Rewriting a manuscript: this is NOT how I remember it.

So, we are back on Dragonfly Island, and my story is taking on a whole different shape. I’m still in CHAPTER 1, but even so, I can feel the wind of changes. The tone is more consistent, this beginning is stronger and better than the one I lost. This time around, my outline is very detailed, and turned out to be very well worth the time.

Recovery begins here!

        I am starting the recovery process of the lost manuscript by recreating what I remember of the outline. Amazingly, it comes to me easier than I thought it would. I have listed every chapter and major events and relationship developments. I also chunked the book into three sections, along with length expectations and due dates. It feels good to have  a plan. Looking at the outline, reassures me that I can recreate what I’ve lost. Yay me!

I am also anxiously awaiting response on the picture books’ manuscripts I sent out earlier this month. I know, I know… it takes 6-12 weeks to hear back, and even then, ONLY if interested. Somehow, I have faith that someone has to be interested. You’ll see!

Rebirth of a lost novel

I’m rewriting it. All of it. From scratch. Well, I guess you can cound 4K of notes I had saved on my work PC as a good starting point, and  Dragonfly Island is getting a second life today. I miss Lily, and my little prince, and Renoi all too much to allow them to disappear. I guess I’ll have to chop at it bit by bit until I’m on my way to the Chimera’s layer, crossing Kappa infested rivers.

Wish me luck!

Grieving the loss of half-finished manuscript.

What am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to start over? Forget about it?

I only have unpolished snippets here and there that I sent back and forth between home and work computer. I don’t have the main file. Slamming my head into the wall surprisingly did not solve the issue. I want to work on the story, I want to pick it up for NaNoWriMo, but that’s quite a challenge, when the bulk of the manuscript is on a dead HD.

What if my Chimera decides it doesn’t want to wait this long to be killed? What if my forest full of harpies decides it wants to become a paradise garden? What if my brave “shaolin” monk quits his quest while I’m trying to recover 40K draft?

Any advice is welcome.

An open letter to my students and their parents

…in 50K words. That’s what Pencils is all about. It’s a reflection on my job as a teacher, and a close look at students, parents and education in general. A story about a dead pet frog here, a philosophical discussion on curriculum there, an overview of testing, school system, and childhood – and I’ve got myself a memoir on wonderful topic of education.

My plan is to contribute approximately 7K a week, and to finish about 3-4 chapters every ten days. I have a few notes already, and an outline of topics I’d like to cover: Recess, Relationships between Parents and Teachers, First Day of School, Mathematics, etc.  If you have an interest in education, I hope to spark your interest with my ideas and thoughts. We’ll see how well I can accomplish my goal.

Cautionary Tale

Save your drafts, and you will not have to go into a depressive break because you just lost 50K for two manuscripts in progress.

The End.

P.S. Oh, and I’m back. I’m starting to work on a new project, and just sent out a 250 word manuscript for a picture book to 5 publishing companies.