Wednesday, June 3, 2009

A Second Chance

All that rain of last week has given way to bright, sunny, hot days and now I have to think about getting my outdoor work done really early before the heat drives me back inside. I got a late start this morning and my intentions in regard to the garden faltered.

So I continued to work on Bear and Molly's haircuts -- not easy work as both prefer to lie down to be groomed. And I bathed Bear -- one way to cool off -- but Molly went to deep cover before I could stop her. Time to go back to work on proofreading the Birdie book.



I was breezing along, making little changes -- a word here, a word there -- and suddenly, over halfway through, I hit a chapter that just went clunk! I kept fiddling with the wording till the manuscript was awash in penciled changes and additions -- which is the point at which, according to the instructions, I need to print out fresh pages to attach to the old ones.

So I have a freshly rewritten chapter and am moving on, grateful I had the chance to fix the clunker. And hopeful there won't be more.

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7 comments:

Carol Murdock said...

Vicki...it sounds like you got surprised by that find and how lucky to get to fix it! I know what you mean about laying down to be groomed ,Jake likes to collapse like a rag doll when being bathed. Hope you have a great day and no more book surprises at least!

Pat in east TN said...

I am STILL amazed at the making of a book, and that after readings and re-readings you came across your 'clunk chapter'.

Your pictures are beautiful. Little rain over here and things are drying up and I'm having to carry water to the garden. Ooooh, and it's only June!!!

Vicki Lane said...

I'm trying to get out a bit earlier today and plant that squash. It looks like another hot one and yes, Pat, it's starting to feel dry.

Kathryn Stripling Byer said...

Well, I bathed Lord Byron on Sunday, and he ran around the house like a little demon afterward. He needs to be groomed, but then so does the house. I'm trying to prioritize--as they say. At least he doesn't smell as bad as he once did. He sleeps with me/us every night. Gotta plant my heirloom tomatoes (second shipment--first was nearly dead) tonight, also some sunflowers and zinnias. But I already want to go to bed.

Vicki Lane said...

I'm happy to say I got that squash and the pumpkins planted this morning and then, as a reward, we had a fine rain this afternoon -- and another and another. Pat, I hope you got some.

Kay -- I bathed Bear ( the most difficult) and William (the easiest) that leaves Maggie and Molly. The Border collie boys stay pretty clean and if they need bathing, John will do it.

But oh law, I know what you mean about wanting to go to bed. Plumb wore out ain't the half of it.

Victoria said...

I never had any inkling of how many people it takes to publish a book! Glad you caught the clunker. Sometimes it's like that with a painting I've done. I like it when I first finish it, then when I look at it in a couple of months I find all sorts of things I don't like.

Vicki Lane said...

The problem was that it was one of the revised chapters where I had shifted some important stuff from the lost Myrna Lou to Dorothy. And I just wasn't sufficiently in Dorothy's head. Plus I hadn't had months and months of rereading and tweaking the way I had with the first half of the book. But I think it's better now.

I could probably revise endlessly -- when I do a reading, sometimes I find myself changing words here and there just because they sound better.

Bur thank heavens the option to revise is there -- just as in your paintings.