Big Changes

Man, I'm tired.

No desk job for me today. It was Emergency Graphic Design Only - the rest of my day was spent in the production department, on my feet, trimming graphics and installing displays.

But I still managed to get through chapter nine of my editing process tonight, despite the exhaustion... and yes, I am clearly a wuss.

I was never really happy with the ending for chapter nine. I've re-written it at least twice already, but I still wasn't happy. My beta reader also ran into some confusion there, which just reinforced my opinion that it needed work. I had a wonderful 'Aha!' moment this evening, when I came up with a solution.

My MC, Deyl, suffers from a bit of a Dr. Jeckyll / Mr. Hyde thing, though she is fully aware of the existence of Mr. Hyde. I've struggled with incorporating this alternate personality since my very first rewrite, and I had pretty much decided to cut it altogether. However, there were still some vague references to it scattered throughout the novel, probably because I liked the idea and couldn't really let it go.

My beta reader liked it. Wanted to see more of this Mr. Hyde personality. Bolstering my resolve, I've made comments during this edit on how / when / where I can work Mr. Hyde back in, and make it better for doing so.

And one of these spots is the end of chapter nine. I've just made comments for now, but I am definitely excited to rewrite and see if and how this all comes together. With any luck I'll have chapter ten edited tomorrow, at which point I think I'll go back and put together a more cohesive rewrite plan-of-action, with some questions for my beta...

Oh, the insanity!

Now, I don't want to get too wild and crazy, but—brace yourselves—today I'm combining a Three Things post with a Tuesday Tunes post!

I know, I know, it's madness up in here.

But (and forgive me if I've mentioned this before) I find I can't listen to playlists while editing, or at least not the same way I listen while I'm writing. When I'm writing I listen to music for inspiration and energy, sticking to different types of playlists depending on the type of scene I'm working on. Editing is a totally different process, and I need the music to be more of a background thing—I don't want it to distract me.

I find that listening to just three or four songs together, on a repeating loop, works well for this. Of course, they have to be songs I won't get bored with quickly. So, without further ado, here are Three Things That Are Also Tunes:

Thing #1: Where is My Mind by The Pixies

Thing #2: Out of Control by She Wants Revenge

Thing #3: Is Your Love Strong Enough by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

The Office

I love this time of year. Of course, it snowed Saturday. But everything had melted by Sunday morning, and I have the blisters to prove I actually got some yard work done before relaxing in the sun, Pina Colada in hand.

It was so gorgeous out this afternoon that I moved the office outside. Not only did I get in some critique work, but I finished chapter six and seven in the editing / revision of my own work. Maybe I'll finish chapter eight tomorrow?

And yes, my cat is wearing a sweater. He has a scratching problem, and this is the punishment / cure.

More Scrivener Love

Just a quick post for anyone out there who's been thinking about purchasing Scrivener. Do it. The program is super cheap, and amongst other things, it's great for editing.

Right now I've got two documents on the go: the copy of my manuscript I'm editing, and the marked-up copy from my beta reader. Scrivener lets me keep both documents in the same "binder" and bring them up in side-by-side view. I can adjust the width of each column, scroll up and down each independently, and show or hide my sticky notes comments (thoughts for me to deal with later) on the far right.

And of course, this is just one of the many awesome things Scrivener can do. Try it out.

Tuesday Tunes

I actually started listening to the Dragon Tattoo soundtrack months before I watched the movie. I loved the Immigrant Song cover—I'm also a big Zeppelin fan.

When I finally did watch the movie, the opening title blew me away. As a graphic artist the visuals, combined with Reznor's sound... wow. Just, wow.

During editing, I like to listen to one song on repeat. Lately, it's been this tune.

P.S. I feel like I've been waiting forever for the new How To Destroy Angels album to come out! Soon, I hope. Very soon...