We used to go very fast. Then we got burnt out

We used to be the faster craftswomen. Till we slowed down.
Now, I'm blogging about sustainable artistic processes at: www.illustratedguidetolife.com

The Honourable Society of Faster Craftswomen

Writing, drawing, audio, animations and theatre by Laura Eades and co

The first wave of editing: the challenge

Now I've messed around a bit with a magenta pen and some index cards, I have the novel split into 3 parts, each around 35,000 words. It feels good this way, a bit simpler

The challenge 
Edit Part 1 into a state that I can at least share with friends/allow someone to read. Part 1 is currently in 11 chapters, and I've done the first one. 



The deadline
31 March 2013

Target hours
3 hours' editing/writing per day (there are some big gaps), 15 hours per week in Feb, and then during March 50 hours in total - I can log this as NaNoEdMo. By the end of March, starting on 11 Feb, this makes 95 hours. 

The price of failure
If I do 6 chapters or less 
A £75 donation to Manchester United (this is in nobody's interest. Not mine, my husband's, nobody)
Plus no lie-ins at weekends for 2 months
If I do 8 chapters or less
Penalty fare as above, plus no lie-ins for 1 month
If I do 10 chapters or less
Penalty fare

Things I can do to help me succeed: 

  • Cooking dinners in advance. If dinner is ready, I can sneak 45 minutes just after the little one's bedtime. 
  • Get up early (and therefore, I'll be in bed early too). Then I can usually sneak in an hour before the little one awakens. A breakfast tray ready the night before helps with that one. 
  • Print out as I go along. Editing means a lot of rereading, where you are up to. So printing helps, as it makes this rereading quicker. 
  • Plan a couple of daytime/weekend sessions to boost the hours and gather momentum