The Skinning of the Schnoz

For next seven weeks or so, I expect to be (had better be!) skinning my nose daily upon the grindstone of a very tight book deadline. Due to unavoidable circumstances, I've gotten a lot further behind than this particular tortoise enjoys, and failure is definitely not an option--especially not with another deadline breathing down my neck.

Nor is turning in a book that's anything less than the very best I can do. It's too easy to forget that, to become convinced that this business is about selling book proposals, copies, or even yourself and forever working faster to keep pace with the competition. But now more than ever, with the playing field leveled and the self-published cracking even the most venerable of lists, our business has to be about keeping readers happy by wringing every drop of sweat and blood and talent we have in us and pouring it all into the actual writing of the book.

Unfortunately, this means you'll be seeing me here on the blog less often. But I'll be back, I promise, as soon as I get this project back under control!

Comments

Suzan Harden said…
Hang in there, Colleen. If I can finish my wip from hell, you'll be just fine.
Thanks, Suzan. Congrats on finishing yours.

After hours of work this morning, I have actually lost wordage, since I cut a lot of pages. But in this case, it amounts to progress, because now I can finally forge ahead.
Pat O'Dea Rosen said…
Forge on, Colleen. I look forward to reading your next Intrique.
Thanks, Pat. Worked really hard through the afternoon. Hope to get caught up (yea) by working through the weekend (boo).
It's strange, Colleen. I keep adding scenes and parts of scenes and entire new chapters to my novel, but keep losing word count as well, partly because for every chapter I add, there are twelve I tighten. So I feel your pain. And your working on the weekends comment as well.