OK, let’s go by the numbers, because why the hell not?
1. The Remembrance War I: Things Fall Apart is proceeding. I have not made it as far this summer as I should have–child-rearing interferes with writing like you would not believe, at least it does when your child is five, you don’t want her watching TV all day, and you actually believe in engaging with your child. I’m a little afraid that I’m going to catch flack at VP for not having finished the damn thing. I had said in my cover letter that I was rewriting it, but after I wrote that, I threw out a lot of what I’d had, because it was utter shit. I’m not just saying that–I had characters doing things that made no sense, and the dialogue was awful. So I’m working from the core of the story, and adjusting as necessary.
2. Work. Oh, how much do I hate this year already? I got stuck with co-teaching an Inclusion class, which means I have another teacher in the room who is supposed to be equal to me, and I keep getting sunshine blown up my ass about how much better it is. It’s actually terrible, and I don’t believe it’s better for the students no matter what the high-priced consultants say. And I made it clear two years ago I didn’t want to teach like this again. So of course they dumped half my teaching day on me as a series of co-teaching classes. Thanks, admin. Thanks a ton.
Anyway, because of this arrangement, I very nearly walked out of my classroom today. I just could not handle one of my classes, to the point where I seriously was beginning to see red. And I am sick unto death of 13 year olds who don’t know shit telling me what I should be doing in the classroom.
Viable Paradise is 32 days out. Can’t wait.
I actually wouldn’t mind you not having finished or even continued the piece, and working out where to go with us. But whatever you want to do with your work, we ought to respect, as best we can.
And I totally believe caring for a little dependent human being can derail writing in umpteen ways.
Yeah, my real fear is that my cover letter said I had finished it (which I had at the time), and that I was revising it. Revising turned into massive rewriting and deleting large chunks (I kept what I could, but man was it bad). So part of me is afraid the instructors will perceive a lie where there wasn’t one. Probably very silly.