Saturday, December 09, 2006

Bemusement



Okay--if I haven't mentioned it before, I'll say it again--I've got the best peanut gallery in all of explored space... thanks guys--for one thing, I don't feel so bad about screeching like a demented owl when I got presented with the heating bill, and for another, it's always nice to hear that your children are really as cute as you think they are.
So I'm going to ignore our impending financial ruin for a while, and the crappy kitchen as well, because I've got the proofs for BOUND and I find that today's nervous breakdown is going to be focussed in that general direction.
I do this every time--I send it out, absolutely sure that there's not a blessed thing I could do to make it better, and get it back and wonder that I had the freakin' balls to subject the world to that unmitigated pile of crap. The fact that it's the same damn manuscript doesn't mean a damn thing. This year, I managed to brainwash I mean shanghai I mean beg the editor of the yearbook to read through and do some of my editing for me. I know I should read it myself, and I plan to--but I'm going to sooooooooorushed, that I don't trust my own editing job to be as good as it should. Oh--have I mentioned that it's about 475 pages, now that it's formatted. In a way I'm a little disappointed--I mean, the manuscript was over 720 pages...I was hoping the novel would break 500... oh, well, I guess I'm not as overwritten as I thought. (Is this a good thing? Am I concise? Is it a bad thing? Am I underdetailed? Am I trying for profound and ending up the suck princess or porndom? Holy Goddess, let me not be publicly stupid any more than humanly possible!!! Oh, wait... I'm a writer... ignore that last bit...there's no way out of it...)

So, I started a special project for Lady In Red, who (sorry to out you, darlin') is due in a shockingly short time, and I'm not telling her what it is, but it's turning out wonderfully. I will tell you that it's done in the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino DK and bells can tell you that this stuff is like sin in a skein... the fabulosity of the finished product is enough to stomp on my 'handwashables for infants' guilt. I mean, Arwyn wore her little socks for six months and I didn't really need to do more than rinse them... unless the little feet go kicking through the used breast-milk, they really don't do a lot of dirt damage to the knitwear, right? Anyway, it's gorgeous and I promise pictures, but I will confess that it's crochet, because right now I move from one to the other depending on the project--this project was crochet, and so I joined the dark side, that's all.

But other than that? Big T's birthday is tomorrow. How big is Big T, you ask? I'll let the picture do the talking:






That's right--he's so big, he needs his own picture--he can't share with his little brother anymore. Here it is for you:






















Anyway, we decorated the house yesterday--it would make Martha Stewart turn pale and run fleeing from the state, but then, my neck of Cali really isn't Martha Stewart country. But that's okay, because I have big sister to help
and the adorable baby to make it beautiful.
And, other than that, I might be a bit longer than usual (I know, you've heard that before) because in addition to the usual holiday madness, I do have my book crisis, I mean my literary nervous breakdown, I mean my editing to attend to--but never fear...Bound will eventually be submitted in the final edit, and I'll be sane (HA! I can hear you all laughing from here!!) once again:-)

4 comments:

roxie said...

How does she do it? Every picture of that child is more adorable than the one before! You will have to send your kids to school for remedial ugly lessons when they turn teen.

You NEED someone else to look at the MS. Someone who doesn't know what you meant to say will catch so much that would slide (again) right past the writer's overly-familiar eye.

I want the book. I want the book! I'm not offering to edit cause I will get sucked into the story and fly right overr typos and such-like piddling details. But I wanna read BOUND right now!! How much would you cahrge for a photo-copy of the galleys?

Amy Lane said...

Nope... not gonna do it... but believe me, I'm terribly tempted:-) This is the 4th eyeball besides mine on the manuscript (that's a record) and I'm still terrified that it's still going to be an unholy mess when I send it in... but knowing I've got the best fans on the planet helps ease the panic just a little:-)

Anonymous said...

You're funny. I don't think it's possible to avoid outing me at this point m'dear! The belly and the waddle do that for me wherever I go. :) ANd I'm excited to see this project you're working on. Everything you make is beautiful! Including the children.
And the book will be fantastic.

Rae said...

With such adorably delicious cuties, surely you must find some diversion from the literary insanity, even if just for a few fleeting moments.

Besides, if your holiday decorating is anything like ours, it's more an excuse to drink yourself to oblivion than to decorate the house.

Oh wait, I have a kiddie, too, who needs looking after. I can't drink *that* much. ;)

LOVE the pics of the kids. The decorating is festive (send that spirit my way), and can't wait to see BOUND in all of its glory!!