When you get it, you got it!

Or something along those lines...

I am currently (see prior post) editing the hell out of the first novel of a trilogy I hope to submit to everyone and anyone who is in the YA market. Added to that, school just started (groans, here) and of course, everything seems to pile on at once.

That being said - I started watching "Luther" on the BBC (Love the bloody BBC) and fell in love with it and it's theme song - brilliant theme song by Massive Attack, called "Paradise Circus". Now, I was studying, promise I was, but when I got lulled into that song, I suddenly realized I wanted to write. Like now.

So I went to my laptop, booted up the third novel and began typing.

Ends up that I edited and rewrote a lot of one scene that I had previously not been happy with. I am more happy with it now. Amazing isn't it?

Music, I mean.

It has such sway over us, such possibility ... it truly amazes me.

So, as I write this, with more ideas for he third novel crowding in my head, I am listening to my endless playlist:

Aron Wright - Song for the Waiting
Massive Attack - Paradise Circus
Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats
State of Shock - Pieces of You
3OH!3 - Don't Trust Me
Kings of Leon - Sex on Fire
A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover
Deborah Cox - Beautiful U R
Marie Digby - Better off Alone
Mads Langer - Breathe Out
Superbus - Lola
etc.

What are you all listening to that inspires?

Notes from Hell.

aka. Notes from someone who is at the moment editing their first real novel and instead of being productive has danced around in her underwear to Shawn Desman, ate a scoop of low fat icecream, and ... apparently wright really long "aka"s .. yeesh ...

Anyways, this topic is .. well predictably, about the editing process and how much it sucks - for a myriad of reasons.

1) I second guess EVERYTHING. No seriously. Like, everything. Every word, every scenario - what would a publisher think of that line? That syntax (or lack thereof)? Is it coherent? Do I really need to add the word "strong" nine million times - they get it, the bond, it is strong! etc etc etc.

2) I DID NOT write that ... did I? No ... but ... oh crap, I might have. What the hell was I thinking? *blushing at this point* Gak! This will not stand (fingers poised at the keyboard with an insane light in my eyes that betrays me true tendencies)! And this goes to ...

3) Massive rewriting! Like, as in, that is ... massive. When I edited one of my highschool stories (for future reference, that is any story I finished in highschool - I started near 30, but I only finished ... 6.) It went from 114 pages single spaced, to 230 pages. When I overhaul, I overhaul ... with very careful snipping.

4) About that snipping ... Why, oh why? Why can I not make this scene work!? Why? Crap ... BUt... maybe I can save it!? No ... but yes! No! Yes! *brain wars with heart, usually wins*

5) Midnight phone call that goes like this:
Boyfriend: "Hullo?" in his sleepy cute voice.
Me: " I am in the depths of despair!"
BF: (Pause) "F*ck. You're writing aren't you?"
Me: Depths. Despair. A la Princess Bride - save me! What should I edit?
BF: (Sheepishly, or at least I would like to think so) I ... uh ... read more Moving Mars last night, haven't
finished, your ...obviously brilliant masterpiece ... uh yet....
Me: WTF, mate? (Phone disconnects mysteriously, after somehow ending up on the other side of the room ...)

6) (After reviewing an entire chapter, I make my notes and changes, go to the next one and discover there is a disconnect.) Blasphemy! (I scream this at my characters) Doth thou not knoweth of the timeline, dammnit! (After much griping, I finally fix this, but then see problems 1 through 5 on repeat until then).

7) Success! For a time. Because then someone else reads it and realizes I have a million "teh"s ....

And the process begins again!

Shoot me? Please?