted - although they drifted significantly from where I put the seeds. But that's not a problem.

I've had several green smoothies with spinach from the garden. We've had a heat wave the last few days and three of my spinach plants are threatening to bolt, so I did some major pruning/harvesting today.

This is some of what I picked today. A dinner salad straight from the garden. So delicious!


Published!


I am very honored and humbled that VoiceCatcher selected my piece, "Rabbit Test," to be included in their Spring 2018 issue. The journal was published on Friday, June 15th.

VoiceCatcher is a publication I respect and it was high on my list of places I hoped to be published. I admire their goals, their integrity, all of the work they do. As well as the relationship they have with the community and with their contributors. The process was wonderful, and I had a wonderful editor who worked with me to make a few final edits to strengthen the work.

Thank you, VoiceCatcher, for including my writing.

I am also excited that I will be one of the contributors reading my story at the launch party on Sunday, June 24th. I am proud to be a part of this community of creative individuals and to have another excerpt from my memoir (currently in the editing process) out in the world.

The "Rabbit Test" link is under the Prose section.