Tuesday 6 January 2009

Cryptic Clues

I want to thank myself. You know that part in the first draft when you're stuck and because you don't want to disrupt the flow of the story you leave yourself a note so that you can fix it later - I just hit that part in Theatre. It confused me at first as all I'd written was:

(old man?????)

And there are two old men in the chapter. God bless NaNoWriMo. I wonder how many more notes I left for myself. I'm almost a third of the way through and trying not to rush the process. I mean, the synopsis can wait. Gulp. I have an idea where I want to send it when I'm done, but I don't know if I'm brave enough.

12 comments:

Mary said...

Perhaps you thought of including a third...?

And... go for it. Be brave! :)

Cate Gardner said...

I figured it out - eventually. I'd forgotten to include one of them (he only has a bit part).

Anonymous said...

I do this all the time, only with Post Its. I can't use Track Changes because I find myself getting confused easier.

Fox Lee said...

Send it where you want, it's the only way you'll know!

Jamie Eyberg said...

I am just confused all the time. My wife used to find it endearing but now it just annoys her.

Aaron Polson said...

Be brave, so brave. This world is already choked with cowards.

Kimbra Kasch said...

I'll hold your "cyber" hand if it helps :)

The worst that can happen is a "no" - you can handle a "no". It's the "yes" I'd worry about, can you handle a "yes"? If you can, send it.

Jeremy D Brooks said...

In the immortal words of W. Shakespeare, "'tis better to have loved and lost, than sent your story off to an FTL market and been pissed at yourself because you knew it was better than that."

Can't remember what play that was.

K.C. Shaw said...

I can't leave myself cryptic notes. I'm too much of a control freak. The most I do is write myself directives--"no steps," for instance, meaning I put steps in a description and it turns out there shouldn't be any steps, and it will HAUNT ME until I do actually go in and take the steps out of the description.

Hey, aim for the top when it's done! Otherwise you'll always wonder what would have happened.

Cate Gardner said...

Barry - I use post its, track changes, handwritten scribbles - you name it. I confuse myself even when I'm still working on the draft.

Natalie - It's more I'm afraid I'll have pestered one too many times.

Jamie - LOL!

Aaron - And I am one of them :0

Kim - that is a very good question, and one I did ponder on for a while last year.

Jeremy - I thought that quote was Shakespeare too, but I've just googled it and it's Tennyson. Weird. Scratching my head in confusion.

KC - They're not cryptic at the time. Only after the fact :)

BT said...

Send away. If you submit a good enough query and samples each time, any agent will continue to keep an eye on you.

You have a track record of gaining interest so they know you're on the right track.

Inkpot said...

I do that as well. I leave notes and then when I come back to them I can't figure out what on earth I meant. In those cases I wish I had a time phone so I could call myself up and say 'what were you thinking!?' :) Good luck with finishing your edit and sending it off.