The Best Laid Plans of Rats and Writers

Okay, these are mice, not rats, but isn’t this an amazing illustration by Molly Brett?

I worked my tail off last week so that this week would be as easy as possible.  Not easy. but easier.  After all, I had a book deadline on Wednesday.  But I had a solid draft done almost a week ahead of time.  That just left any final polishing and the footnotes and bibliography to make pretty.

Oh, why do I even try to plan?

Just as I finished up the back matter, the day after finishing the draft, I got an e-mail from my Pearl Harbor editor.  “I’m going to need you to do the rewrite next week.  I’m not done with my comments yet, but I thought you could get started on the chapter that I want you to rewrite.”

Sigh.

He’s right.  The parts that he wants to come out need to go and the parts he wants to add are essential.  It will make the whole book much stronger.  But really?  It sure is stressful when it comes in on top of another project.  How on earth do they do that anyway?

–SueBE

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