RIP GG

Well. I guess you guys are into the whole pet peeves thing. Unless I already wrote about that recently (which I kind of swear I did but am too lazy to go back and look), in which case one of your pet peeves is probably when I post about pet peeves.

Today at work we are starting the ISATS testing, which are standardized state tests that last all week. For some reason I get a little anxious, I guess because I have to sit with the kids in quiet rooms for three hours each for four days. Brings me back to my whole panic attack classroom scenario. The good thing about ISATS is it gives me the opportunity to work on my books. Last year at this time I started the first few chapters of my new book during ISATS, and here we are a year later and I just got my manuscript back from my editor. It’s the same book I started last year, and now I’m into the big, mega, life-changing edits. The writing process seems to go like this (this is only my second novel, so perhaps it will be different or surprising): I hand write the first draft, then type it, then revise the typed version. I send it to my editor. Then she goes through it and writes all over it and comes up with a million thoughts and suggestions that can be really small (perhaps a different word here?) or huge (Add more details about their friendship throughout the beginning or else no one will get why they were friends in the first place). The huge ones are harder because they don’t have a specific “place” in which to put the new details, so I have to find a good place (or places) and then write the new parts, hoping they mesh well with the rest of the parts (did that make sense?). This first big edit should take me a while, and I have never had to do one during a school year. I suppose if I really had a hard time, my publisher would just wait until I could finish. But I would love it [btw- title is still not yet determined. Would like to continue fighting for “Roll for Initiative,” but we’ll see] to come out on schedule in Fall of 2009 because Get Well Soon paperback (I hope- not official yet) would come out Spring of 2009 and Get Well Soon audiobook would come out Fall 2008, so it would be like having things out every season! How cool! I’ll keep you posted on its progress.

I would like to mention the passing of Gary Gygax, one of the creators of Dungeons and Dragons. D&D has really been such a blessing to me and my students. My job wouldn’t be the same without it. Tomorrow during Dungeons and Dragons Club I have decided the students each get to make a toast to Gary. With juice boxes.