Monday, January 2, 2012

How Revising is Like a Dyson

I got this new vacuum for Christmas.  And before you ask, no my husband did not buy it for me.  I bought it for myself.  He made the mistake of buying me a cleaning apparatus for me once. Suffice it to say, he will NEVER do that again.

 I crack open the box, assemble it (which for those of you who have one -- am I supposed to have spare parts?) and I start cleaning. Enthralled doesn't even begin to explain my reaction.  The fact that I can actually see the dirt in the canister is like instant gratification to me.  I empty it and start again.  That was on Christmas.  I have vacuumed my house literally three times a day, every day since then -- still enthralled, still amazed at the physical reminder of my accomplishment. (aka dirt in the canister)

My husband makes some snide comment about how I should "put that much enthusiasm and effort into everything I do."  I tell him he's a genius. He scowls, probably unsure of why he got a kiss instead of  a tongue lashing worthy of an R rating.  But he is right, the physical evidence of my progress is what I am obsessed with.  It is like a drug. 

So I run to my computer and hit the print button on the WIP I have been revising, re-revising, stalling on submitting for what . . . like three weeks now.  I am a constant reviser, always trying to make my WIP's better, the characters stronger.  But I always do it electronically.  Track changes are my best friend.  I read aloud, re-arrange scenes, grammar sweep, but all on my computer.  And although I know the exact word count of my WIP, the chapter layout, and the rise and fall of events, it is hard to visualize your revision progress without something to look at.

So now I have a freshly printed copy of my manuscript divided into two piles -- pages completed and those I  have yet to get to.  I can see the progress, watch the completed pile increase by ten, twenty, fifty pages a day until boom -- I am done.  Not a page overlooked, not a comma misplaced. 

So thank you Dyson, for getting my rugs clean and my revising back on track.



Posted by at

20 comments:

  1. Becky WallaceJanuary 2, 2012 at 11:52 AM

    I have never printed a manuscript. Ever. I have a feeling that maybe I should.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Michael Offutt, Phantom ReaderJanuary 2, 2012 at 12:12 PM

    Dyson is an incredible machine. I own one and they are hands down superior to other vacuums that I have owned.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TheresaJanuary 2, 2012 at 1:01 PM

    Maybe I should get a Dyson. lol. As for printing out your WIP, it is amazing how different a perspective you can get just by looking at it on paper and not a screen. I always write, rewrite on the computer then print it out for one last edit and attack it with a red pen.

    Good luck with the revisions!

    ReplyDelete
  4. mshatchJanuary 2, 2012 at 3:19 PM

    well , I didn't get a Dyson but I did get a new vacc for Christmas and oh boy isn't it fun to clean with something that sucks like it's supposed to :)

    I'm working on something new so right now I'm tracking my daily word track. And yes, it is necessary track progress, however we do it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Miranda HardyJanuary 2, 2012 at 4:54 PM

    I need to get a Dyson. lol

    ReplyDelete
  6. prerna pickettJanuary 2, 2012 at 6:44 PM

    I am so a constant reviser! It's a disease, I tell you!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The WriterJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:00 PM

    I always print a copy. Makes my life easier...and so would a lovely Dyson! : )

    ReplyDelete
  8. Carrie ButlerJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:16 PM

    Oh, I so thought you were going to go with the obvious: "How is revising like a Dyson? It SUCKS!" *grins*

    Very nice! I'm glad the print method is working out for you. Onward! :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sarah TokeleyJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:39 PM

    One of the many wonderful things that my beloved brought with him when he moved in was a Dyson. I was shocked at how excited I was ;-)

    I'm also amazed by what I find on a printed page that I've missed on the screen.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Lindsay N. CurrieJanuary 2, 2012 at 7:39 PM

    Excellent. Glad to hear your dirt-sucking machine got you back on track. I was getting ready to use an airhorn on you through skype LOL:)

    ReplyDelete
  11. UnknownJanuary 3, 2012 at 4:12 AM

    Prerna -- disease, drug, six of one, half-dozen of another but I agree, it is a compulsion.

    Lindsay -- airhorn? Bite me :) And I mean that with all the love and affection I can muster at five am.

    Carrie-- well, yes it does also suck.

    Becky- surprised you have never printed your ms. So when you read it aloud, you do if from your laptop?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Kristen WixtedJanuary 3, 2012 at 6:44 AM

    I have an Oreck. I am stingy with paper but maybe I should get over it.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Becky WallaceJanuary 3, 2012 at 7:51 AM

    Yep. I huddle up somewhere and talk to myself. Drives my husband nuts. Good thing he isn't around all that often to suffer through it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Gwen GardnerJanuary 3, 2012 at 11:39 AM

    A Dyson sounds awesome! I printed my MS and went through the whole thing, made notes and corrections - and then revised the whole MS from 3rd person to 1st person. I should probably print it again. Glad it worked for you!

    ReplyDelete
  15. R. J. RopsenJanuary 3, 2012 at 5:59 PM

    I am so glad you started revising your work. I was having the same problem but just recently started editing again. Best of luck with your work in progress!

    ReplyDelete
  16. UnknownJanuary 4, 2012 at 11:49 AM

    Hmm- I never understood why people got mad when their hubbies got them tools for Christmas-- one year I actually asked him for a new vaccuum (mine didn't suck any more!)

    I have printed out my MS's in the past, thinking they were done, only to cross out entire pages. Not wanting to waste the ink and paper, I have been waiting to do it again until I was closer to the end. You know how I like to revise ;)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ainsley ShayJanuary 5, 2012 at 10:23 AM

    I too recently printed out my manuscript - it's been a little overwhelming to go over, but very exciting at the same time..whenever i look at the stack of pages, i keep asking myself - "all that came out of me?" and that in itself is a good feeling.

    ...and there's nothing like a new vacuum. - glad yours did more than just get your floors clean.

    ReplyDelete
  18. JamieJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:13 AM

    I also have a Dyson and love when the canister fills, yet at the same time it freaks me out how dirty the floor was. That's another comment though for another day. :) I print a copy every couple of months and go through it with highlighters and sticky tabs, then back to the computer. Seeing it in print makes it more real for me. I also feel more accomplished seeing that many words on paper. I'm glad it's working for you. Keep me updated. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. LauriJanuary 22, 2012 at 9:21 AM

    Thanks for sharing this, I can so relate! And good for you on revising! Me too. I've started to snip off the corners of the pages I've done. It's that visual clue of look how much I've done.

    ReplyDelete
  20. aisyahputrisetiawanMarch 21, 2016 at 1:40 AM

    I say many thanks to the father of the website admin I read this, because at this website I know a lot of information information that I did not know before his

    Cara Menghilangkan Kelenjar Tiroid
    Obat Benjolan Di Pantat
    Obat Alami Benjolan Di Selangkangan
    Cara Menghilangkan Sakit Tulang Punggung
    Obat Urine Berwarna Coklat
    Obat Untuk Mencegah Stroke Kronis
    Agen Ace Maxs Kuningan
    Obat Benjolan Di Selangkangan
    Obat Benjolan Di Belakang Telinga
    Cara Menghilangkan Infeksi Rongga Mulut

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)