Small Earthquake Update, Plus “Completed Today”
Just a snippet from the ‘burbs (east side!) on the ‘quake front for yesterday: only 7 earthquakes at the time I drafted this post but 3 of them were “plus 4.0 M”, i.e. decidedly noticeable (they were also shallow which helps on the noticeability front)—and of course with the official prediction of a 30% chance of another major shake in the next month (likelihood reduces to ‘just 25%’ if we get through that) everything noticeable sends the heart rate jumping. On the brighter side, trucks and diggers came to our street and took all the liquefacted material along the kerb away—all small steps but it still feels like progress (all over again.) But given that prediction, I can’t help thinking: “until next time!” Then hoping like anything that the 70% will prevail this time around.
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OK, on to “completed today” (although really, it’s for yesterday) with the Great Revision. And the working day was very productive (despite stopping, hands poised over keyboard for those 4.0s) because I effectively rewrote a complete chapter to fit in with other changes I’ve made. So here are the stats:
- 1704 completely new words written / 5.5 pages of new material inserted
- 10 further pages of manuscript rewritten.
- Total Pages Until Completion: 119 plus Glossary.
Tomorrow I will begin by reading through and polishing the chapter completed today.
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And the bonus highlight for the day—I got to see the new US cover for The Gathering of the Lost and although it is still under wraps and cannot be revealed on the blog, let me tell you that it is amazingly wonderful and I am so excited and looking forward to seeing it out there—and correspondingly motivated to reduce that page count further again!
I think you’re doing fantastically well to stay so on track with all the aftershocks. One of yesterday’s dumped my coffee in my lap, I wasn’t too impressed with that.
Yes, indeed-y: I wouldn’t be impressed by the old coffee-in-the-lap trick either! I think I’ve just gotten tired of all the quaking and shaking disrupting everything to be honest and decided to just bulldoze on (possibly an unfortunate verb given the current rate of demolitions and with iconic buildings like the Anglican and Catholic cathedrals both on the line. 🙁 ) And I really want to keep to that March date for Gathering because that will be just under 18 months from Heir’s release.
oh, I love cover reveals! Look forward to it. Sorry about the quakes. I can’t imagine what it is like to have those happening. Best of luck with all the book stuff! 🙂
Yes, and although it may be a wee while before the final big reveal it is delicious to know that everyone else will be as excited as I am once it’s out there! 🙂
Oh, my gosh. I’ve never been in a earthquake, so I don’t know how it must feel to deal with so many! It sounds crazy!
Congratulations on your writing progress!
Ohhhh! Can’t wait to see the cover!! 🙂 🙂
And I am very much looking forward to that “cover love” post, although it will be some time away yet!:)
Sounds like the revision process is going well. Do you find it as tiring as the writing process or, like a lot of other writers, is the editing the “fun part”?
Joel, because this revision part is also rewriting for a whole lot of things—plot continuity; character development; more powerful but also more elegant telling of the story etc it is fun. Getting the first draft of the book to the page comprises both awe and terror, whereas for this round the essential form is there to work with, which makes it both ‘safer’ and therefore safer to simply have fun with, if you see what I mean? The subsequent copyedit round of revision, which is fixing any glitches around grammer, spelling, repetition, inconsistencies etc tends to be simply more of a hard, must-pay-attention-to-detail grind through, rather than fun in the more creative, big picture sense.
Re being tiring, I think it is always tiring at each round if you are really focusing, but can be exhilarating as well—like anything that we do intensively.
Not too sure i would be able to concentrate with shakes going on, big ups to you 🙂
Thank you, ma’am! I shall strive to keep it up.:)
I look forward to see the US cover for The Gathering of the Lost! I’m so curious! >_<
Giada, you will not be disappointed!
Looking forward to seeing the cover. So exciting.
Donna, even the early stage I have seen—is awesome!