Normally the day after I finish a big project – and the draft of The Dinosaur Lords was, candidly, the biggest in my life, let alone my career – I’m depressed and sad. Separation anxiety transmutes to postpartum depression, to sling the psychobabble.
This morning as arranged Joe called a little after 9:30 about meeting for breakfast at our customary Village Inn. As I mentioned last night, he knows me well; when he called last night he asked what time I was going to get up, and whether I was so excited by finishing the book I’d be up all night. Another usual outcome.
So, first, as it turned out I got to sleep at a relatively reasonable time, and slept fairly well. Had an hour or two of not too restful sleep toward the end; seemed to be because I was having, candidly, boring dreams. Nowhere near as cool as the dream I had earlier in the night, in which convicts escaped from Federal prison took space aliens hostage.
Then again, that one was raising the bar pretty high.
So as I was going about the business of preparing to sally forth into the world I noticed something: I wasn’t depressed. Indeed, I felt filled with a sense of peace. An entirely unaccustomed and rather unfamiliar sense of peace, I might add.
Which persists. I like the feeling.
Joe wasn’t surprised. He said something to the effect that after 6½ years it had to be something of a relief. He confessed, reluctantly, that at times he’d feared I wouldn’t be able to do it.
I confessed that sometimes, neither did I.
But I did. And that’s a big thing and a great one, for me.
I remind my friends and fans: this is just the rough draft. In point of fact, it’s rough enough that I want to take a quick clean-up pass through before I even let the crit-group folks look at it, although some (thanks Steve and Ty!( have already been kind enough to ask.
A bunch of doing remains to be done. And while I’m deliberately not thinking about the book as much as possible today, I admit there’s a certain trepidation there.
When I do start thinking about it, I want to consider possible strategies. Read it through real fast without touching anything (hope I have the self-control!) to get a Gestalt in my mind before I start a serious rewrite? Or does that risk burning me out on reading and re-reading? Should I go ahead and do the fast clean-up so it’s at least coherent enough to let people look at?
Any suggestions anyone wants to tender here, please, let ‘em fly.
And again, thanks everybody for your support. When this thing is ready you are going to see some serious shit. I promise that.
Update: Jeez, I just posted this minutes ago, and decided to log back on and append a brief observation, and find I’ve already got a comment from Scott Phillips making a really good point. Dang! That was fast.
So as I was saying…
It’s not that I’m not spacey, weird, and generally nuts today. Even more than usual, I mean. It’s just … floaty. I feel good. Y’know, man? Like … far out…
2nd Update: Just got back from walk with Emma. Started out cold and windy. Fortunately the wind died, and it wound up fairly comfortable.
Starting out I did several iterations of Happy Dance. Emma ignored me. After five years of dubiously watching me perform the Long Form from Yang taijiquan, she’s learned what the cats did long since: what to shine on as Inexplicable Daddy Weirdness.
So anyway, walking along Bear’s Ditch I was struck by a thought about finishing the book. (Yes, another.) It’s this:
I’ve written the book.
Much remains until it’s finished. But The Dinosaur Lords is written.
If that strikes you as a distinction without a difference, I understand. I feel the difference.
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My vote, of course, is blow through the clean-up so folks can read it — not that I’d be on the list of lucky people who get to lay eyes on it first, but because I’m damnably anxious for it to reach the point where I do get to see it.
And again, congratulations, Vic.
Wow! That was fast! Thanks!
You make a very cogent point.
And thank you for the congratulations and expression of desire to read it. That’s big encouragement.
Also – who says you wouldn’t be on the list of people to lay eyes on it first?
I don’t usually say this, Victor, but I’d like to see your novel when you think it’s ready. Electronic form would do very nicely. Also, if it helps, I often edit my stuff by going through it _backwards_, usually on a page-by-page basis. But then people will stand in line for blocks in order to tell you I’m crazier thsan a bedbug.
Thanks! I truly appreciate it and am duly honored. You want the final form of the novel?
Interesting idea about backward editing. If being crazier than a bedbug was any impediment to being a writer there wouldn’t be many damn books. I suspect it’s more like a prerequisite. Anyway it’s definitely worth experimenting with.
Okay, for some beats-hell-outta-me reason Akismet Spammed both your tries at commenting. I approved both and then deleted one. I hope Akismet has learned a very important lesson.
Please let me know if you try commenting again and it gives you more grief.
“If that strikes you as a distinction without a difference, I understand. I feel the difference.”
I understand the difference.
Kind of like carpentry. You start with a bunch of wood, and, after considerable work, you have a chair. It looks like a chair; you can sit in it. I may need a bit of sanding yet, and a couple of coats of stain & varnish… but it’s a *chair.*
- M. \”/
Victor, I hardly know what to say, except Congratulations, good on you, you rock and well done. Oh, and for who should read it: ME! ME Me Me me me me me me meeee.
You’ve been at this game way longer than I have, so it seems kinda silly for me to offer advice. But I can say I’ve found it really helps, for me personally, to put a finished (Dude! You finished Dinosaur Lords!) draft aside for a while before tackling the second draft. I print the entire thing out (I’m old-school when it comes to editing), put it into a giant 3-ring binder… and then stick the binder on a shelf for a month. Otherwise I’m too close to the manuscript, utterly unable to see it with fresh eyes.
Meowlin – good point about the chair.
Larry – Thank you. And okay, you can read it too. When the cleanup’s done.
Ian – Yeah, and I’m still poor and obscure. Granted, for now; I plan on changing that soon.
Anyway, you always offer excellent advice. Indeed I’m putting it (Dude! Thanks!) aside for a bit. While I need to get momentum on the Deathlands book going right this moment, I’m chafing to get back on DinoLords. So it probably won’t sit a month.
Thanks to everybody for your comments and support. You guys rule!
[...] gotten some wonderful responses to yesterday’s post. I’m inclined to follow Scott’s suggestion to blow through a quick clean-up so I [...]