HARSH EDIT 2008

Ooh, I've been a misery guts of late, but I think I've reached a turnaround. Today is the first day in what feels like months that I've actually done something constructive. It's also the first day in what feels like months that I haven't donned a headset and harrassed members of the public. Yes, there probably is a connection between the two.

So, today I have started a new file in regards to my novel. It's called KYAS HARSH EDIT 2008. I've been going over my novel once again and getting rid of so much, killing off one character, axing the beginning and am about to introduce a whole new element that I think gives the whole thing a lot more credibility and realism: a funeral. Whoopo! When in doubt, bring in a funeral. It means getting rid of the coma, but that's all okay. This whole process is killing me a little bit but, like I said to Ian last night, it's only because I have had some time 'away' from it and have been beating myself up about it. When I was back in Falmouth, I had a spell during which I felt in control of everything and was being very productive, working on my novel for six hours a day. Since I've been back I've done so little, but am going to stop that right now. I was talking with Ian the other day about making a plan for each month, kind of like people do at the end of a year, and have decided that January has pretty much been a fun month (bar the call centre) and February needs to be a month of productivity (and some call centre).

I've decided that, by the end of February, I need to have a new synopsis and plan for the whole novel. I think that I'm facing problems because I keep getting to points where I think, 'And what happens now?' I need to have a clear idea of what happens in the story so that I can just keep going rather than re-writing and re-writing the same sections which, as well as driving me a bit mad, probbaly isn't the best use of my time.

Anyway, that's that for the time being. Back to the novel I go.

xx