Sunday, May 9, 2010

Up date

It is nine pm on the fourth day. For the last three days I have been writing for sixteen hours each day but it has been totally worth it because I now have a completed first draft of my novel. Mothering Sunday is officially my Up date!
Watch this space. I may be some time.....sleep, coming at you!

34 comments:

catdownunder said...

Well done! :-)

Rachel Fenton said...

cheers me dears

Jim Murdoch said...

Nothing like it when you get a break like that. Pleased for you.

Rachel Fenton said...

IYou couldn't have stopped me, Jim! Thanks, I appreciate that.


Normal blogging service should resume shortly - after some zeds!

Rachel Fox said...

Glad to hear someone's been hard at work!
I've been hard at work too...but work of a very different kind.
x

steven said...

let it roll rachel!!! steven

Kass said...

Double celebration this Mother's Day! Congratulations.

Leslie Morgan said...

Sending you peace, love and happiness, Rachel. Godspeed. Go sleep. We'll be right here waiting for you when you're ready to present. <3

Thomas Taylor said...

Congratulations on reaching that milestone, and good luck with the next phase. Sixteen hours a day!

Golden West said...

Wow, Rachel, you're on a roll! Great!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the completed first draft. I know it has been a labour of love - especially at 16 hours a day in the final stretch.

Andrea said...

Fantastic! congrats :)

Rachel Fenton said...

Rachel (t'other) - thanks for swinging by, I know how hard work things are for you right now so I'm extra grateful for your support! Be round at your blog soon x

Steven - I couldn't stop it if I wanted to! Thanks.

Kass - I'm not sure if four days solid writing is many mothers' idea of a treat but it was just tha ticket for me! Thanks.

Awe, Les, thank you. You don't know how much your little heart emoticon thingy made me smile...I was just telling Ross Brighton recently how similar that symbol is to the one for penis! Makes me howl every time I see it now - you have given me happyness (said with Yorkshire accent!)

Thomas, thanks, I wouldn't recommend it too often but I knew I could do it...it was a challenge! Hope to take my time with the editing!

Golden West - I was, not sure I've got much more roll in me today! Pretty pooped! Thanks.

Donna - thank you, it has and there were points early on, especially around Christmas time, when I thought this book was my nemesis. However, I have built an extension on my brain for what was required and there was no way back once I got the central part of the book out of the way! The first part was a lot easier and the third part was free wheeling all the way!

Andrea, thank so much!


Thank you again to all of you for popping in as I know I have been a most unreliable blogger of late...hope to be in charge of this ship again very soon and I'll be calling in on all of you asap!

Mare Biddle said...

Right on!!! You have given me fuel for the last 10 miles of potholes. :)

Rachel Fenton said...

Go, Mare, you can do it!!!!

Penny said...

Congratulations... I am lost in admiration at your dedication!Sleep well!

Rachel Fenton said...

Sleep evaded me, alas - read your wishes as "sheep well" !

I think it's a form of madness but if I get a book out of it it'll be worth it :)

Jenna Wallace said...

My goodness! Your fortitude astounds! Well done, you. Be proud. VERY proud.

Rachel Fenton said...

The fortitude morphed into something akin to dementedness by the fourth day, JAnna! I wouldn't advise any one to try it.

Thanks so much!

Merc said...

Bravo! You´re inspiring! I want to try that or something like it. Now, to negotiate the time ...

Rachel Fenton said...

Hey, Merc, cheers for that! It would have felt like a mill stone around my neck if I'd dragged it out when I knew exactly what I wanted to write and how...I've heard some writers talk about it as "getting in the zone" but with me it was more of an Alec Guinness film - changing parts at a rapid rate - but it was wholly enjoyable. It's the after effects -eye strain, fatigue, dizzyness from too much pc screen. What I like about fast writing is that my brain almost doesn't have time to register what I'm putting down so i can read it after a short break and have it feel completely fresh and new - good for editing ruthlessly!

I wish you success with bargaining for the time but bargain a little free time for afterwards - for recovery!
Thanks.

Rachel Fenton said...

My apologies to Jenna for typo-ing your name wrong!

Mike McLaren said...

Get the sleep! Congratulations on such heavy duty work!

Rachel Fenton said...

Sleep seems less willing than the first draft was to come my way! Thanks, though.

How are you, anyhow?

Lori said...

16 hours? I have never done anything like that. You can be so focused! Speaking of nemesis, a few days ago when I was determined to get some edits done, after maybe two hours I had to let the computer down and I couldn't get off my chair with such a terrible case of vertigo like I haven't had in years. It took me the whole evening and part of the next day to recover, so yeah, I think these books have it in for us.

Rachel Fenton said...

Ah, that's interesting! I get that, too, which is why I like to blast the text out as quick as possible at the pc and then work on the proof reading with a hard copy and a pencil! Typing on the computer makes me quite dizzy - thought I might need an eye test - and I feel ill for a few days after doing a big stint but, well, I can't stop writing! I think you are right about books having it in for us, but what a great way to go!
Cool new profile pic, by the way!

Maggie May said...

may the draft give you much wonderful raw material.

Rachel Fenton said...

Thank you, Maggie. Because it's in three parts and I redrafted the first two every time I started work on a new chapter I have pretty much only had to concentrate on the final part which means I'm ready for submitting! Got lots of other projects on the go to give my eyes a break from this novel. Might even get around to reading someone else's novels for a change, too! Thanks for dropping in :)

Group 8 said...

I take it is it still all happening. Wow - I love your commitment to it. BEST of luck with it! N x

Rachel Fenton said...

It was full blown war over Christmas and the New Year with it, Nuala! I had to sign out of almost everything else in my life to get to grips with it and really get my head onto three very different story bodies. Been polishing and editing and polishing etc for the last few weeks. Glad to have got this far with it but it has been HARD!! Most difficult thing I've written yet but somehow I think I'll be making life harder for myself from here on in. Cheers for the luck - I need it!

Anonymous said...

Looking forward to your return, refreshed and into the clearer blue water the other side of that first draft.

Rachel Fenton said...

Cheers, Dick :) My brain's fried right now but I'll get thinking and try not to bore you all too much when I do post!

Bill said...

Congratulations! I don't know how you people who write novels find so much to say. That sounds facetious now I read it back, but I don't mean it to. I've new got past chapter 2.

I've worked on music 16 hours a day, but never words, as I remember. Knackering.

Rachel Fenton said...

Hullo Bill,
the thing is, aside from my children, I don't speak to many adults over the course of a standard week, so the words are all hemmed in and waiting to stitch the page whenever I can grab a minute. Music I adore but have no talent for, so I envy you that. Thanks for dropping in.