I’ve ordered more books, including one about revising. I tend to edit as I go, which means that my final-draft-duties consist basically of making sure I put two spaces between sentences and checking to see that my name’s spelled right. (Or Wright. It’s the middle of the night and I have no idea why I’m up, plus I’m easily amused.)
I’ve been fretting over whether A Steady Thing is ready to be sent away; did I make it clear enough that Phil is bi, not “gay for Benny”? Did I catch all of the words that shouldn’t have a G on the end; did I misspell one of the few words that shouldn’t be? (Running spell-check on a Benny and Phil story is almost impossible.) Is it tight enough; is it too tight? Should I add the bit at the beginning back in; should I change that bit in the middle? What about all the italicised words?
I know I should just leave it alone for a little bit, or ask someone else to take a look at it, then come back. I have a few days before the deadline, after all.
Speaking of Benny, Phil, and revision, I’m thinking about trying to write up their big story again. I still have to figure out a plot so that it’s not all sex, all the time, but I think I can do that, now.
On the general-revision front, I’m still kind of stuck on my Jesse/Chris story. Small Mind keeps escaping from its cave, running around the meadow and screaming at the top of its little lungs about how I’m going to have to throw the whole thing away and start over from the beginning and it’s too much work and Oh my GOD we’re all gonna DIE!
Of course, none of that is true. I may have to do a lot of rewriting, and it may be a lot of work, but I don’t have to start from scratch. And if I take it in small chunks, one scene at a time, it will be fine. If I do one scene/chapter (depending) a day or every two days, it’ll probably only take me about three weeks.
On that calming note, I’m going to try going back to sleep.