The beast is completed

I've finally finished the Penumbra galley, and boy, am I ever glad to see the back of this story. Don't get me wrong--despite all the frustration Penumbra caused, what with the reluctant muse and a plot line that refused to go where originally intended, I think I've ended up turning out one of my better stories. It's just that this story seems to have been with me forever. It's the only story that's ever taken me a year and a half to write (well, aside from the novels I wrote when I was first getting into writing seriously, and they will never see the light of day unless they have a complete and utter rewrite). Add to that the edits, line edits and galley, and I've read this novel so often I can just about recite the thing out loud. And that's a huge problem when you're supposed to be checking a galley for mistakes--it's hard to find said mistakes when you're reading what should be there rather than what is there. I actually had to edit the galley in small chunks--it took longer, but at least it kept my sight from glazing over and the words from melding together. I know proofreading is all part of the business of writing--but honestly, it's just so easy to let mistake slip through without ever intending it. People always complain about the mistakes in books--and yeah, in the end, it does come down to the author being responsible--but sometimes I wish those complainers could just sit in our shoes for a while, and see that proofreading isn't always as easy as it looks. Especially when you've read the book a gadzillion times.

Anyway, my next goal in my writing life is to try and get Dangerous Games--the fourth Riley book--finished. I'm actually hoping to get it done by the end of December, and to this end, have decided to join Freya's 50 000 words or bust December challange. There's a booze up at the end (always a good thing!) and the loser has to sing celine dion karaoke (not something anyone wants to hear me sing.) I may not get the whole 50 000 words done, but if I can finish Dangerous Games-- which only has about 150 pages to go--and get a chunk of the Lockness book done, that'll be an excellent way to start the new year.