The end of another week, and I’ve ended up with 89,444 words for this 2nd rewrite. So, that’s an extra 2,294. I started making sure each individual voice remains consistent through the narrative and, so far, I’ve checked and corrected 11,780 words in that process. Interesting little interruption during the work: Scrivener decided it was due an update. Past experience has led me to suspect it’s unwise to ignore or delay such things, so I let it do its thing. No doubt some aspects have changed, but I’ve yet to discover what. No matter. It’s now up to date. Talking of which, certain events on Earth and others relating to Mars have again made me consider small changes to plot: that’s been a constant concern for this book, since there are aspects of life here and issues relating to Mars that are constantly on the move. Still, it’s all in a day’s work for the scifi novelist, I suppose!
Had what might be called a domestic event during the week as well: I’m currently trying to tame a rather steep slope at the foot of my garden (it was part of a quarry some 100 years ago). This involves me installing temporary steps to allow me somewhere solid to stand whilst strimming the multitude of weeds that love to occupy the slope. Later, when time and finances allow, I’ll build some proper steps, but for now I’m using the materials I have to hand. Hard physical work, and it left me knackered for the following day. Oh, and I was inspired to write and post a longish piece on Democracy, which involved a fair amount of writing time and not a little research.
So, my task for the coming week is to really get to grips with the other narrators and make sure they’re all talking the way they should. See where I am by this time next week.
If you’re a writer, I hope you’re having success. If you’re a reader, I hope I’m increasing your interest in the book. Let me know.
Stuart Aken 
Lots of hard work both ways.
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I suppose I’m very lucky, in that I enjoy all aspects of the writing: editing, creating, rewriting. There’s real joy to be found in discovering the exact word you need for a particular scene. So, although it can be very time consuming, I rarely see it as work.
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Mick, I’ve read your work. Quality is definitely not an issue for you. Carry on writing as you did for ‘Making Friends with the Crocodile’ and you can’t go wrong!
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I’m still trying to get the first three chapters in a shape I can leave to start chapter 4. Your progress is heartening!
With regard to clearing that slope? Rent a goat or goats. We have two rent-a-goat enterprises locally and they are fantastic at clearing overgrown areas in a thrice. Plus they are cheap and obviously you don’t have to feed them!
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The barrier of the initial chapters, eh, Noelle? I don’t suffer this problem, because I always write the entire story before I go back and start the edit/rewrite. In fact, I don’t even read what I wrote the day before. I try to stop half way through a sentence so I have something to hook me back into the story. Of course, this means that I sometimes have to make major changes during that re-write/edit stage!
As for the slope: goats? Not a bad idea. We have wild boar in the forest and I did consider coaxing one of them in when I first started the job: they can plough up an entire hillside in single night! But it’s now past that initial ‘jungle’ stage. I’ve covered the slope in galvanised wire mesh to keep the soil in place (the previous owner lost a good deal due to a violent thunderstorm about 4 years before we moved in), planted a few shrubs, and started a process of laying turfs from the lawn onto the slope. Of course, because the slope had been left for about fifteen years without attention before we bought the house, it has an extensive root system serving briars, rosebay willowherb, wild honeysuckle and a number of other persistent weeds. It’s those i have to tackle with the strimmer. Managed to finish the rough steps so I have something solid to stand on whilst attacking those weeds now. Today was very hot for us (28C), and some of the blocks of concrete I’m using as steps weight a good deal, very awkward on a slope that varies between 60 and 70 degrees! But I’m getting there!
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My new WIP gained an extra 5000 words last week. A bit slower than you, Stuart, but about par for me!
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5,000 words in week is good going, Mick. It’s quality, not quantity, that matters when it comes to writing.
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Oh dear, I probably fall down there as well, Stuart.
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