Gearing up for some editing...

Now that 2011 is upon me, I fear that means it is time for some serious editing. Mid-2010, I had made a goal of finishing Secession Island, the historical novel I've been working on for a good 3-4 years now. I had great hopes of finishing up the writing by December 2010, then doing some intense editing and rewriting in January to complete a draft to submit to the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest on January 24. Needless to say, for the second year in a row, that is not going to happen. I am kind of sad, but also a bit relieved, because now I have a whole year ahead of me to finish (assuming I actually finish it this year - my track record is not so good). I didn't make any "resolutions" per se, but I did set a few "goals" for myself instead. Two of those goals are writing goals:

1. Complete a readable, working draft of Secession Island by the end of the year. That means complete the storyline, have the basic writing done, and be prepared for editing. Before I can work on the writing some more, I am going to have to back up and do a little editing first. Right now, this draft is a mess. I have gone back and forth between first-person and third-person, unable to make up my mind about the point-of-view. I have jumped around in the plot, so right now if you read it from start to finish, there are huge gaps and the narrative doesn't even make sense. And the chronology is a mess. So I've decided to use January to take a step back and read through everything I've got, in hopes of deciding on a point-of-view, nailing down the chronology, and figuring out what gaps need filling in the plot. I need to have this complete by Jan. 31, then Feb. 1, it's back to writing (hopefully).

2. Edit and publish Lunatics and Lycanthropy. This is the novella I wrote for NaNoWriMo this past year. It's similar to Norfanger Plantation, and pretty well wrapped-up already. As this isn't my main focus (Secession Island is), I'm hoping for a quick edit. Cy has already read it and given me some feedback on a few parts that need clarification, so that is helpful as well.

Anyway...that is my plan of action for 2011, as far as my writing goes. I would LOVE to finish Secession Island this year, but I've been saying that for at least two years now, so...I guess time will tell.