Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Book In

Last Night at 20:07 precisely, I hit the send button and sent my latest manuscript to my editor. It was time for her expert eyes. This morning my editor let me know that she has it and will get to it in the next couple of weeks.
It means I beat my deadline by 6 days. When you consider that I only had a vague outline on the 2nd and about 6k of useable words, it is quite an achievement. The manuscript went in at 74,000 words. And by the end I had done 3 complete drafts. My editor will undoubtedly find ways where the manuscript can be improved (she is very good at wringing the last drop of emotion out) so there will be more drafts of this story in my future.  I want the strongest story possible as I really believe in this couple.
I now need to reaquaint myself with my family, plus do a thousand other tasks that I put to one side.
One thing I did keep doing during this period of intense work was my exercise. Intense exercise is the BEST way to get rid of stress and silence doubt demons.
I do emotionally eat when I reach stressful points in my manuscript. Some of it is to silence the doubt and anxiety demons and some is to divorce myself from the intense emotion I am feeling.  Sometimes you have to go with emotional eating. But sometimes it is just a habit. It depends where I am in the manuscript. I did eat mostly nuts and dried fruit. My size stayed the same.
It is funny when various people say -- oh slim as ever or I see you haven't put on weight. I am determined to maintain my weight.

In other news:
Yesterday was a fantastic day for my friend Donna Alward whose book How A Cowboy Stole Her Heart reached the finals of the Rita competition in Contemporary Series. It was a very special book for her and written straight from the heart so I am so pleased and proud for her. The winner is annouced at the end of the RWA conference in July. Fingers firmly crossed  here.

4 comments:

Kate Hardy said...

Well done, Michelle! (Won't be beating my own deadline by six days. I'm due on Friday...)

Unknown said...

It's funny you should mention the emotional eating. I never had to worry before (though everyone did tell my twenty-something self that it would all catch up with me), but after I crossed the lined into my mid-thirties, I started to notice that I could no longer just eat whatever whenever. When I get to a certain point in a story, I do start munching more. It's kind of dangerous!

Caroline said...

Yay! Go Michelle! Caroline x

Judy Jarvie said...

Well done on the manuscript, Michelle. And well done on the exercise and maintaining the weight. I am determined to lose the excess - slow but sure!
jx