Lilith Saintcrow

I’ve fallen into the rhythm of revision. It really doesn’t take that long to do when you can bring all your faculties to bear on a particular book. It’s like watching the jumprope on the playground, catching its beat so you can hop in. Which is about the only part of playing with other kids I ever liked, in school.

Anyway, we’re fifty pages or so into the second YA; second-draft revisions are going well. I halted last night just at the place where I had to make a significant architectural change. It was a good decision to stop there, because I was making various nasty notes to myself about how the story sucked and I hated the secondary characters and should kill them in various gruesomely interesting ways. This is how I know it’s time to step away from the manuscript.

Both the little ones are sniffling and coughing. Colds go through our house like wildfire. I keep telling myself it means they will have nice strong immune systems. This does not comfort me as much when I wake up with body aches and a husky voice. I am pouring down the fluids and taking my vities. (Vitamin C, CoQ10 and L-Lysine might not work, but they make me feel better. And the B vities DO work, I swear.) Since I have a writer’s mixer on March 7–at Cover to Cover Books, we’re going to play Ask The Working Writer–I can’t afford to lose my voice or be cranky at the end of the week. *crosses fingers* (You can RSVP at Facebook or MySpace. Technology, she is wonderful.)

The thing that is making me crankier than the cold this morning is the flood of torrenting. This career is hard work, and people stealing ebooks and torrenting them just makes me…well, I don’t want to go off into a long ramble of cusswords and spleen. I’m glad people like my work. I’m not so glad that people want to steal it. And when I’m spending time demanding websites take those torrents down, I’m not writing. Which means fans don’t get the books as quickly.

This really cheeses my buns. Torrenting ebooks is not freeing information or sticking it to the Man, or whatever people like to tell themselves. It’s stealing. That’s the only word that applies. Naturally I don’t like it when my work is stolen. And don’t even tell me “they’ll buy it if they like it” or “it’s publicity” or “people wouldn’t take YOUR work unless it’s free so why are you bitching?” All those arguments are red herrings, and insulting besides. So don’t go there.

Anyway. I’m thinking I can knock out another fifty pages revised and get total wordcount up by a few K. At least, that’s what I’m hoping. Wish me luck and choco.

Related posts:

1. Link Salad, and Stealing
2. On Money, Or, Pay The Writer
3. Working For The Weekend!

Tags: money money, novel madness, sick, we are not amused, Writing (About)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 11:41 am and is filed under Events, Rant Rant Rave, Real Life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.