Ugh, I just got my MS back from my proofing friend and I'm having to make thousands of corrections, mostly missing commas. I went out on the internet and looked up comma rules. I'm incapable of learning them. What made me think my brain would change the way I think, or, rather, learn. All in all, I didn't do a horrible job, and there aren't really thousands of corrections, though it seems like it. Wading through them one-by-one is painful.
Writing a novel is a process that involves a lot of work. The writing is bad enough, but when you're done, you're not. When I get rich and famous, I can afford to have someone else do this work, but until then, it's all me.
Going into a four day weekend, but have no plans. It takes a bomb to get me out of the house anymore, but I may force myself out because I'm running out of clothes. What I mean is, I have extra hangers.
Have fun and be safe on this July fourth, everyone, and God Bless
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI love the way you gauge when you need new clothes by the vacant hangers. Good idea.
I know exactly what you mean when you say you think you're thru and you really aren't. Take heart that we all go thru the same process. Painful indeed. But then when it's actually finished it seems so bright and shiny and beautiful. Don't give up. Just keep at it. You'll get to the finish line soon enough!
Blessings, B
I'm the same way with commas. Every time I swear I've got the rules down, it turns out that I don't. *sigh* Oh well, maybe someday!
ReplyDeleteI wrote a book once and a play. I lost the electronic versions of both that I wrote...crashed hard drive...lessons to learn... back up back up back up...Never submitted either to anyone. Never had the confidence that they were any good. I do like to write poetry though.
ReplyDeleteBe blessed. Be a blessing.
I loves me some Pink Floyd.
May you get your comma errors fixed and clothes back on the hangers...
DJ GlenMC
Another thing to remember. You are never done until your editor says you are done. And that's the editor at your publishing house. I use three English teachers, all of whom taught when rules of grammar, punctuation, and diagramming sentences were mandatory. I still miss commas. Keep at it. Someone out here is always ready with red pen to mark up a manuscript to make it a wee bit better.
ReplyDeleteYeah--you can learn commas:)) Isn't it nice to know that we can keep making our work better and better?
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your MS. I usually put in too many commas. People are always taking them out. I learned comma use when I was in high school shorthand class. I think they must have changed the rules since then, though.
ReplyDeleteMy nemesis is commas too. Congratulations on your completed manuscript!
ReplyDeleteI've awarded you with a versatile blogger award on my blog.
Some of those comma rules are subjective--not all of them. Some of what I learned in high school and college has changed--it seems.
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone in the comma thing. I'm an English teacher and I'm convinced students don't know what a comma even is - that is, of course, before they come into my class :)
ReplyDeleteEven worse, AFTER publication when you pick up the book to read, even though the publisher has a great copyediting staff, there is STILL a typo here and there.
ReplyDeleteBTW, my Blest Atheist blog went down, and I replaced it with 100th Lamb (www.emahlou.blogspot.com). I explain why there.
Elizabeth,
ReplyDeleteI can completely relate to you on this one. When you are done, you really are not done. I have been working through the editing process and it is long and arduous. Argh. I have been lazy the past couple weeks. It is hard when you know just how much you need to tweak and then you just put it on the back burner. Any ideas of staying motivated to edit?
BTW, I like your blog.