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The Corinthian Rules is done!

Wow, I finally finished "The Corinthian Rules" manuscript! I wrote the last word around 1 AM February 1st. I finished the line edits to the manuscript yesterday. I will lay it down for a week or so before doing a more general review, checking for character/plot development pacing and consistency.

What a sense of accomplishment! While doing the line edits, I noticed how much my writing has improved even during the 2 months while I wrote the manuscript. It really helped that I had plotted everything out and done a scene outline. I could just look at my scene spreadsheet and go on to the next scene, or if I had a brainstorm and added or deleted things, I could easily alter the spreadsheet. I noticed that it also made it easier to look at pacing when I had the scene spreadsheet. I could see at a glance the goals and actions, or reactions and decisions. I love Excel!

Also while doing the line edits, I sometimes ran into snags, like a scene I wanted to rewrite because it sounded stilted or awkward. In the beginning, I had a really hard time revising. But then I realized that I should pray. I had prayed before writing my manuscript each day, so shouldn't I also pray before editing, too? It really brought home to me how the entire manuscript is God's--His brainchild, His work of art, His creativity--and not mine. So why in the world would I try to edit it on my own power? After bathing the process in prayer, the edits went much better than before.

Now I'm working on my query letter and synopsis. THANK YOU, RANDY INGERMANSON, FOR YOUR SNOWFLAKE METHOD!!! Not only did it help me with plotting out the story beforehand and creating the scene outline spreadsheet, but the Snowflake enables the writer to write the synopsis rough draft before even writing the manuscript. So although I need to revise my synopsis, it's mostly completed already. One less headache. A rather painful and tedious process, but effective. Even though I am probably a pantser by nature, the method made me into a better plotter. It felt fool-proof.

I am also toying around with the plot for a possible sequel. Most of my friends play volleyball and it's as if it's a part of the Asian American culture here in California. I'd like to write about that, I think.

I'm also praying about if God wants me to do writing full-time. Meaning, I'd go freelance and try to sell my short stories for some extra cash. But I've been praying that I'd write first and foremost for God's glory and His purposes, and then He would decide if He'd allow me to get paid a little for it. It's hard since my husband and I are both unemployed, but we've been praying to be able to fully and completely trust God with our future, with our job situations, with our finances.

Well, that's all for now. I guess I'll write when the next big event happens.

Camy

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