The Incredible Shrinking Book

Hi

Feel as though I am writing The Incredible Shrinking Book. I am down to 75,000 words now. What happened was, I finished the memoir years ago, but have been re-writing over the last six months. I was maybe half way through, but floundering - it looked like I was going to have enough material for three volumes...

So, faced with the prospect of suddenly having to knock the book into shape for the agent I unexpectedly solicited at the end of last week, I cut and pasted the old book - still on a floppy disc! - onto my new work. 107,000 words. Too much for a memoir, too many names, too complicated in style, too past tense...

Since then I have been editing like mad - literally. Anyway, I have made a lot of headway in the last three hours - while Hubby put the kids to bed. I have tidied up large chunks in the middle of the book, although I am hoping that I have not thrown the baby away with the bathwater.

Still got a long way to go. Still have no real idea of the timescale. But it can't go on like this for much longer, surely?

Now I am definitely going to finish for the evening. I have neglected poor Little Daughter, who has caught the cold that her sister and I have been suffering with. I am going to give her a cuddle and a kiss goodnight now, and get re-acquainted with my poor patient Hubby.

x