What's That Number Again?

Just a quick post this morning.  Got to get out and plant some flowers before it starts raining again.

I had one of those moments this morning.  It's my beloved spouse's birthday so I got up early to make him a special breakfast.  Now, I know how old he is today.  And I know there's a four year difference between his age and mine.  But this morning the numbers didn't work.  Somehow we were five years apart.  It seems when I had my birthday earlier this month, I'd managed not to click the magic clicker in my head.  The birthday had come and gone but my age had stayed the same.  What a shock this morning to realize I was a year older.

Do you ever forget how old you are?  For just a second?  You start to say, "Oh, she's about my age," and realize you haven't been that age for a long time.  You see an unexpected reflection of yourself and wonder who that old woman is.  Is the age you are on the inside getting further and futher from the stupid number on your driver's license?
 
I don't care.  I've had a coffee mug for years (given to me by my co-workers) that reads: "I may be getting older but I refuse to grow up."  Works for me.  How about you?

Off to my planting.

Happy Birthday, honey.

I'm Currently Enjoying: Suspense and Sensibility by Carrie Bebris

Groaner of the Day: This woman ordered an exotic snake through a mail order operation. When the package arrived, there were only feathery necklaces in the box.

Apparently, the boa cons tricked her.

Unwriting (or My Novel and I are Both On a Diet)

I spent most of the weekend writing. Or more accurately, unwriting - a word that describes what I’m doing much better than ‘editing’. I finished my mystery, HUNTER’S WAY, last summer and, to use that old birth analogy, it weighed in at a whopping 150,000 words. No problem, I was sure my crew of beta readers would point out to me lots of areas that rambled or dragged or were totally unnecessary, and I’d be able to start trimming the fat. Unfortunately, they loved it. Pretty much as it. A writer’s dream come true. I received great suggestions for changes and corrections but nothing on major cuts.

Even in my unpublished ignorance, I know I’m going to have a hard time interesting an agent in a 150,000 word mystery from a new author, so I started hacking away. It’s hard. Beyond the “but I really like that scene” woes, there’s the risk of snipping away a vital clue or cutting a carefully woven thread and leaving it dangling. Then there’s the whole “show, don’t tell” issue. Showing makes a better story but telling takes fewer words and finding the happy medium is a challenge.

So that’s how I spent my weekend. And how I’ll be spending a lot more. I’m down to 128,000 words now, just over halfway through the story with a major cut/rewrite coming up.  You know, writing is a lot more fun than unwriting.  Wish me luck.

I’m currently enjoying: Delicious and Suspicious by Riley Adams

Quote of the day: Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.