How To Make Me Happy....

Tell me the news that the power has come back on after nearly four days. :)

Or...

Buy me a mocha.

What The Storm Did

After the first storm on Sunday:

Parts of our roof that were blown into the neighbouring paddock.

Ebony and I are currently staying with my parents in Albany.  I'm waiting to hear from Duncan about damage from the second storm last night (which apparently was as bad as the first).  Duncan is staying with his workmate as he needs to be around to see what's happening with the house.  Our roof was fixed temporarily after the first storm.  I'm not sure whether it will have held up last night though.  There was rain coming into two rooms on Monday and Duncan and some of the other farmhands had to shift everything out.

I'm grateful to be in Albany where everything is working as it should.  But I'm also looking forward to going home.

Storms Are NOT Cool!

Perth and the south west region of WA were in the grips of a wild storm yesterday.

Currently part of our roof is either in the garden or has blown onto another part of the roof.  Our gutters are hanging off the house like javelin poles.  Part of our verandah is missing.  Trees and branches have come crashing down everywhere.

We have no electricity and probably won't for a couple of days.  No electricity I can handle.  But on farms, when you lose electricity, you also lose water because the pressure pumps are no longer working.  Last night we went to see one of Duncan's workmates, who still had power, to fill up a big plastic container full of water.  Currently I'm in town so I can get heating, a drink of water and use the toilet (our toilets no longer flush).

Farmers were out last night trying to clear branches off the roads until the Shire come and move the large logs.  They went driving around to check whether anyone was trapped on the roads.  It's scary in the country as you could be driving and have trees crash onto the road in front of you and behind you.  It's nice that there are people who automatically think of others.

With more wild winds and rain predicted in the next couple of days, there is an urgency to get some tarps on our roof.  We are also thinking of buying our own generator as there is only one between six families on our farm.  Ridiculous!

I'm glad the hospitals are getting their power back.  I was quite annoyed to see people whinging on Facebook because they have no power and are bored with no TV.  Ummm ever heard of books?  At least they have water.

I no longer sit at the window and watch storms, thinking Cool!  like when I was a kid.  Now I sit there thinking, Here goes our power and water for a few days.

Friday Funny

One thing I'm keen to do in my lifetime is to start everyone dancing in a public place.  Yes, I know...I'm a bit odd.  I just think it would be cool if everyone broke out into song and started dancing just like in musicals.

I loved Ally McBeal back in the late 90s.  When you throw together a bunch of quirky lawyers, a unisex bathroom and Barry White, you get one of the funniest scenes ever.  Life would be very interesting with work colleagues like these.  (Pity I couldn't find a better quality clip).

From Head to Hand: Editing My 'Baby'

I've been in the editing process, off and on, for the better part of two years now.  I finished my fat novel in April 2010 and have since been hard at work trying to make it a skinnier novel.  After many smaller edits, I finished the first major edit early last year, and shipped it off to four people who had volunteered to be my editors.  Their job was to proofread as well as comment on the plot.  They were my 'guinea pigs.'  Now that most of the feedback has been collected, I am in the thick of doing the second major edit.  I've decided that I will NOT slack off any longer.  This is the time of my life to get this book completed so I've set myself a deadline - end of the year at the absolute latest.

This post is about my editing experiences.  I've learnt some hard lessons.  My lessons may well help someone else who is contemplating doing some writing.  This post is NOT meant to be a kind of Bible on the subject.

I've heard over and over again that artists of any kind shouldn't be too precious with their work.  The only way to improve is to let others see and critique your creation.  What is the point of writing something only to hide it away for fear of rejection?  I get it, I really do.  I WANT my book to be the best it can possibly be.  After all, if it does get published, it's going to be out there and criticised by everyone and anyone under the sun.  You can't stop criticism.

You see, while I do agree that I need to be less tight-fisted and defensive about my work, I also have some reservations with that kind of advice.  While your work is at the editing stage, you need to pick the RIGHT people to help you along the way.  I admit, sometimes it can be hard to know who the right people are.  Sometimes you just need to get out there and throw some mud and see what sticks.  At uni, I constantly heard the term 'constructive criticism'.  The point is that we are not just inviting others to criticise our work, we are inviting them to be constructive about it.  An editor's aim should be to help the writer be the best they can possibly be.  They should have the writer's best interest at heart.  My beef is that there are plenty of people out there who want to be editors because they love to criticise and tear down.  They do not choose their words carefully.  They forget that this is someone's creation.  While at uni, I had to edit fellow students' work.  Some of the things I read were downright awful.  But I tried to be constructive.  What have they done well?  What could they improve on?  Give them suggestions.  Be specific.  Don't just write 'good story' or 'crap'.  It's like marking an essay.  If you're an editor, you really need to be giving good direction.

As I look back over the past two years, what have I learnt?

• If you can afford a professional editor, do it.  I calculated it would have cost about $2000 to get my book professionally edited (due to the length of it).  At the time I felt it wouldn't be a wise use of money, so I decided to go down the road of getting people I know to read it who weren't professionals.  Looking back, I really regret this decision.  Some of my editors were fantastic, but they took a long time to do it.  This is understandable as they have other jobs and families to consider, but if you're going to volunteer to do something, then you need to be realistic about whether you can commit the time to do it.  I've felt bad having to nag all the time.  Another reason is that a professional editor is...well....a professional.  They work to deadlines because it's their job.  They aren't your friend - that's the key point.  If an editor is harsh with my work, then I've lost nothing as far as relationships go.  They were never my friend so if they hurt my feelings, that's just too bad.  I feel like I'm not in a good relationship with one of my editors now because of some of the things she wrote about my book.  This person is a long time friend of my family so it does make things awkward.  It wasn't that I objected to what she said, it was how she said it (the whole constructive criticism thing again).  She wrote quite sarcastic comments and even said dramatic things like, "I hate this".  I think this person just has no idea about written etiquette because I've also had several run-ins on Facebook with her.  Be very careful when selecting friends as your editors.

• If you really can't afford a professional editor, choose friends who are in the same demographic as your target audience.  This was my plan from the start, but it didn't quite work out.  The main target audience for my book is 20-50 year-old men.  I approached a number of male friends in this age bracket, but many of them said they weren't readers and wouldn't have the time to help me out (or they wanted copious amounts of beer).  At least they were honest, I guess.  However, I did have one male editor in his early 40s who was fantastically helpful.  He assisted me with my sentence structure, working on making the book shortier and punchier.  He gave lots of good feedback from a male perspective.  I was so encouraged when he told me that the main character was an accurate portrayal of a man.  He said he reckons many guys put on an act of bravado to hide their insecurities and cowardice.  The editor who was quite critical said the opposite.  She said she couldn't stand the main character because she thought he was a wimp.  This lady is in her mid 60s and I got the feeling from her comments that she was looking for a James Bond/Indiana Jones hero-type character.  In hindsight, I accepted her offer to be an editor because I was desperate when she really isn't the target audience for the book.  I kind of knew the book wouldn't really appeal to her (she doesn't watch much football for a start).

• Don't have too many editors.  If you're using friends, don't have any more than a handful.  I really do believe too many cooks spoil the broth.  Three of my editors were largely in agreement with each other (they found some parts confusing and wanted more clarification), while the more critical person said the opposite (she reckoned I wrote in a way that treated her like an idiot).  If you have too many editors, it can be hard to know who to listen to. I had soooo many women wanting to help out as editors, I had to say, "Thanks, but no thanks," to a lot of them.  They weren't really my target audience and if it waited around for them all to finish reading it, I'd never get it done.

• Choose people who can actually edit.  This can be hard if you're not using professionals.  Basically you want people who can spell properly and are good with sentence structure.  One of my editors is a high school English teacher and gave me lots of constructive feedback with my essays in high school.  Therefore, I knew she'd be good.

• Be as ruthless as you can with your own work.  Now I'm doing the second major edit, I'm finding that I'm chopping more stuff out than my editors did.  If it doesn't need to be there, it has to go.  If I have a niggling doubt about something, it probably needs to be re-written.

I think it's ok to see your work as your 'baby'.  It is a labour of love.  To those people who think I'm being too precious, try thinking about how you'd feel if someone insulted your friends or your kids.  Even if it was the truth, if it's said harshly, it can be hard to take.  Most artists I've spoken to have said it's not WHAT was said, but HOW it was said, that deflated their spirits.

But then there also comes a time when you just have to be brave and put yourself and your work out there.  If you want it to be the best it can be, this step is vitally important.

Quote of the Day

Writing is not a job or an activity.  Nor do I sit at a desk waiting for inspiration to strike.  Writing is like a different kind of existence.  In my life, for some of the time, I am in an alternative world, which I enter through daydreaming or imagination.  That world seems as real to me as the more tangible one of relationships and work, cars and taxes.  I don't know that they're much different to each other.

However I write about these alternative worlds because it helps to preserve them.  I'm their historian, their geographer, their sociologist, their storyteller.  I write them into being.  I have to say I don't care whether this is a good thing to do or not; this is just the way I am and the way I live my life.
- John Marsden

Another One Of These Things

What time did you get up this morning?  6:15am.  I was in Perth and had an appointment to get to.

What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Safe House

What is your favourite TV show?  Packed to the Rafters

What do you usually have for breakfast?  Fruit and yogurt usually.  Sometimes bacon and eggs.

What is your favourite CD at the moment?  Let All Creation Sing by Emu Music.  But I have lots of faves.

What kind of car do you drive?  2005 Prado

What characteristic do you despise?  Apathy

What colour is your bathroom?  Pale green

Impressive skill/talent? Well, after writing a novel...I hope I can say writing.  I guess the publishers will decide that.

Pets?  Two dogs (Maya and Gypsy), one cat (Ebony), one rooster (Russell Crowe), and eight hens (Florentine, Omelette, Eggnog, Shelley, Clementine, Gloria, Rose and Princess Layer).

What did you want to be when you were little?  A princess, a famous person.

How are you today?  Sick and tired.

What is a date on the calendar you are looking forward to?  First weekend in July when we get to see our friend, Jane, from Sydney.

What time is it?  7:01pm

Piercings? Ears

Favourite Alcohol Drink?  Beer, Baileys and Vodka Chocolate Mudshake.  I don't drink very often though.

What colour is your bedroom?  A pale brown/mocha type colour.

Celebrity you'd most want to have dinner with?  The old cast of Blue Heelers from 1997.

What are you listening to right now?  Myself typing and the heater.

What was your first job?  Being a stocktake kid at Woolworths in Albany when I was 15.

What is the greatest place on earth? I dunno since I haven't exactly seen much of it.

How would you react to a flat tyre?  I'd get frustrated, call the RAC (depending where I was) or call someone else to come and help.

Tattoos?  None.

First concert you ever saw?  Saw a few local bands in Albany, but the first big concert I went to was Kelly Clarkson in November 2005.

What colour are your socks right now? I was wearing black socks, but I took them off.  Now I'm wearing slippers.

What was the last thing that you ate? A meat pattie

Can you drive a stick shift? Yes, but I haven't for so long, I doubt I can still do it.

Last person you spoke to on the phone?  My mum

How old are you today? 29 years and 2 days.

Favourite drink? Water, mocha, Coke

Have you ever dyed your hair? Yes, but I haven't for a while.

Favourite food? Chocolate!

What do you do to vent anger? Blog haha, but I've learnt it's wise to cool down and process my thoughts first.  Have a rant to Duncan or a good friend.

Cherries or Blueberries? Neither

Living arrangements? With Duncan and all our critters.

When was the last time you cried?  Last week while watching Marley and Me.

What is on the floor of your closet? Sporting gear

Who is the friend you have had the longest? Rachel

What did you do last night? Went out for Chinese with some family friends.

Favourite smells? Coffee, fresh bread, lavender

What are you afraid of? Physical pain

Favourite dog breed? Golden Retriever, Daschund, Pug

How many years at your current job? 1