There's been a discussion on one of my loops recently about the kind of remarks published authors receive. People who think they could write a book themselves if they just had a few free hours, and they'll tell writers that. There was some other assorted, but similarly ignorant, comments made by people who were supposed to be friends. And as I was reading these notes, I'm thinking, wow, I'm glad I've never had that happen to me.
And then it did. Who says the universe doesn't have a sense of the ironic?
Mr. Congeniality (who's irritating anyway because of his constant noise) comes over and says, "so did you get all moved in this weekend?"
I looked at him like huh? I told him at least three times last week that I wasn't moving until I had my revisions finished and curtains over all the windows. So I said something along the lines of, "no, I've been a little busy with my revisions."
His response. "No busier than anyone else."
Excuse me? Writing is at least a full time job, probably more since it takes so much energy and time, but apparently I should not only be able to bang out revisions to one of my little books over the weekend, but I also should be able to move all my worldly possessions as well.
No busier than anyone else. Right.
While he's out riding his bicycle in the summer, I'm inside writing. While he's out hunting in the fall and winter, I'm inside writing. While he's going out to dinner with his friends, I'm inside writing. I've given up every other interest I have to write. My choice. But I refuse to allow anyone to trivialize what I do. Other writers know how much time it takes, and I think a lot of serious readers do as well, it's the people who rarely read who don't get it. I'm still angry over his comment.
Anyway, revisions were going along well until I hit a problem. One of the changes I'm making needs build up. I thought I had plenty of room to do it, but I hit the chapter where it needs to happen a lot earlier than I remembered putting that scene. I basically only have five chapters to do it in and I wish I had more.
So I debated and considered and mulled how to handle it. I think I might have it figured out, but I'll have to work on it before I know for sure. (I figured it out too late last night to do anything with it.) I wish I didn't have to go to the day job and could just stay home and revise. (Or barring that, I wish I could knock out revisions faster.)
