Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire

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Word count -- ONE SALT SEA.

Words: 3,011.
Total words: 104,602.
Reason for stopping: bedtime!
Music: mostly the Counting Crows.
Lilly and Alice: glaring at me from their nest of pillows.

I feel like my word count needs a little explanation.

So when I had to throw out literally a hundred pages of this book, I didn't delete them all at once. Instead, I kept them at the back of the living manuscript, and every time I wrote X number of words, I would delete the same number from the text that was now considered "out of canon." This had two useful effects. First, it let me salvage certain things that I knew I wanted to keep, without leaving them as floating out-of-context fragments in a file somewhere. Secondly, it kept me from totally losing my shit, since suddenly going from "most of a book" to "a few chapters" is terrifying enough without your word count going back to zero.

All this is by way of explaining how I could have just written 3,000 words to wind up with a word count barely 600 words more than last night's word count. But more importantly, this is the real word count. I have finally deleted the last major chunks of the old book, leaving me with only those few scenes that I know I still need to re-incorporate. As of tonight, One Salt Sea is wholly and entirely itself, free of old identities and old ideas.

I'm both elated and terrified, because this really isn't the book I originally thought that I was writing. It's something better. It's almost the true sequel to Rosemary and Rue: it resolves a lot of the plot threads the first book left dangling, while introducing still more. It's a better book than I could have written two years ago. And it's still scary as hell.

But it's almost over. So I guess I better get used to the terror.
Tags: one salt sea, toby daye, word count
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  • 36 comments
You have me shivering with antici...

...pation.
RHPS reference FTW.

Re: btw...

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

I am so not coming up to your lab.

FYI.
Oh, yes! Finally! No more new side-plots, but a return to the true story. *licks her lips, cat-style* So, where's my button to make it March, already? Or my ARC?

PS The package arrived, my minion thanks you profusely, I will thank you once she posts the greater package and I receive it in two weeks.
Oh, yes! Finally! No more new side-plots, but a return to the true story. *licks her lips, cat-style* So, where's my button to make it March, already?

Yes. This. :)

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

inkgrrl

6 years ago

Oh, I can't promise no more side-plots, since more of them are the true story than you might realize at the time (May, for example, is far less side-plotty than people tend to assume she is).

Your icon delights me.

mathnerd

6 years ago

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

It's almost the true sequel to Rosemary and Rue: it resolves a lot of the plot threads the first book left dangling, while introducing still more.

This sounds fantastic. Can hardly wait to read the finished version.

It's plodding along one chapter at a time. And by "plodding," I mean "currently almost a chapter a night."
Just saw the announcement on Publishers Marketplace - YAY! Always so nice to see new books all announced to the masses and sundry and stuff ;-)

A "mere" chapter a night? *blinks*
That's as good a definition as any.
You are mighty. That sucks.
Seanan is mighty and awesome, but you are amazing and witty and I stand in awe of your abilities Every Single Day. Even if I forget to say so. Mostly because I am scared to leave comments, because you're kind of intimidating. ;)
I'm really a very small bear. And I haven't eaten anybody in months.

Broccoli, though. I'm hell on broccoli. *g*

mathnerd

6 years ago

matociquala

6 years ago

It's definitely been a challenge. I cannot wait to be done with this book and on to the next one, which isn't going to be mean to me in the same ways.

matociquala

October 26 2010, 14:22:23 UTC 6 years ago Edited:  October 26 2010, 14:22:37 UTC

I had to rewrite All the Windwracked Stars from the ground up, and cut 50% from Blood & Iron and add a different 50%.

I feel. Your pain.

seanan_mcguire

6 years ago

matociquala

6 years ago

I'm so very excited to hear this! I'm really looking forward to the finished version, as I'm really in love with Toby and her universe.
So am I!

Deleted comment

Yay!
Oooh. Looking forward to it!
Me, too!
It's a better book than I could have written two years ago. And it's still scary as hell.

That's very cool, I have to remember to tell Ian (My middle offspring) who want's to be a writer this. He came to me the other day saying. It's easier to write now than a year ago, and I think what I'm writing is better. I guess all that writing is helping. and he's right, he's much improved over a year ago. He wanted to delete all his old stuff. I told him not to, that some where in it he'd find something worth saving sometime. And even if he didn't it was always a good yard stick.

I think you've may have just given him some help with his writers block"

thanks, and as ever looking forward to whatever is coming out next, especially new zombie stuff.
You're very welcome. :)
It's almost the true sequel to Rosemary and Rue: it resolves a lot of the plot threads the first book left dangling, while introducing still more

YAY!!
Hee.