I’ve decided that the first 67 pages of Truth About T.M.S. aren’t TOO bad. There’s still much tweaking to be done…a little rearranging, a little adding to and subtracting from different sections. I’ve got one segment that’s just one line long…and I’m not sure that one line is as powerful by itself as I originally thought it was. And I’ve got another segment that goes on for six pages that maybe needs to be broken up (maybe even needs to be told from a couple different points of view?).
I think what I really need to do is LEAVE THESE FIRST 67 PAGES ALONE for now (is it possible that I can do that???) and forge ahead. I think I need to get the entire draft down and THEN do what my good friend Darcy does and look at the “shape” of the entire story once it’s all down.
And if I can average 2 pages a day over these next two weeks, then 5 pages a day when school starts, I just may finish in time to get the entire manuscript to my critique group on Jan. 8 — especially if I visit my dad the weekend of the 6th, which I’m planning to do (weather permitting). My mother will have just left for three months in Florida (don’t ask — it’ll just make me mad at her all over again), and I know that’s going to be a hard time for him, so I’m going to try and go up there then. I know he’ll sleep a lot, which if I’m there the entire weekend will be fine…I can work while he’s sleeping.