Snip... snip....

I am cutting down a rambling longer piece for one of the two pieces I need to get turned in during the next couple months. I've cut two subplots (and am rooting out the references and such) and one major incident so far, and I'm not quite half way through the book. I've cut a total of about 16,000 words and still need to do about 10-15k more.

This is FUN. I'll really need to cut enough so that when I do the rewrite and clean up I'll have some leeway for additional details and a bit more color. I think it's a good story, and I hope the publisher agrees by the time I get it done. But then an author always has to hope for things like that. There is never certainty.

Like many writers, as soon as I get going on projects others begin to leap up to take my attention. Once the brain starts thinking in terms of stories, it's very hard to turn it back off. Everything starts looking like a story idea. I jot many of them down, and sometimes even go as far as an outline and put it into the files for later. There are also those times when new ideas aren't turning over, and having something pre-made to work on is wonderful.

My deadline for Ada Nish Pura is May 1. That's more than enough time. We're doing three chapter sets so that the publisher can go over the work and see if I've added in everything. It will likely take a couple tries the first few times, but we'll get there. And once I have all of that worked out, the rest will be relatively easy. I can write quickly as long as I know what I'm doing. And they like the novel -- they just want more of it.

The short story from the other day (now titled Draw the Line) is going all right, too. It's my 'just work on something fun' story at the moment and doing very well at it. However, right now Farstep Station has taken over my mind. Another 15k... I'll have to keep at it this week and see how close I can get.