Revision Dilemma

As many of you know I've been knee deep in revisions for far too long now. I revise on a paper copy of the work in progress then transcribe the changes to the manuscript on the laptop. One of the issues I've come up against is trying to keep track of what paper version has the latest round of edits if I need to refer back to them for some reason.

I came across Susan Elizabeth Phillips' method of revising a few months ago and thought "That's a good idea" and kept moving on with whatever else I needed to get done on the laptop that day. Well, after spending 45 minutes comparing two sets of revised pages to the version on the laptop, I've decided to incorporate her method into my revision/editing process.

She uses a different color paper for each draft. The first draft may be on regular white copy paper, the second draft on yellow paper, the third draft on light blue paper and so on. I just happen to have two reams of yellow paper and 1 1/2 reams of light pink paper. I also have a ream of white paper that has holes already punched in it so if you want to put it in a binder, you don't have to hole punch it yourself. I'm not sure where I got this from, but I'm sure it'll come in handy.

Having different colored paper for each draft will definitely make it easier to keep track of what hard copy version has the latest revisions.

This I know for sure...

I'm still working on my knitting project. I'm making it a little bigger than the pattern calls for. It's supposed to be a 5' x 5' throw blanket, but I'm making it longer and wider so it will fit on my bed as a regular blanket. I've finished one panel and am nearly done with another panel. I'm eager to get on to the next one because it's the first one that incorporates different colored yarn.

Here's a photo showing the pattern of the cream colored panels. Sorry for the poor quality and blurriness. I tried to get a close up of the pattern, but the camera kept taking it out of focus.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress):  No writing last week. Between getting everything prepped for the holiday and trying to fight off my second cold of the spring season, I didn't get any revision work done.

Quote of the Week:  "With enough time, you can make yourself into whatever or whomever you want to be. Be patient, but not lazy." ~ Unknown.

What I'm Reading: I just started A Merciful Death by Kendra Elliot Monday night. It's the first book in the Mercy Kilpatrick series. 

Random Thoughts:  I've finished the first panel of the blanket I'm knitting. It only took me a little over a week to finish. I worked on it in the evenings when I sat down to relax for the day, usually only for an hour and a half. 

Random Picture of the Week:

                                  We had pineapple with Easter breakfast. 😄

Easter Monday

                                        It's Easter Monday so no post today.


And if you don't celebrate Easter...

                                                        Happy Earth Day!

This I know for sure...

Last week on Wednesday I posted a picture of a card I made for my niece's baby shower. It has a tiny shirt like piece that I knitted. It was the first thing I've knitted in years. I usually crochet. I'm more comfortable crocheting.

Well, I went to a local craft store this past Saturday and bought size 8 knitting needles and enough yarn to make a blanket. (I borrowed the size 2 needles I used for the little shirt on the card from my mom.) My mom cast on the stitches for me to start because I couldn't remember how and now I'm knitting a blanket. It has an intricate pattern that I need to pay attention to while I'm knitting so no watching TV like I do when I'm crocheting. I've already had to frog it (pull it back) 5 times because I goofed up the pattern. Luckily I've noticed the mistake each time after a couple of rows so I at least haven't had to undo a lot of it.

I'll post a picture of my progress once I have enough done to show the pattern.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): I had a pretty decent week last week revision wise. I was able to get 43 pages done on the Spellbound manuscript.

Quote of the Week: "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." ~ Confucius

What I'm Reading: I haven't had a lot of free time to read lately so I'm still reading Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell.

Random Thoughts: I know spring is here, but I wish the weather would stop acting like it's still winter. We've been having a rain/snow mix the last few days. It rained/snowed almost all day this past Sunday. I'm ready for some sun and any temperature above 50 would be welcome.

Random Photo of the Week:

                          This is the gift tag I made for my niece's baby shower gift bag.
 

Book Titling

I've always had a hard time coming up with titles for my manuscripts. I will sometimes refer to them by a very temporary title if one pops into my head and seems to fit the story in some way. Most of the time though I refer to the manuscript by one of the main character's names.

For example when I was writing An Unexpected Gift, I referred to the book as Olivia's story the entire time I was writing it. I didn't come up with a title until I was getting ready to send it out for submission.

I think I don't put a lot of effort into coming up with a title because in many cases, the publishing company chooses the title during the publication process that they feel will better help sell the book.  Lately though I've been having these awesome titles pop into my head for books I haven't started outlining, much less writing yet. I've started writing them down on a sheet of paper because I'm afraid I won't remember them when I'm ready to use them. 

This I know for sure...

I'm finding myself looking at gardening catalogues and sales ads from my local gardening centers even though I told myself I am not going to plant anything this year. I think I may end up putting in a few flowering type plants after all. Maybe.

As you can tell, I still haven't made up my mind.

What's Up Wednesday

This week...

My Current WIP (Work in Progress): Last week was a total washout. I only managed to get 3 new pages of material written. 

Quote of the Week: "You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get." ~ Michael Phelps

What I'm Reading: I didn't get a chance to start Debriefing the Dead by Kerry Blaisdell last week. I'm hoping to start reading either tonight or tomorrow. 

Random Thoughts: Monday afternoon I noticed the first tulip in our garden on the side of our front stairs was getting ready to blossom. I ran out today to take a photo and someone had picked it. All that's left is the leaves and part of the stem. 😠😭

Random Photo of the Week:

                                     The card I made for my niece's baby shower.