A lot of my time recently has been spent sitting in a car (more than usual). Last weekend, Steve and I drove from Baltimore to Lakeside, MI and back within 72 hours. Luckily, Steve prefers to drive (or so I like to think), so I used almost every spare moment (of which there were many) to edit my novel. This trip definitely reinforced our desire to drive cross country.
I jumped back in the car the day after we arrived back in Baltimore for the trip to Woodstock. So here I am and will be for another week. The office is buzzing, the weather is perfect, and the town is still packed with tourists during the day (this town shuts down early). Even better news is that my hubs is coming into town tomorrow. I’m looking forward to introducing him to Garden Cafe’s vegan strawberry shortcake.
Lately, I’ve been reading my novel out loud. I was lucky enough to get this tip from one of my favorite people, Miss Incidents and Accidents (her novel, Stay, comes out in 2010!). It’s also amazing how long it takes to read thirty pages out loud, which hopefully I’ll get to doing tonight, tick tock. While in the car last weekend, Steve had to endure a lot of me turning down the music so that I could read him just one more paragraph. This exercises makes the weak spots, repetition, holes in the plot, etc. jump off the page. For the first time, I heard the story outside my head. It’s a reality check. I highly recommend it. Thanks, Al!
Please excuse my dusty dashboard by the way. Off to write!
I found my center, my purpose, and my heart through writing and I’m here to help you do the same. I work with entrepreneurs, authors, academics, and other driven individuals to help them find their voice on the page. 
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m so glad it’s working for you – it does take a long time. If I’m working on a big chunk, I’ve been known to lose my voice.
But it’s amazing what you’ll catch.
It’s tiring too! I find myself getting sleepy when I read out loud. Maybe that has to do with how late I’m up editing… Thanks again for being my writing buddy!