Editing

I was doing so well. Had the whole think ticking along nicely, facts checked, timing worked out.
Oh, except that the story needed to start a tiny bit earlire in the year.
Not much, just say 4 - 6 weeks.
Which meant that lambing would not have started.
Which meant that they sure as heck couldn't be doing the docking.
Spent last night changing more than a hunderd references to lambs and docking over to sheep and drenching.
*sigh*
And why on earth did I make the FMC cut her hair? Why did I do that? (Apart from the really good plot twist) There's another heap of references to check, and much harder to find.

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

Why did it have to start earlier? In any case that is a major bummer. Editing is a real determination of a writer's strength and dedication. It can get awfully depressing when you think you have to go through that whole manuscription AGAIN!

Hang in there!

No Excuses. Just Write.
SoCNoC - Freeing the Flame
Freeing the Flame - 30,065/40,000 words rewritten for May

You sound as busy as the real farmers down this way. I am surrounded by paddocks, of lovely little lambs at present, and daffodils growing naturally.
Timing is important. "Tupping" about March, born Aug/Sept, have helped with docking about November, so the lambs must be about three months old.
Funny how the writing mind works, (re haircut.) I like animals, most dogs, but not that keen on cocker spaniels yet I used them in my SocNoc novel. ????
Also has a strong Maori content, as my Members Challenge has, why, I don't know.

Got a plot and Title for Socnoc 2008.
"To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Question."

Books are Humanity in Print!

It had to start earlier because... um ... it made sense at the time! I'd changed everything else to reflect that (including some time references in book 1, which means it's SET). I think it had something to do with a plotline in book 3 ... the one that has since been dumped.

Lambs all round the place here too, a friend of mine said she'd been helping out with the docking last weekend and I suddenly realised that my fictional docking was now back in late July / early August!! Luckily my mate's daughter is a farm cadet and very gently led me through what could have been going on at the time (drenching and innoculations).

The thing that gets me is; you were docking 3 month old lambs, Adele was docking 6 week old lambs and my research link (NZ Farming site) said no more than 7 - 10 days old!!

I know what you mean (spaniels) - why did I choose farming!? I've done so very many jobs, why did I choose something I know nothing about? Actually, because when that character was set up, this was a 3500 word short story, not a 225000 word trilogy.

I do enjoy going through it again and again. I may whinge occasionally, but I really do love the process. If nothing else, I'm learning stuff!

Oh good grief! My humble apologies for the terrible spelling in the first post!

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."

Wierd minds huh. I am stuck on some families surviving a nuclear holocast.
I said jokingly in another post short of a space ship with aliens rescueing them.....
Now I am thinking about my brother (who is a UFO nut,) he believes we on earth are ruled by aliens, we are here for experimental purposes. We look to the heavens not to a God but a superior Alien race. Hmmmmm.
Have never attempted sci-fi, and now I am thinking for a longer story, I could have these aliens rescueing only indigenous peoples from all over the world to create another world, on another planet, now that earth is destroyed, and start again.
Consequently I have been wasting a beautiful day outside, researching UFO sites, Mayen Calendar years 2011/2012, and goodness knows what.

You could be right with the lambs age. The guy I helped out was a small time farmer and did say the lambs were too big, mainly because they are harder to handle. He only got me to help because I was newly arrived from Auckland, he thought he was going to make this 'Jafa' suffer, but I was country bought up, although had only seen rubber rings used before. This guy used the hot iron thing to sever them. I had to hold them and was just about sick with the smell of burnt flesh and blood splattered all over me, but I never showed it, passed the test, and earned his respect. :)

Got a plot and Title for Socnoc 2008.
"To Be Or Not To Be: That Is The Question."

Books are Humanity in Print!

That's almost exactly why my FMC ends up helping out! She probably would have earned the 2MMC's (there are 4 MC's) respect, but for the PLOT TWIST! Bwahahaha!

Mayan Aliens? Excellent!

maggenpye -
"He's not my dad, he's just my father - big difference."