Well, where did August go? As it turns out, to a very strange place indeed. A week and a half after writing the July Edition of this update—as those of you who follow me on social media know—I had a heart attack. I’m going to do a post on that soon, so I won’t tell the whole story here. Suffice to say that a couple of days in the hospital followed by multiple doctor appointments and beginning a cardio rehab program takes up a bit of time and energy, so there’s not a whole lot to update, but here goes.
Novella #1. Not a darn thing done on this on this complete draft still awaiting its latest red-pen markup.
Novella #2. I was just about to start reading through this for a red-pen markup when my heart turned on me like a snake in the grass. Finally got back to it a few days ago, and I’m about two-thirds of the way through. I’ve made some small tweaks as well as some notes for an additional scene or two to address a problem pointed out by the inimitable Bill Leisner.
Novella #3. No movement on this in-progress manuscript.
Editing/Work for Hire. I was in the middle of a manuscript copyedit for Baen Books when I ended up in the hospital. The editors there were great, giving me a two-week extension and telling me to put my health first. My doctors had advised me that, as long as I didn’t overdo it, I could get back to work a few days after going home, and so I jumped back into the game pretty quickly. And around the same time, I picked up a manuscript for copyedit from Simon & Schuster. By coincidence, they ended up with the same due date. I was able to complete both of them, even turning the S&S manuscript a day early—in spite of having to take a day off from both of them to do some rewrites on the Touch the Stars screenplay! I had a little lull then, taking it easy until another gig came in from Baen, which I’m still working on.
So, all things considered, not a bad month in the writing/editing department, though I’d certainly be a lot further along on the novellas without the coronary detour. I’m hopeful that September will settle down a little bit and that I’ll get back on track.
Scott Pearson is Blogging (From Time to Time) 