Janet Reid would be proud. . .

It is fun, dammit. That’s what I’m telling myself as I sit cross-legged on my living room floor, knee-deep in R&R.

I can do this.

Actually, let me amend that: I’ve been doing this. Janet Reid would be proud, I know it. Not that I know Janet Reid, because I don’t. But I respect her expertise very much. Does that count? In my book, she’s right up with the great Chuck Wendig (https://kkelliewriteme.wordpress.com/2013/09/03/eviscerate-me-chuck-wendig/ ), but I digress.

Ever since I heard back from Agent X (she, with the savvy suggestions on how to make CHERRY a better novel and who is not, for the record, Ms. Reid), I’ve been pounding those proverbial keys. Actually, they’re real keys, but that’s beside the point. The point is, I’ve been what you might call a “REVISING MACHINE”, working those revisions for the better part of three weeks now. Has it really been that long? Let me check, which is a stalling tactic I pulled from my little bag o’ tricks labeled “How to Waste Time Efficiently”, which I do whenever I find myself floundering and yeah, when I say floundering, I mean floundering, as in, flopping on the floor spastically whilst foaming at the proverbial mouth. . .

🙂

Where was I? Ahh, yes. I just now checked, and it wasn’t three weeks ago. It was more like six. November 12, to be exact. Lord have mercy. But I shouldn’t berate myself. For one thing, time is relative. . .

🙂

. . .and for another thing, I’ve done a shit ton of research relative to R&Rs, often when I don’t want to actually, you know, WRITE. (Yeah, I know I’ve mentioned that before. Obviously, it bears repeating.) Anyway, researching is much more fun, and my intensive research supports my suspicion that one should never hurry revisions, not where R&Rs are concerned. To quote a certain wicked witch (who bears an uncanny resemblance to my muse ( https://kkelliewriteme.wordpress.com/2013/09/13/you-think-your-muse-is-bad/ ):

These things must be handled delicately. . .

Indeed, they must. Revisions should take as long as they take. To quote the great Janet Reid:

 

Or not. I googled ‘Revise and resubmit Janet Reid’ and found some of her blog posts referencing R&Rs, but none which specifically discusses R&R time frames. I was hoping for a bit of that oft-quoted, well-recognized, expertise. Poo. Perhaps if I’d searched further. . .

But all is not lost. I did find one of the J. Reid 100-word contest thingies I’d entered, way back when (I just now checked: 8/10/13). Submissions were to include the following : fiction, slush, spade, hear, and 262. I thought my submission was pretty good, to wit:

* *  *

This tale is fiction, so I’ve heard (though some declare it fact).

The story goes, he was a quiet man and so, he promised her a single rose for every time he spoke the words I love you.

The first was when he caught her silhouette against a moonlit sky.

The thirteenth time, she’d slipped in icy slush and burst out laughing.

The ninety-fourth, she’d traced her name across his fevered chest.

And every year, he promised to keep counting and she always laughed, and kissed him and proclaimed him daft.

Fifty years.

A thousand tears.

One spade.

262 roses.

*  *  *

Not bad, right? Which brings me back to this R&R business. (No it doesn’t, but I have to get back on topic  sooner or later, soooo. . .) Before I so rudely interrupted myself, I was about to share the extent to which I’ve already revised my beloved novel CHERRY. Let’s see now: I’ve completely rewritten two chapters, wrote an entirely new chapter, moved chapters around, rewritten significant scenes based on all that other good stuff, and cut some. Even so, my net word count has increased by–hang on, let me check–3,500+ –which has kicked my wc over the 76K line. Wow, I’m impressing myself, but I’m not yet done, which propels me toward the conclusion of this shiny little blog post.

I need to get cracking, folks. Bottom line, I can’t afford to rest on my laurels, especially when I’ve been so generously gifted an offer to R&R. I’m quite certain the wise and talented Janet Reid has posted something on her blog relative to the perils of resting on one’s laurels, especially when one has been so generously gifted an offer to R&R.

But maybe I should check first, huh?