Tag Archives: editing

Peace and Quiet

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It was all go until 31 May, now it is quiet. And tomorrow is King’s Birthday weekend, so a long weekend to relax.

I’ve finished my assignments and handed them all in.

Second-Hand Daughter has launched.

And I have so many things I could be doing, and I really don’t feel like doing much. I’ve spent time in the garden weeding, planting and trimming, and napping.

I haven’t written much or edited. I’m just enjoying having some quiet time after a busy few months. It doesn’t mean I’ve given up on writing, or crafting, it just means that I’m having a week holiday. I will back into editing this week, with Compromised Positions being the next up, and that will be released later this year! So excited about that.

But in the meantime, I’m relaxing and taking some me-time.

Deadlines

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This year, I’ve been trying to adhere to deadlines. I’m the kind of person who likes to get things done and not have to get extensions to get assignments / manuscripts done in time. And up until now, I’ve done alright.

I decided to do my last Organic Gardening course through Open Polytechnic in February to give myself a break over the holidays, but then I wasn’t counting into that Apple packing, which last year I did every alternate night. This year, I’ve done it Monday to Wednesday night, and as a result I’ve been exhausted Thursday and Friday, so I’ve only really had to the weekends to get anything done on my course.

The assignments are due in May – I’m not sure when, but they are due. I’ve completed the course, I just need to fill in the gaps on the assignment and do some practical courses. Like making compost. Testing Soil samples from different sites, and determining what the make up is of each site. These things are proving difficult to do, and my compost pile is being stubborn. I had to remake my compost so that they knew what I knew what I doing. The problem is, we’re going into winter, and the compost heap isn’t heating up like it should. Which means that it isn’t breaking down.

I can use my existing compost for some of the tests (seeing how many radishes come up compared to weeds) but I need to show them that my compost is working and breaking down things.

I also asked my editor to edit Compromising Positions at the end of June. And I don’t think I’m going to get it edited by then.

I don’t like breaking my deadlines, but I’m not sure that I’m going to get my assignments or book edited in time.

I will push on, and hope to get the assignments (three of them) finished by mid May, and I will try and get my story edited, but I might have to push that deadline out, if my editor is okay with that.

How has your week been? You have any deadlines that are pressing on you at the moment?

Take care out there.

Catherine

Feeling Fatigued

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What a week. I’ve worked two jobs from Monday to Wednesday, one job on Thursday and Friday, been to Pole class, working on study, cooked, cleaned and done edits and continued writing on my Racing Harts series. No wonder I am tired!

On Saturday, I slept in until 7am, because Lunar doesn’t believe in having lie in’s. I got up, fed her and crawled back into bed, and proceeded to watch a couple of Youtube videos until I fell asleep again about 7:30am, and woke up at 10am! And I still felt tired. I had an afternoon nap and finally felt like I’d caught up on sleep, so all up, on Saturday, I slept approximately 12 hours.

That’s some serious sleeping time on a day off. That’s half of Saturday that I slept! But Saturday morning, once I got up, I cooked some tomatoes for tea, made some lemon quencher and reset some heat packs, and on Saturday afternoon / evening, I finished all the edits on Second-Hand Daughter, so now I only have a couple of small tweaks to do, and then I have to format the story and have it all ready to be released on 31 May 2024. And I might also have some print books available by then too.

I only have four more weeks of apple packing to go after this week, but the extra money is handy, and I can’t wait to get my teeth sorted out and have that 100 watt smile back.

Much Excitement Abounds

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By the time you’ve written your story, rewritten it, edited it and re-edited it, it just feels like something isn’t right with it, or that it’s crap. That is how I felt when I finally sent Second-Hand Daughter off to my editor in February. I was pleased to see the back of it.

Then I spent weeks wondering if the editor was liking it or having to drag herself through pages of mud, just to edit the story (hopefully she would have said as much as not continued editing) but of course, that is what you think.

Then you get an email from your editor with this little gem – “I’m on track to have your edited manuscript back to you by Friday. What a great story – very emotional and intense! I’m enjoying it so much.”

Which is great to start with, but then you start to wonder if she actually means that. And whether she’s just trying to be nice.

And when the manuscript arrives back, there is this note on it. “I thought the overall arc of Peyton and Sylvia’s character and relationship development was done extremely well! I absolutely love how close they are a year after … and how Peyton found what could be considered her real family. Just excellent!“

And then I went into the manuscript, and I was blown away. There are a few changes to make, but other than that, it seems that I have an actual story that people may actually enjoy. And so now, I’m at the excitement stage of fixing the problems and getting it ready to publish on 31 May 2024!

It’s surprising how you can write something, edit it within a hair’s width of its life, hate it, and it comes back polished and shiny and new. I wish I had more faith in myself, but it seems I’m not the only writer who thinks a story is stink once they’ve sent it off to the editor!

How’s your week been? Have you had an exciting moment happen?

Take care

Catherine

Another Season Apple Packing

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Yes, that time has come again, Apple Packing Season. I’m looking forward to it this year, as I know what to expect. 4 hours of listening to podcasts, and I’ve been saving up my favourites to listen to.

And yes, this money is going towards me getting a plate to replace the teeth that I had removed, and I am super excited about that. It’s taken a long time to come about, but things are ticking along. I have one more session with the dentist to fix repair three teeth (replace the fillings) and then an xray / scan of my head to get ready for the plate.

I have a lot more confidence now than I did before I had my teeth removed, even though I have a gappy smile. But I know that it is a work in progress, and things are moving forward.

Speaking of things moving forward – Autumn has arrived, not that you will know right now. I have also started my last paper in the organic’s course I started last year. Probably not the best idea to start it about the same time I’m packing but it’s only ten weeks (the packing). Worse comes to worse, I can redo the paper in July 2024, but I want to finish it so I can focus on writing and editing for the rest of year.

So how are you doing this week? Hope everything is going good for you.

Kia kaha

Catherine.

Then the Nerves Begin

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I finished editing Second-Hand Daughter and I have just emailed it through to an editor. And now I think the story is shit and incomplete… And that is the way I feel after sending every story off to an editor.

I guess I’ve worked on the story so much, that you reach a point where you just want to get it finished and sent off. Then you think of things that you could have added to the story to make it better, or stronger.

Then there is the waiting, nervous waiting, for the editor to get back to you with their thoughts and edits. And you’re panicking because, what if they didn’t like it? What if they think it’s shit? What if they don’t understand the story you were trying to convey?

All of this is going through my brain right now. And I know I have to sit back and just hope that it all comes together, but there is a very nervous period where you’re wondering, what if the story really sucks?

Second-Hand Daughter is a very different story to one’s I’ve written in the past. I like romances, but after I left my ex, I really struggled writing romance, because I was so cynical about love.

But in the last couple of years, I’ve been happy to write about women falling in love again and I can’t wait to dive back into my next romance story, which I will start after finishing my first draft of Dragon’s Lore.

In the meantime, the waiting game has begun.

Happy New Year!

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It’s officially 2024 when you read this blog, but its still 2023 when I’m writing it.

It’s been a hectic week with Christmas, travel, more Christmas, then more travelling, so I’m now looking forward to a week at home, relaxing and doing, well, fun stuff. Like visiting the Brook Sanctuary (a bird Sanctuary over in Nelsun), and perhaps a game of golf, if my arms allow me.

And it’s that time of year, where I start setting some goals for my writing. And last year, I nearly accomplished all my goals. I wanted to write 3 new books last year (2023) and I wrote two (Finding Sam Healey and Carol’s Christmas). I also wanted to start on my dragon series, but ran out of year.

This year – I’m starting it with writing the dragon story – and continuing to edit Secondhand Daughter, because I write in the mornings, and edit in the afternoons. I think this will be the most efficient use of my time, until apple season starts anyway.

I also have a goal of achieving my first $1000 in sales this year. I haven’t had any money from my books yet, but I am focusing on advertising this year, and if you feel inclined, do purchase one of my books.

I plan on writing three books this year, and editing three, and publishing at least two – Secondhand Daughter being the first, then Compromising Positions. So here it is people, my goals for 2024

😊 Write Dragon’s Lore, first story (approx 75k words)

😊 Write Faith Hart’s story in my Racing Harts series (approx 60k words)

😊 Write another story, either in my dragon series, or another story. (Approx 60k words)

😊 Edit Secondhand Daughter, and get ready to publish before June 2024

😊 Edit Compromising Positions and get it ready to publish before December 2024

😊 Do first draft edits on Finding Sam Healey

😊 Do first draft edits on Carol’s Christmas

Wow, looking forward to this year already! I’m planning on doing the apple packing in the evenings again this year, to pay for my plate, my gums are healing nicely, and its surprising just how much pain I was in prior to having the teeth removed. Looking forward to being able to smile confidently again.

I also plan on taking the Friday’s off over Winter again, in order to get some writing done while it is quieter at work.

That’s my plan for the year, what’s yours?

Take care everyone, and happy new year!

Catherine

Winding down for the Year

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Thank goodness I didn’t do National Novel in a Month Competition, I think I would be pulling my hair out by now.

I got my assignments done and submitted for my organics course, and with a couple of resubmits, I passed. I’ve decided to do the final course in February, it gives me some time to get back into the rhythm of work and stuff like that.

And I should have been editing Secondhand Daughter, but I haven’t. And I am putting it down to a super-secret project that I’ve been working on, and it was such a success, that I’m thinking of extending the super-secret project. I’ll only be able to tell you after Christmas what I’ve done, because they are Christmas pressies. I’m so proud of them.

I did do one chapter of edits, but things are about to go haywire at work. We’ve taken over the mowing at one of the lifestyle villages, and to say I’m rather unenthusiastic is actually an understatement. There was a reason I went to work for my current employer – they contracted out the mowing to my previous employer.

Anyway, enough of that. Now is the time of year that I start getting organised for Christmas. I used to avoid it as much as possible, but having left a relationship that made Christmas hell, and being with someone who loves Christmas and spending time with his family has really made it more enjoyable. Plus, there is less stress, not big fussy meals, no full on ‘visiting everyone in the family’. We’ve got it all sorted now, we have Christmas here, with his kids, then I head over to Wineborough with my son – and sometimes my partner, and have Boxing day with my family, as Mum, my brother and his family, and my Dad and StepMum all live in that area. It means two lots of fun family time (the second one is more funny haha though, watching Mum ignore Dad while Dad is trying to get Mum to talk to him.)

Anyway, I hope your week has been more productive.

Take care, Kia Kaha

Catherine

Done and Dusted…I Think

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I busted a gut and got my assignments finished and handed in with a day to spare. My first one was returned, as I hadn’t completed the tasks as they asked. Which was kind of confusing, because they asked you to name two pests that would eat your plants, and that was it. The rest of the questions were about what type of climate, soil type, and drainage I have that can affect pest management etc… which I assumed to mean that they wanted answers for those two pests. No, apparently not. I had to provide answers for a range of pests (we’re talking insects here).

The last assignment was on companion planting, which I think I nailed. They haven’t responded yet to let me know if I passed or not.

So, then I thought I could do some editing, but instead I’ve ended up working on a special project. This year, I personalised a diary for my writing. It has everything in it from what I put on my Catherine Mede page, to word counts and what I’ve edited (chapters etc). It was rather challenging to try and make it up, as I have it in a weekly format and then I had to work out which pages go where for when I made my signatures. You see, I like to make books too. The exciting part is, it actually worked! I’m in the process of building my own writing planner. I have the signatures sewn together, and I’ve glued in some bookmarks, and I’m so damned proud of myself! I just need to make the covers and then it is finished. What a mission.

Anyway, hopefully I get my results this week and I can then put that part of the course behind me. I have another topic to go, but I might just start that in January, so I don’t have any more stress between now and May when the class would finish. The January intake finishes in June.

I hope you’ve had a better week

Kia kaha

Catherine.

When it Rains it drizzles…

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So, I thought I had over three weeks to get my assignments for my Organics course done. But no. I don’t.

You see, when you log on, it tells you that the assignments are due on 26th November. Which is fine, I try and aim to have them in about a week before hand.

But I logged in on last Sunday, and they’d changed the date to the 9th of November, which was ten days away. I swore and cursed a little, and then had to knuckle down and get through the study notes to get one assignment finished. The second one is due on the 9th too, but it is only one chapter of the course material, so I can get that bowled out before Thursday.

But it’s annoying, and it’s the second time they’ve done it. I am considering laying a complaint, because it’s not fair to move the goal posts when I work full time and only have evenings to do my study. If I was unemployed, it would be my own silly mistake to be so far behind.

It also means that I haven’t done any editing this week, which is frustrating, because I want to get some done. I did however manage to get some done yesterday when I caught up with the fabulous LaVerne Clark and had a coffee together. We’ve started meeting up to encourage each other with our writing. She’s such an amazing author, and I can’t wait to see what she brings out next year. We’ve been discussing goals for next year, so watch this space.

I hope you had a better week than me.

Kia kaha

Catherine