1/1/05: Resolution

[davidlevine]

My resolution for the new year is simple and far-reaching, and peripherally writing-related. It's based on the idea that any piece of writing can be improved by reducing the wordcount by 5-10%. So I resolve to Edit The House: to go room by room and reduce the amount of stuff by 5-10%. We've already edited the kitchen, as a side effect of the remodel, and I'm particularly looking forward to editing my clothes closet. I'm less enthusiastic about editing the bookshelves upstairs, but something has to go... they're so full there isn't even any more room to cram books in on their sides. There will be a garage sale this summer.

I have another goal for the year (but I'm not going to make it a formal resolution, because I prefer to have just one new year's resolution): to put the novel in the mail by my birthday (February 21). That'll give me five weeks to edit it after the workshop in mid-January.

My resolution for 2004 was to Finish The Novel, which I defined as finishing the first draft, revising it once, preparing the submission package, and submitting it somewhere. I think I can mark that as a near-miss (or even done, if you count sending it to the workshop as "submitting it somewhere").

Not much writing news to report. I've been slogging away on my critiques for the novel workshop. I need to pick up the pace, but I've been partying hard for the last few days (one party Friday night, two today, another tomorrow). And I need to make an addendum to the David's Index post of December 30: one more rejection came in under the wire, a 141-day(!) boingeroo from Gordon Van Gelder rejecting the story he asked for a rewrite on. ("Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pin down what isn't working for me ... I'm just not feeling this one.") Oh well. That one goes to scifi.com next.

Happy Gnu's Ear, everyone!

Comments

[numbat.livejournal.com]

You might like to start by eliminating silly phases like 'Edit The House'. Good English is preferable to slogans, well unless you're Coke or Nike.

[davidlevine]

In what way is "edit the house" not good English? It's just a metaphor. What's wrong with that?

[numbat.livejournal.com]

It's a stupid slogan like 'Just do it' or 'Where Do You Want To Go Today?' Why not use plain English. Next thing you'll be writing mission statements and the like.

[davidlevine]

And you haven't even seen my PowerPoint presentation on my five-year plan for the family!