four down. three to go.

September 26, 2006

I have just turned in HOUSE OF CARDS. That’s the fourth manuscript I’ve turned in this year. I have one more to go, and one more revision (I’ve done two this year).

You see that icon there? With the kitty cat with its face all mashed into the floor and its arms all spread out? That is me. That is so totally me.

I just need to pull another 50K on THE QUEEN’S BASTARD out of my … mind.

I swear to freaking god, I am taking six weeks off when the COYOTE revisions are done. I will hire a cabana boy and he will feed me grapes and rub my feet and … no, screw that. I can feed myself grapes and Ted can rub my feet. The cabana boy can clean my house.

Four down. Three to go. But only one more this year.

*splat*

24 thoughts on “four down. three to go.”

  1. You are … MAD.

    I am not joking. Five manuscripts in one year?!?!?

    I’m working on my second. It’s a bad year, I have on occasion managed three … but IMO, anything more than two is definitely overdoing it. Yeesh.

  3. OMG, he pulled out the blink tag and the big font. *laughs out loud*

    It’s been an insane year. In my defense (sort of), the first manuscript was turned in in early January, so the work was done in 2005, and the second manuscript was about 2/3rds done coming into 2006, and the 5th one was about a third done. So I’m not writing five entire books from scratch this year. Just two. Or three, if you put all the parts together…

    …ok, look, I’m not disputing the madness. The good news is three books fell out of my schedule due to the line being cancelled, so I don’t have to do this again next year. O.O

  4. I guess I am insane. I have 6 books scheduled for the next 12 months. Heh, of course my goal is to learn with each one, not prepare and submit/sell them, at this time.

    I so love that icon..omg it it soooo cute.

  6. Okay, that’s a bit more reasonable.

    Even so …

    I’m about two weeks from finishing book #2 of the year (in first draft, at least) and the goal is to get both books in and accepted as final before December 31st. And if I do that, I will just have kept up with a schedule I signed onto when I was younger and sillier (and in better health) … and still have another three to go, under contract.

    Sigh. It doesn’t get easier, does it?

    At least when you get through this backlog you won’t have to worry about editors mistaking you for some newbie who can’t handle the workload …!

  7. It’s a bit more reasonable, but it loses the impact of saying “FIVE MANUSCRIPTS IN A YEAR”, which is sort of fun to do. Makes me feel like Jack the Giant-Killer. Seven at one blow! :)

    It does not seem to get easier, but at least I’ve learned not to do this *particular* trick to myself again. Younger and sillier indeed, although I wasn’t much younger when I decided this madness was a good idea. :)

    *laugh* Yeah. I should have a fairly solid relationship with my editors at that point, I hope. (I think I already do, but, y’know, delivering the goods always helps.) Also, the end result of this backlog is going to be a pretty nice chunk of shelf-space devoted to my name by the end of 2009–I’ll have eight, maybe 9 novels out by then under C.E. Murphy–which is pretty good for a kid who hit the shelves in mid-2005.

    Man. It is. It’s madness. But it’s the best job I’ve ever had. :)

  8. Listen, if you ever change your mind about this, I will come over and feed you grapes and rub your feet; these are things I’m good at. Experience tells. The cleaning house, not so much. Damn that loose-tongued experience! But still – and however much you try to make it sound more normal – that is an exceptional achievement, and we applaud it.

    *applauds*

    (*still promises foot-rubs, as and when*)

  9. That’s my goal, too: by 2009, I intend to have 14 novels (plus a short story collection or two) out under my own name, and with the exception of short story collection #1, the first of ’em only came out in mid-2003.

    On the other hand, I’ll be needing to slow down by then. I’ll be hitting 45 and not in brilliant health (unless something changes between now and then) and I’m sure my editors would rather see a book a year for 30 years than two books a year for five, then an obituary.

  10. Surely you’ve met Lionel Fanthorpe?

    (For some reason, we keep inviting him to the Discworld conventions. But he does good guest.)

  11. Yay, Kit! Go you! Conga-rats on getting HoC done!!!!!

    I think we should all pitch in and get you the cabana boy. Or does The Maids have an Irish office? :D

  12. We would *all* rather see a book a year for thirty years than etc. :)

    I think my goal, post this madness, is probably going to be 2 books a year, at least for a while. 3 gets to be a hell of a lot (and 3 plus revisions on 2 or 3 is not a game I want to play again). Oi.

  14. Well done on HOUSE OF CARDS!!!! Mash your face into the carpet for a bit by all means. It is well earned!

  15. *laughs* Hey, if you’re volunteering the grape-feeding and the foot-rubbing, maybe I can still afford to hire a cabana boy to clean the house. :)

    *takes a bow* Thanks. :)

  20. You know, I’m sure Ben’s available. He’s spent two summers as a cabana boy now. Though he’s not very good at cleaning, so … maybe not.

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