Revising and looking back

I was reading in Maisel's, A Writer's Paris, where a woman had been writing for a long time and finally she got a major advance of $15,000. Her husband said to her - "Let's see. If my calculations are correct, that means you made about 22 cents an hour." (Sounds like CFMan.)

When I pitched MOL in Shreveport it was at 82k. FIMB was a nearly complete novella at 14k. I returned from Nola Stars with a request from an editor and an agent for a partial on MOL and FIMB, and finished them. Then, I started slashing some indepth sub plots and a couple love scenes out of MOL to see if it would work as a 65k novel. That put me into early April.

It is now the second week in June, and I'm just completing revisions on the partial manuscript to submit next week. Amazing how much I've accomplished since the close of crawfish season. The good news is that I set June 15th as an achievable goal a couple months ago and it looks like I'm on target.

Now, I know that getting a first novel ready for submission takes longer because of the learning curve, applying the craft you've learned in the process, working out critiquing relationships and conventions with writing partners. I also had to work around the job and Joe's seasonal crawfish business.

But it's daunting when you look back at three months work and you didn't start anything new. My CP's been busy, submitting two and starting two. Of course one of mine was full length and you might as well say that now I have two versions, 65k and 90k. I also have partial wips of some connected stories that can be developed fairly quickly and I've been collecting characters and situations for RCM.

The thing is I'm happy with the product that's been produced and I'm doing it for a lot less than 22 cents an hour right now. And I know now that if I never sell - great racking shiver...

I'd do it anyway.