149 Pages (and Two Novels) of Garbage

Even a writer loses her words when she reads an email from her editor that her 246-page book starts on page 149. This statement (of fact) not only negates about 30,000 words, but also renders two follow up novels pretty much irrelevant. What’s 165,000 words deleted? No biggie. I can take it. I’m not crazy. I swear!

So here’s where I stand: Apparently, I have about 100 pages of salvageable writing and a very tight deadline. Who can’t fix an entire novel in a few weeks’ time? I’m Erin, Word Warrior! Hear me roar! …It only took me three years to write it...

Working on 37 minutes of sleep last night, I’m praying my clients will understand when I fall asleep during sessions tomorrow. I don’t think I’ve ever hoped for a busy day at work (to keep me awake) so badly in my life. And if court moves slow? Well, let’s just say I hope the judge doesn’t mind snoring in the lobby. The great news? He’s a really cool guy, and, based on his alertness during preliminary hearings, I suspect he’s writing his own novel at night. He may even pass me a pillow!

You know what else is fun? It’s fun when your 66,594 word document suddenly has a pop up that says “there are too many spelling and grammar mistakes in this document. Run a spell check later. Better yet, sign up for summer school." (Or something like that. That happened at 5:17 a.m. and was the catalyst to my "nap" before work).

Those of you from the Cafe who have asked me how I'm doing it: I cannot imagine how I’d be getting through this process without the support of people who love me. They are giving me a place to vent, offering helpful suggestions, and finding ways to make up for ways in which I’m falling short. (House cleaning is a great example of this). Most important, they are keeping me laughing.

Thankfully, I am able to use humor for what would send more serious people into an early grave. I believe in my characters and I believe in this novel. For two years, I explained to my clients that life is a marathon, not a sprint. If you know me, you know how hypocritical that is. And when I realized that, I stopped saying it. Ever the type A, I don’t do anything slow. This is great news. It means this content editing step will be finished sooner rather than later. But it also means that sleep won’t be happening. At the same time, I have to take my own crummy advice - to slow this down and not feel rushed.

My brother plays the stocks. I hope he puts something into 5 hour energy. Because I’ll be buying them out. I expect a surge on that one any time. It may be 149 days before I emerge. In the meantime, you know where I’ll be – hidden in Katherine’s world, trying to dust off the rough spots…While this feels impossible, I know in the end, that Katherine (and I) will be better for it. So, thank, you, Colleen. I won’t throw darts at your picture. I promise.

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