Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Whatever (WiP) Wednesday

Today I'm just throwing my hands up and shouting, "Whatever!"

  • To the millions of No Kiss posts I haven't read. Whatever!
  • To the tens of millions of tweets I miss. Whatever!
  • To the crops that are withering. The cheesecake going to waste. Okay, okay, that's not really happening. No matter what, I'm tending to my Facebook games. But I almost had you, right?
  • To having a home-cooked meal. What. Ev. Er.
  • To bathing. Whatever.
  • To going to work. I mean, srsly? Do I even need to say it? (*whatever*)

Because, dude, I have other things to do. More important things. It's called rewriting an entire book. Ever heard of it?

  • To going bald due to rewrites. Whatever.
  • To Pandora, who still only allows 40 hours of listening. Don't they know that rewriting can only take place with a Glee song screaming in the background? What-ev.
  • To the three red pens I've already run dry. That's right. THREE. Whatever, Bic. I think I got defective pens. Oh, wait. I am rewriting an entire book. On paper. By hand. Whatever.
  • To things like "bedtimes" and "new year's resolutions." Whatever. When you're rewriting a book, you don't notice how the hours silently (well, not silently. There is Pandora.) slip by. You don't notice you've eaten an entire bag of Reese's peanut butter cups by yourself or drank the 2-Liter of ginger ale. I mean, srsly. Oops. I mean, whatever!

So there you go. What I'm working on. And pretty much how I feel about it right now. How are you doing? What are you working on? What do you need to shout, "Whatever!" at? Do it! I'll yell it with you.

Ready? 3...2...1...

41 comments:

Laura Pauling said...

Just curious. What do you find helpful about rewriting the whole book on paper with pen? My fingers are already aching just thinking about it. What ever.

Southpaw said...

What I got from this post? I really want some peanut butter cups...yummy...j/k (just a little I do really want pbc's now).

Sorry to hear it is so rough. My words of encouragement: your hair will grow back. :)

Tere Kirkland said...

Heh. I'm working on adding some chapters for my wip. I've had the ideas stewing for a while, but I spent most of my free Christmas and New Year time reading instead of writing. So much for getting this out to betas this month.

Whatever. The thing still has no freaking title, anyway.

Unknown said...

I'm totally with you right now. Feeling SUPER overwhelmed and totally not attending my crops righ tnow.

Unknown said...

I'm with you. I've set a self-imposed deadline for my first draft, and there is no way I'm going to meet it at this point. Bleh. I think it's the January blahs.

Unknown said...

I forgot my..."Whatever!"

Aubrie said...

I hate editing and rewrites! It drives me crazy. But then I read my manuscript and it is better....

Catherine Denton said...

You had me laughing and cheering. I'm revising for the ten-millionth time (okay maybe not ten MILLIONTH but it feels like it) my picture book manuscript. There's always a stupid beat missing! Grrrr!!

To the paint tubes covering my table--WHATEVER!

To the moldy stuff in the bottom of my fridge--WHATEVER!

To the hair on my legs--WHAT-EV-ER!!

Elana Johnson said...

Laura, I can't "see" the problems on the screen. I just read. It's so much easier for me to see where scenes are missing, where the problem areas are, where more is needed, on paper. So I print the MS and go from there. And I've written in every margin, every backside of every sheet. It's insane!

Tere - titles? Totally overrated. Whatever.

Southpaw - yum. Totally not whatever. :)

Marybeth - *clutches chest* NOT attending crops? Gasp, choke, wheeze. Whatever.

Karen - January: whatev.

Catherine! I love your last one! I sooo agree. Double WHATEVER!

(And you guys, thanks! I feel so much better now! Of course I'm at work, and can't rewrite right now...)

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I'm reviewing a manuscript today and deciding where to send it. I posted a exerpt, from the YA I writing, on my blog and only got four comments...WHATEVER...The Christmas decorations in the basement still need to be put away...WHATEVER...I just did two hours at the gym. I'm taking a nap and the we'll see what I can check off my Wednesday list. :)

Your post on Querytracker about bios was really helpful! Thanks.

Unknown said...

Hang in there! Er... I mean, whatever! Okay, I just can't pull it off. Seriously, hang in there!

Jessica Nelson said...

LOL You're too funny! I just finished eating six chocolate covered cherries, so I know what you mean about those emptied bags of Reeses. Heehee.
You go on the revisions! Running out of ink,... that has to be a good thing, right? LOL

Elana Johnson said...

Sharon, TWO HOURS AT THE GYM??? Holy crap, woman! That's a total whatever from me. I went off soda and chocolate this week, and I'm dying. The gym is next week -- if I'm still alive.

Thanks Nisa!

Jessica, it is a good thing, I suppose. :)

Unknown said...

I lost sleep last night over stupid latest wip, that is so seriously doomed. WHATEVER.

I suck as a writer....what am I thinking???? (Hopefully, tomorrow I'll feel differently.)

What E ver.

These grey hairs are real!!!

ali cross said...

*W* (That's me doing the Valley Girl What-EVAHR sign)

Umm, why haven't those other agents responded to my query at all? *W*

Kathryn Hupp-Harris said...

Whatev'

By the way -- You don't notice you've eaten an entire bag of Reese's peanut butter cups by yourself or drank the 2-Liter of ginger ale. I mean, srsly.

I now have a stomachache. But I'm still saying whatever. :-)

Scott said...

WHATEVER!

Boy do I feel better. BTW - i actually purchased both Glee soundtracks for my IPhone since the music is that good. I know - whatever!!! Geesh.

To writing that query letter (even with the best e-book EVER) - whatever!
To writing that synopsis - whatever!
To trying to decide what to work on next - whatever!
To beginning the revisions on the next project I want to query at some point in my life - whatever.
To a huge, never ending pitcher of margaritas - Bring! It! On!

S

Sherrie Petersen said...

Rewriting by hand? On paper? Dude, why aren't you using the computer? I know you know how. This pains me to think of. Seriously. By hand? I'd be poking my eyeballs out!

Kasie West said...

LOL I love that attitude. I think it's a proper one for a rewrite. :)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Hahahahaha! So, what I want to know is...how is your supply of Advil and Clear Eyes holding up? :-)

Anonymous said...

LOL!

I rewrite on paper too. I need to feel my writing and it just doesn't show up on screen.

I'll be hitting my first NaNo revision soon and am uber excited to say Whatever to long leg hair, dust bunnies on the blinds and the mounting piles of laundry rotting away in the laundry room.

That little word is so empowering!

Anonymous said...

Yay! The ginger ale made a come back!!

I'm saying "WHATEVER!" to anything but my little family today. Just us and some laughs. Everything else, whatever!

Kerri Cuev said...

Oh Man! I am feeling it mulling over this one chapter that is bugging me...never mind an entire book! You are free to whatever to your hearts content and keep playing those Glee songs ;)

Tina Lynn said...

I'm loving your attitude! I'm looking for things to shout about as we speak. We aren't speaking? Whatever!

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Elena--You'd think since I've been doing either two or three hours at the gym at least 4 days a week for the past year+, I'd be losing weight...I went to a dietician, she said I wasn't eating enough...So now I'm trying to remember to eat more. (I get wrapped up in my own world from 11-3.) Still no progress. I'm waiting to get an appointment with an endocrynologist (sp?). Maybe they can figure out what my deal is. I'm afraid to stop working out so much. Who knows what would happen to my hips!

Aaron Polson said...

I'm giving a big fat Whatever to the snow and forthcoming sub-zero (Fahrenheit...) temps. If only I'd get some writing done now that I'm snowed in (again)...

bettielee said...

I'm with you. WHATEVER, WORLD!! (is it ok I whispered that, cuz I'm at work, and if I tell them to go whatever themselves, I figure they'll show me the door, and I like living inside!)
**whispers** and whatever, universe!
bettielee

Angie said...

Good luck with rewriting! I'm sure it'll be terrific.

Tamika: said...

3.2.1...Whatever!

To all the blogs I would have normally read by 8am this morning- whatever!

To my day job- whatever!

Dinner *snort*- Whatever!

I'm writing people!

Hilabeans said...

Um, yeah, I still haven't unwrapped my Farmville presents. Whatever.

Feeling overwhelmed and underappreciated. Whatever.

Worry about typos in blog comments. Whatever.

Speed limits. Say it with me, Elana, WHATEVER!

hhs

Jemi Fraser said...

I guess it's a good thing I haven't done the FB thing yet - I don't have enough time for the games!

Tana said...

I've been editing so much I'm practically at a standstill. Also, I'm plotting heavily my next WIP. Still not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Elizabeth Mueller said...

I was feeling overwhelmed the other day with all the unkiss scenes, critiquing and having to deal with my first draft of a novel to have it ready for submission along with four kids, a house that is messy from 2 weeks of no school, aches in my jaw and head from my last dentist appointment... So much to do, so little time. *Sigh. But I am getting out my little paper and writing the things I want to do for the day and checking them off as I go so I feel accomplished.
(Most important thing to never leave off is my family!)
Good luck Elana...
:)

Christine Fonseca said...

WHATEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Katie Ganshert said...

Ooo! I'll join you in the going to work. Whatever! Gettin paid? Whatever. Health insurance? Who needs it?

P.S. I didn't accidentally miss the Amazon email, did I? I just realized I didn't get it yet and then I got uber paranoid that I deleted it or something. Wouldn't that be tragic?

Jenni James said...

Erm, I just realized you live near me... I mean, I just moved to Pleasant Grove... but howdy, Neighbor!

Okay, and LOVED the post. Seriously. I'm so with you!

Jenni

Little Ms J said...

Whatever to the last five pounds. I like carbs, dammit.

Bish Denham said...

Not feeling overwhelmed, yet...? Too early in the year.

I do all my rewrites/revisions in pencil. I'm addicted to my Clickers.

Stina said...

To that last sentence of my query that was driving me insane. WHAT. EVER.

Amber Lynae said...

I think Santa should have brought you red pens, more hours in the day, calorie free reese cups, and limitless Pandora.

Should we fire santa?

sanjeet said...

I got from this post? I really want some peanut butter cups...yummy...j/k (just a little I do really want pbc's now).

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