Counting the Words - Again

On the subject of counting words, the last one was about the words I edited in a limited time.  Which got to thinking about the amount I can write in a limited time.  There is a reason for this, the fast approaching NaNoWriMo.

National Novel Writing Month.  Only heard about it last year, and it was half way through November when I did.  Thought it was a great idea and decided I’d do it this year.

I want to do it.

I plan to do it.

I can do it.

Right!

Right?

Write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days?  Well I know I have written 10,000 in two days, and to write the 50,000 words of NaNoWriMo means doing an average of 1,600 a day.  So it should be a synch, right?

Wrong.

Like most writers I haven’t given up the day job, so that’s 45 hours a week I can’t write.  Actually, we have a major deadline in work for December 2^nd so it might well end up being more than fifty hours a week to ensure that everything gets done to deadline.  To be fair the 45 hours does include travel time.  Then there’s the fact that I’ve got two editing jobs booked on for November, so that could be anything from 80 hours to 200, depending on how bad/good the writers are, and since they are both new clients, I have no idea.  I also have a Scriptslam to attend in support of a friend, two writers group meetings, an engagement party to go to and a weekend away as a birthday treat (mine)/university visit (planning way ahead daughter)/ Christmas shopping (everyone else) trip.  Added to all that, I’ve promised myself I’ll update my Facebook page weekly and write a monthly blog.

Can I do it?

I’m more realistic than Bob the Builder, so I’m not going to say the obvious.

Am I going to try to do it?

Yes!

Anyone else remembering Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back?

Counting the Words

A little over a week ago, I was asked to complete an editing assignment of full edit on a 160,000 manuscript.  This would be the single biggest project I have taken on to date and I knew the story was based in Africa, a continent I don’t know much about, so depending on the facts stated in the book, it might take a fair bit of research.  So, scary prospect.

Made scarier by the fact that it was wanted in a two week turn around.  So not only the biggest project I’ve been assigned, also the fasted turn around.  Since the author is paying for a two week turn around, that means I have a maximum of 13 days to do the work and get it back to editing company so they can approve what I’ve written before sending it out to the author, and the writing of a critique document will always take a full ‘day’.  So have to calculate as 12 days to edit 160,000, or 13,000 words a day  – Eek!

That said, here’s what happened.  

Wednesday - Manuscript received, I got through maybe 8,000 words, 
Thursday - I went to my writers circle Prose Group, so nothing achieved.  
Friday - crappy day in the office, struggled to get 12,000 words done.  
Saturday - my husband was on Day shift (12 hours) and my daughter is a teenager so doesn’t surface until the afternoon and then she’s perfectly capable of looking after herself, so she did.  That meant that I could shut myself away in the study and just get on with the edit – 60,000 words , woo hoo!  
Sunday - was a repeat of Saturday, but managed to get through over 70,000 words.  All of which left only 6,000 words for 
Monday - did the last 6,000 words  
Tuesday - other stuff on the go
Wednesday - notice only one week after receiving the full manuscript - I did the majority of the critique document,
Thursday - polished the critique document and sent to the boss

Phew!

All done and dusted in time to go away from a long weekend to see our son in university on the other side of the country.  Nice to be able to go knowing that I won’t feel torn between family and work.

Editing Outs the Blogging

Haven’t blogged for a while, which is rather remiss of me, but there is a reason, frankly I’ve been too busy working.

As well as working the usual 9 - 5, or in my case 07:30 to 15:30, I’ve been very fortunate in securing a second job.  The job is as a freelance editor, mainly working for Jefferson Franklin Editing, but also a couple of independent pieces.  Admittedly I took a second job to pay my son’s rent through university, but for what is possibly the first time ever, I have a job that I love so much is doesn’t feel like work.  Even when I am slogging through the worst prose ever, I’d still rather be doing that than working in a office - even though I’m still working in a office and on a laptop, but I’m sure you know what I mean. 

I will admit that I suddenly feel a lot less aggrieved by the pile of rejection slips I have in my own filing cabinet.  If editors have seen my work in the appalling light that that I’ve viewed some of my authors work, then I’m not surprised I have a pile of rejections.  I have to say though, that some of the work I’ve gone through has been utterly brilliant.  As well as full edits, JFE also offer free sample edits, and I’ve done a few of those too, three of the ones I edited were so fresh and original that I really hope the full manuscripts come in.

Most of what I’ve edited have been children’s or crime fiction, one even a children’s crime novel - that was fun.  As I specialise in writing crime, this has been a somewhat eye opening experience.  Given the wide variety of crime possibilities out there, maybe my sticking to the police procedural and private eye formula is a risk at the formulaic?  Maybe, but I love it, besides all my best characters have arisen from stories where they weren’t even meant to be the main focus.  Still, more on that next time, and I promise to write sooner.