Been Busy

I talked to my mother the other day and she complained that I never write here anymore. Can't do much about that. My job is very cyclical in nature. Our author events take place January through May and they require long hours, both for the planning and the events themselves. April is the busiest month of the season, I think I've mentioned, in which we seem to have an event, rehearsal, or something else every other night. So I can't say I'll be writing much for a while, although I'll try.

I'm not writing much here, and I'm not working much on the novel. But I do have the next week or so without events so I am trying to get some things done during this short break. One funny thing I've noticed as I'm revising: I was always told you should cut more than you add when you revise. I'm adding as much as I cut, sometimes more. My manuscript is getting longer, rather than shorter. I'm not sure what that means. My theory is that I'm filling in the gaps that I left while writing and maybe during the second revision I'll be able to cut more. But your guess is as good as mine. I can only hope the MS doesn't continue to grow. Please.

The good news is that our season ends in late May so I should be able to revise more during the summer. Having more time is critical. During one three-day weekend in February, when I was able to catch up with life in two days, I had one day totally free to revise. In that one day I revised almost 40 pages. While I'm trying to work, spend time with my husband and our pets, and just live, I get one or two pages done at a time. So that's why this revision goes so slowly. Sad, but true.

Out of Balance

Nate and I find ourselves at an interesting point in our lives. I have a job that requires long hours, surrounded by people. He works at home, alone. I come home and want to decompress and relax. He wants to talk and go out and socialize (after I've spent most of my day doing that). The irony in all this is that if we could switch places, we'd both be happy. I'd love to be at home all by my lonesome. And he would get energized by all the socializing.

So you gotta wonder, why? Why and how did we end up in this situation? I almost wonder if it's a lesson to teach us more about each other. That's my only theory for the moment.

Sometimes I re-read my old journals and I'll see that in almost each one, I have sort of an obsession du jour (or du journal). Pages and pages written about a boring job, a horrible boyfriend (or lack of one), a bad roommate. In all cases, those problems passed. I'm trying to remind myself of that now. This lack of balance in our lives isn't going to ruin us. It will inconvenience and make us a little unhappy for a while, but this will also pass. I'm curious to see what comes next.

Amazing Weekend

I love three-day weekends, especially when I don't have any events. I did have a work event on Friday night and we have another tonight, but I still got three full days off. The temperature was in the 70s or 80s most of the weekend. We invited a few people over for a barbecue on Saturday. Very relaxed and pleasant. On Sunday and Monday, we did a few household chores and yard work and took advantage of the great weather. We went to Matt's and sat on the patio, drinking margaritas and eating queso. We walked the dogs frequently and sat outside in our yard drinking beer. I love "spring" in Texas. I know we'll have a couple of cold fronts between now and April. But they won't last long and will be followed by beautiful weather.

I wouldn't change much in my life. I'm lucky to have a great husband, a nice house, a fun neighborhood, and a houseful of entertaining pets. I would love to make a couple of career adjustments, but those are the only changes I would ask for. After being here seven months, I can say I'm happy to be back in Texas. (Even if it is a red state.)

Doh!

I've been waking up early again to try to finish revising my novel. I swear, every time I say "my novel," I feel like I've been saying the same thing for years. Which, at this point, I have. "So just finish the damn thing already!" I say to myself, which is why I've been getting up at 5 a.m. when I'm most clearly not a morning person.

My non-morningness was clearly demonstrated to me today. As I have revised chapters, I've found two (so far) that I thought could stand alone as stories. Which I have submitted to a couple of literary magazines. I don't know what my chances of publication are; I've never submitted any fiction before. (Actually, I may have submitted one story when I was 21 or something, but that's it.) I can write a pretty decent cover letter when applying for a job, but my fiction cover letters suck and I know it. They are essentially, "Here is my story called X. Please consider it for your (insert publication name.)" Then I do a short bio, including my non-fiction publications and that's about it.

This morning I was glancing at these previously submitted stories and I realized that one of them has a typo. In the FIRST SENTENCE. Like I said, not a morning person. I think I'm going to have to re-read everything at night, when I can think like a human.