Answers: Part Four: You're Kidding Me, She's not Done Yet?

Picking right up where we left off, with a brief reminder that next week I'll host the lovely and talented (like, we're talking superhero-talented, not like, can-twist-cherry-stems-in-a-knot-with-her-tongue-talented) (although come to think of it, I don't know if she can do that, so maybe we should ask) Michelle Wolfson, my incredible agent. Last minute questions can be asked here. I will be combining and condensing them since she has a life, unlike yours truly, who likes nothing better than to answer questions for two days straight and with severely plummeting coherency.

(I'm not kidding. I love Question and Answer Time. Easy content!)

Take a deep breath and...go!

Larissa asks, How do you fit everything in (writing, blogging, editing, wife-ing, mothering, other-ings)?

My apartment is really messy.

Seriously though...well, no, that statement is pretty accurate. At least when I'm writing or editing, because I can only do so much. Blogging is easy--I like doing it and write all my blog posts in the mornings while feeding the squawking little birdies that live in my house and wake up hungry and bossy. I really don't spend more than ten or fifteen minutes writing any blog post. Sorry if that shatters any illusions you were harboring.

Mothering is easy. Right now I'm letting my kids chase each other around the house screaming about who stole what toy. Exercise, entertainment, AND teaching them how to solve their own problems!

Truth is, I can't write a word while they're awake. I mother-and-wife-and-blog during the day, then I edit-and-write in the evenings after they're in bed.

Once again, you'll notice cleaning didn't factor in anywhere there. Fortunately my husband is awesome.

JCKandy asks, I have deadly, unattractive burn marks on my thighs from my own Laptop. Do you share in my disfigurement?

She will soon, JC.

Great. Thanks for giving him ideas, JC. Good thing I like you so much.

Jessie Oliveros asks, You seem to write your books in a matter of weeks. What is you rewrite method like? Do you rewrite the entire book? Do you rewrite then rewrite again? Does your final look more or less like your original or completely different?

I do tend to first draft very quickly. Typically what happens is I'll then go through and do a line/continuity edit, fixing any immediate problems I know the manuscript has. Then I'll send it to my critiquers, gather their comments, think about it, and then edit again.

I think Paranormalcy went through six or seven edits of varying degrees of intensity before I sent it to Michelle.

I don't, however, rewrite the entire book. It boggles my mind that people can do that, and I bow before their work-ethic and bravery. For me, if I can't come up with something clever the first time around, I'm probably not going to. So my final versions are pretty much the exact same as my first drafts, just tightened up pacing-wise (a few cut scenes, a few added scenes, a few slightly shifted scenes) and cleaned up prose-wise. Much better, but still the same book at the core.

Candice asks, 1. Don't you think I should win Natalie's contest? (please refer to Sunday dinner metaphor)

Yes, absolutely. Everyone deserves to win one of her contests.

2. How did you manage to get such ridiculously cool green eyes? So--jealous! :)

Right now I'm blinking rapidly at you, grinning and tremendously flattered. I'm not actually sure, since everyone else in my family has blue. My dad's have a lot of green in them, so I guess I have him to thank!

Whirl asks, Given that you and Natalie are now agented authors (squee squee), do you envisage creating a display of sound and colour between you next time you meet to rival the "artifact being reassembled" cut scene from a computer RPG?

Right now I'm blinking slowly at you, trying to pretend like I understand what you're talking about.

Nope. Not a clue.

Still, you have a British accent and call me Duck, so you can pretty much get away with anything as far as I'm concerned.

Awesome LaTerry asks, How many cups of sugar does it take to get to the moon?

It doesn't matter, because odds are I've already consumed all of them.

Is revising something that you can do no problem or is it very stressful? Or perhaps somewhere in between?

Before I start it's always overwhelming and I can't believe how much I have to do and why do I do this to myself I should just go take a nap instead.

Once I start it's like, wow, this is fun, I was totally overreacting.

So I guess somewhere in between.

And CUE END OF QUESTIONS!

Whew. I don't know about you, but I'm sweating like a pig. Which has more to do with the fact that my apartment is 87 degrees than any implication that this was hard work. So I'll ask myself one final question:

Please, for the love of all that is good and pleasant smelling in the world, will you go take another shower?

Absolutely.