I don’t know if it’s ADD or a very mild writerly case of being a adrenaline junkie, but I like to submit to things when I’m wildly unprepared. Then I haul myself together and do what I have to do. So I sent the first 20 pages of the Fucker to a memoir competition. You have to have the whole memoir completed, of course. And I have it, well, written (not necessarily well-written, however).
And I made the longlist.
Now I have one week to take 55,000 words of good and bad writing and make it into one coherent gorgeous whole. I probably won’t make the short list because it’s not finished. I don’t think it’s going to be polished enough to make the next round of cuts.
However, the first 20 pages, which were polished, are good enough to make the first cut. And that is the most important thing. I am somewhat sure that I can get the rest up to snuff, if not in a week, then at least in my lifetime.
How the fuck am I going to edit this thoroughly in the next week? Suggestions welcome.
Bisous,
Indy
Fangs and Clause 
Congratulations!! Indy, that’s fantastic!
I don’t have any brilliant editing advice to offer, but I do know that sleep is essential to the process. Or should be. 🙂
Good for you!!! And you have that ever-important key: A DEADLINE.
So as you would say to me, Indy, get the fuck off the internet!! 😉
Yes, ma’am. Although frequent blog checks calm my anxiety and make me feel as if I can do this.
Print out or work on the computer?
Holy Fuck!!
Print.
Awesome! Congratulations. 🙂 Setting myself up to make an impossible deadline is also the only way I accomplish anything. Adrenaline > sleep.
Thanks, Brandon! Turns out the first scene is interesting to the greater public. Who knew?
You can do it!
My suggestions: Desperation, a sense of urgency, and a “fuck it, that part’s pretty great, time to move on” attitude. Sounds like you’ve got this, actually.
Thanks! You and I seem to work with the same attitude.
Congratulations, Indy! I’m looking forward to reading it.
Don’t be silly. Dogs can’t read!
but they can talk. And listen. And some of them can read (I’m a bitch, sometimes).
Yay long-list! Now focus, Indy. You can do this. Write, write, write, go!
Three thousand words down and about three thousand words to go. Then editing. Thanks all! xo
You’ve got this. Now get the hell off of the internet! You have work to do.
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What a nice day to come back and visit your page. Well done Indy! I am sure you will get this all fixed up in time. Go girl!
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