13 March 2003

I remained in a rotten mood yesterday until I finished the story that remains title-less, and then bam, up went my mood. Made black bean and roasted red pepper quesadillas for dinner when Mark got home, and that was good, too, and then I had some ice cream and started working on the edits to Dwarf's Blood Mead. Which improved my mood still further.

As I wrote in an e-mail last night, the nickel psychologist's explanation for my current penchant for editing is that it makes the novels something I can fix, and there are lots of things in my life right now that I can't fix. It may be cheap, but I don't think that makes it less accurate. (Also, it's in a good thing I'm in the mood to edit, since, you know, I need to.)

I'm seeing the advantage of multiple, distinct drafts, in the writing of this book -- I don't know that I'm going to be able to do everything I need to do to the paper I currently have, really, or even everything I need to do early on. It's hard to read margin notes for flow, for one thing, so the prose quality check will have to come later. It'll be fine. I hate to use up more paper, but we'll reuse it and then recycle it, and it's how I work best. So. I'll deal.

The editing really does make me happy. It's exciting to me right now, because there are things I didn't put in but can now put in, things that are exciting and interesting and layery. And I don't even have all of those figured out yet, I know. The distance of a week or so helps me see the potential in this book instead of just the flaws, and that's very neat, and also something of a relief.

I read Bagthorpes Haunted yesterday, and started A.S. Byatt's The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye upon Wendy and Daniel's recommendation. So far I've enjoyed the first story and thought the second one was, eh, all right. We'll see about the last three, I suppose.

I have a few errands to run today, as Mark will have the car tomorrow; other than that, I'm not sure what exactly is on the agenda. DBM edits, most likely, and finishing the Byatt, and possibly starting another short story, or, if I get feedback on the one with Aino and Joukahainen and Väinämöinen, maybe some edits on that, as well, and titles, and all that good stuff.

I have begun today by asserting that my mood will remain better than yesterday's, but I'm not sure how long that will last. I'd rather be mildly cranky than forcibly manic, I think, but it doesn't hurt to try to drag my brain to the bright side. Even if a part of it then mumbles, "Wherever that is."