Tuesday, October 9, 2012

I Would Tell You The Title Of The Book On Which I'm Working On Revisions Except It Doesn't Have A Title And I'm Too Lazy To Be Working

Instead I've put all my energy into the heading of this blog entry.

The revisions I'm currently avoiding are those which my editor did. I finished the rewrites a couple of weeks ago, but no editor ever thinks a book is perfect, so they make little suggestions and the occasional snide comment, and then expect the author (who knows the book is perfect) to respond to those little suggestions and the occasional snide comment.

I have an extraordinary gift for (I know blogspot won't accept this as a word, but who cares) snideitude myself, so it's always a temptation to outsnide (ooh, another non-existent word) my editor in my comments about her comments.

I do not always resist temptation.

Total non-sequitur, but I recently read a book about the Brontes (as you may recall, I was left Emily Bronte in my 9th grade yearbook last will and testament page). Papa Bronte (I wish I could slap those darling two dots over the "e" but that's a computer skill I don't have) was originally named Brunty, and if he'd kept that name, do you think Charlotte and Emily and Anne Bronte would have the place in literature they have? Even if he'd changed it to Bronte, but didn't have the computer skills to put those darling two dots over the "e", so their name would have been pronounced Br-oh-nt, would they be quite so beloved and their home a national monument (actually I don't know if it is a national monument, but it's certainly a museum, which it might not have been if their name had been Brunty).

I guess they could have had that place in literature by their pseudonyms- Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell, but Bronte's a whole lot better.

Yes, I should be doing the revisions. But if I dawdle just a little more, it'll be lunchtime and there's no point starting work until after I've eaten.

Le sigh. I have to finish the revisions today, because I said I would, and besides, tomorrow I'm having my annual physical and then in the afternoon I'm doing a Skype visit. The high point of the physical would be my doctor commenting on my weight loss, but I only see her once a year (seeing as I'm healthy) and she won't even notice unless she reads my chart, which odds are she won't bother. Then Thursday I'm going into NYC, to participate in a reading and discussing of the anthology After, in which I have a story. The reading and discussing (a whole bunch of writers will be there) will be at Books Of Wonder at 18 West 18th St. from 6-8 PM, in case any of you feel like dropping by.

Okay. It's 11:45, which means if I play another 3 games of FreeCell and check to see if I have any emails and what's going on at Figure Skating Universe and anything else I can think of, I won't have to start working on the revisions of The Great Untitled Fourth Moon Book for hours. Or at least minutes.

I'm off to dawdle. That and sniding are what I do best!

5 comments:

Tara said...

Just started reading After, can't wait to get to your story!

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hi Tara-

I hope you like it!

Heather_Wick said...

LOVE your moon series. My teenaged son bugged and bugged me to read Life as we Knew it. I rolled my eyes. This deep conversation occurred several times before finally I relented if only to prove that I was too worldly to enjoy a young adult book. After all - aren't they all the same? Vampires, forbidden love, forbidden love OF vampires?

So now we both anxiously await the fourth book. Neither of us have a preference for the title. It could remain "untitled" for all we care.

So, you DID get those revisions done, right???? ;)

Susan Beth Pfeffer said...

Hello Heather_Wick-

Yes, the revisions are all vised and revised. The book still doesn't have a title, but it certainly has a text.

Say hi to your son for me and thank him for his determined effort to get you to read my books!

Sandy C said...

I love the "Life as we knew it" series. I've read the three books twice each. I think they are great and would love to read another sequel to them to see what happens next. The characters are great, and I love how they evolve through all the events in their lives. Really, really great books, inspirational! Thank you so much for writing them.