Summary:

It’s getting pretty busy on the paid editing front, towards the end of the year, which is great, as I’m taking the last week of December off and had feared there wouldn’t be enough work to tide me over. I also had a good week on the novels, though pressure of paid work meant I didn’t work on them as much as I would have liked.

 

Monday:

I made it to the cafe for the first time in two weeks and secured my favourite table. My paid work schedule for this week was looking pretty packed, but I still worked on the next scene for Machine first, as otherwise I knew I would just let it drop off the list.

Then I edited a blog post for a regular client and read an extract of one of the other Revision Club writers’ novel, ready for the critique session the next day.

Then it was back to developmental edits on the Indian thriller, after which I started a new project I’d won on Friday, editing a self-help book for a publisher that was promising me regular, ongoing work.

Next on the list was another new client, and another potentially long-term relationship, editing short romance novellas. I got started with the first one, which I really enjoyed.

I did a new Legacy scene, then read and commented on the next sections of both the giant memoir and the TL;DR writer’s novel.

And that was more than enough for one day! Not least because it was the first day in a long time where I actually ticked off everything on my list!

 

Tuesday:

Dave went into the office today, so I had the opportunity to work in the living room, sitting next to Stanley the bear all day, which was lovely.

I started by making notes for the next few scenes of Legacy, then drafted the next one.

Then it was time to write and post my GYWO discussion for the month, all about navigating around writer’s block. I recycled a post on the same subject from January 2019, updating and revising it a bit.

Next, I read and commented on the next section of the Indian novella, then moved on to editing the next section of the self-help book.

I edited some more of the contemporary romance novella, and read and commented on the next section of the giant memoir.

Today was also the next meeting of Revision Club – the first two-hour critiquing session and I was the first writer in the spotlight! And it was great! Everyone in the group confirmed that they thought the two opening scenes of Legacy were really good, but also gave me great feedback on how I could make them even better. So, the result couldn’t have been more helpful!

 

Wednesday:

I did a couple of submissions.

Then I went on a trip out to discover the delights of the new Picturehouse cinema at Finsbury Park, mostly focusing on the cafe and the members’ bar. I settled in for the afternoon and carried on reading and commenting on the TL;DR writer’s novel.

During the afternoon, a client from ages ago popped back up and asked me to edit another sci-fi short story for him, so I did that.

 

Thursday:

Overnight, some short editing tasks came through from one of my regular blog clients and my regular fairy tale client. So, I did those, first thing.

Next was completing comments on the first third of the giant memoir, which I then submitted back to the author for a mid-way review.

Then I went back to developmental editing of the Indian novella, completing another section with the intention of being able to submit it for approval the next day.

I edited the next section of the self-help book, and also the romance novella, then moved onto a new editing project, a book of mindfulness exercises.

In between times, I presented the TL;DR Slack with a plot point I was stuck on for Legacy, and talked it through with a couple of regulars, who helped me come up with some good ideas.

 

Friday:

Back to the cafe today, and I finished my current audiobook on the way there, so I started with a review. I also read and commented on a flash fiction piece by one of the other TL;DR writers.

Then I launched into the next scenes for Machine, since I hadn’t managed to get round to it the day before (if I don’t do the novels first, I don’t do them at all…).

By that time, it was nearly 10:30am, so I had to move on to paid projects.

First on the list was finishing developmental editing comments on the Indian novella, after which I submitted it for approval with some lengthy, overall feedback.

After lunch, I edited the next sections of the self-help book, the contemporary romance novella, and the mindfulness book.

 

Sunday:

I did a couple of sample edits for prospective clients.

I also wrote a review of a book I finished the night before.

Later, after securing three new paid editing projects, I planned out my work up until the end of the year, to check how much space I had left for additional pitching – and it wasn’t a lot!