Dear readers,
This entry marks my triumphant return to the blogging world. Over the past two months I resettled into my new apartment. I’m enjoying simply walking to work. Down here in the Rockaways I already want to be more active, and do more outside. I started running again, singed up for a 5k in May, and I believe I’m skating more. I’m glad winter is finally over, but it is very windy in the rockaways. Some days walking to work I feel like I’m walking through a wind tunnel.
My apartment is great. I got my blinds, my couch, and a few skate decks on the wall. After about seven years of not caring about the place I lived in, I feel I made a huge step for myself with having happiness with my living space. During summer I’ll try to have small parties to show it off. No crazy parties though.
Recently I finished typing up the draft of my novel. I’m happy to have finished a typed draft. It really is more than a first draft, but maybe not as much as a second draft. I originally planned to print my novel and briefly outline the actions in each of the chapters. Then I could decide what to cut, what to add, and what to change. One chapter came to mind typing that it’s simply a sex scene and the story does not move along in anyway. I remember once in a bar a cute coked up bar tender simply skipped my jukebox song. I asked her what she was doing. She responded, “Don’t slow it down, the music has got to keep moving.” I think my novel is at heart an adventure story, so each chapter should move it along.
I found this article online from writer’s digest, http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/how-to-edit-your-book-in-4-steps . The writer is the same guy who wrote 77 Reasons Your Book Was Rejected. In the article he states a plan for four revisions or rewrites of a book before showing it to publishers or agents. I think I’ll follow his steps. On the second one he states to read and revise on the computer first, which I did not plan to do, but agree that would give a cleaner print out. I’ll try to do the four revisions before showing it. For the third revision in this article may be the time to think of adding and cutting some. However this four step article does seem geared to making what one already has the best. I think maybe the phrase ‘your first instinct is usually right’ will work for me. So making what I have the best it can be may be easier than restructuring the story. I’m not sure and I’ll take any writing suggestions. My eventual plan is to submit it to an agent.
Lastly, I took a two-month break from my blog, and in late April still average about eighteen views a day, which I’m amazed with. Most of the views are from subject searches of my previous topics. To me that states this blog is worth writing, and I should continue to write weekly. However I think I’m going to try not to put as much personal expectations from having a blog. I probably won’t get famous from my blog, so I should not feel let down on the entries that get ignored. I should keep the original intent of doing this for the sake of improving my writing by doing it on a regular basis. Also I might try to focus on various topics as opposed to writing about myself. I’ll keep the entries brief, because everything online is brief. The blog is good but the bulk of my writing time should be revising my beasty novel.
Cheers,
Matt
Mallisonwhat's Blog 