Norovirus, Boskone, and Cut Throat. It has been a month. For the shortest month of the year, it has been a doozie. Norovirus hit me hard toward the beginning of the month and knocked me out for about a week, but it could have been worse. I could have missed Boskone. Fortunately, I got to attend, and for that, I am grateful. Both Boskone and Norovirus have slowed me down as I get back into Cut Throat, but slow progress is better than no progress, and maybe, just maybe, I might take a little bit of a break to do some other things (like read a book) this weekend to recover from it all.
Progress
Sometimes, progress is particularly difficult to measure. This is the main thing about revisions that I find difficult. You might think that keeping words from the last draft would make revision go faster, but for me, it is the opposite. I waffle back and forth as I try to determine what to keep and what to cut. The indecisiveness and amount of thinking slow me down. This is evidenced by the fact that I started moving much faster once I started drafting rather than revising. The stretch I am in right now will be 95% drafting, so I anticipate speeding up. However, I am also exhausted, teetering on the edge of burnout, so it will likely take me longer than I want it to.
Even with all of that, I drafted just over 700 words a day or just short of 20k. This is by no means a bad month. Some projects are just more difficult than others, and some months have more going on in them than others.
Boskone
This was my second time going to Boskone, and it was extraordinarily different from the last time. There is a line from C. S. Lewis’s Prince Caspian: “Nothing ever happens the same way twice.” I have found again and again in my life that this is true. It is hopeful in hard times, but it is difficult to swallow when you’ve had a particularly good experience. I tried to prepare myself for the fact that Boskone would be different this year, but I was still woefully unprepared.
In many ways, it was like starting over again. Most of the people I met last year were not in attendance this year. So, I had to make new friends and drum up conversations from nothing, which is not one of my strong suits. I am fine in a conversation once it’s begun, but getting it started often eludes me.
Even with the social struggles I faced, I was able to start conversations and speak with multiple people I hadn’t met before. I attended a few parties and got to know other writers and authors at different stages of their careers, and I attended many different interesting panels. This year’s panels were more subgenre-specific as opposed to last year’s, which were very focused on querying and the process of publication. I found that I was glad of the change as I have already queried two manuscripts, and much of the same information is often on display.
I attended some art and science panels and found them very useful, and I attended a Kaffeklatsch with Joshua Bilmes (the agent I met last year). And though his answers were useful, I found staying afterward and talking with another aspiring author even more so.
All in all, I had a good time, and I got to see my great aunt and uncle, whom I always enjoy spending time with. There were a couple of snafus: my phone not working and having to go to the Apple Store, thus missing the first panel of the con, and my flight home being four hours late were chief among them. However, despite the bad, I had a lovely time.
Leisure
This month’s leisure has been mainly TV shows. I find myself watching three shows as they come out, which I don’t believe I have ever done before. The three shows are Reacher, Severance, and Survivor. I am also watching through Jack Ryan as I wait for each Reacher episode to drop.
My siblings and I are doing Survivor Fantasy Teams, and I have to say, week one has not gone well. One of my two tribe members got out the first week. That’s what I get for calling my team Ruin and Preservation. I think I had it coming.
Last night, my brother and I went to see Captain America: Brave New World, which I had no expectations going into as I hadn’t seen any clips, and I really liked it. I, of course, miss Steve Rogers, but I like that Sam (the new Cap/Falcon) echoed some of my own feelings on screen. This is such a good thing to do as a storyteller.
There are a couple of new movies I’m looking forward to seeing, like The Gorge and Mickey 17. I am also reading The Spellshop and maybe Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea. And although I have so little time to read, I just can’t do Audiobooks.
Looking Forward
This month and probably the next will be Cut Throat. I’m at the point where the next 3-6 chapters will be 95% drafting, so I’m hoping to pick up the pace, but that’s assuming I can actually take a little bit of a break this weekend so I can hit the ground running on Monday. Cut Throat remains a difficult manuscript, but I am determined to write it. I will be better for it by the end.
I may do some revisions on Project B; that remains to be seen. It all depends on how much time I have and if I hit my stride with Cut Throat. Of all my projects slated for this year, Cut Throat has the potential to make or break me.
Until next time,
Naomi
