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Packing my bags for CampNaNo, and final edits for Game On

I still can't believe I signed up for CampNaNo - or that it starts tomorrow! But, I'm ready. I know my story, I know where it's going, where it ends, and most of what happens in the middle. All I need to do is get the words on the page without wasting time over-thinking everything. THAT is the biggest challenge with my brain still in edit mode. I'll tell you more about what I'm writing for CampNaNo next time. :D

I literally just finished final edits for Game On around five minutes ago. Yeah, I know I said it was finished before, but then some small but important things were brought to my attention so I had to go back over some of the chapters again. NOW, I'm done, yippee! :D

When I originally wrote the story it was complete at 154,000 words. Now, after cutting endless amounts of useless words, the final word count is ... 85, 851! To me, that is insane! Obviously, I am a brutal editor, but there really was a lot of crap in it such as scenes that didn't progress the story, repetitive conversations, insanely long conversations, and tons of ugly, boring words.

Game On is now polished to the point where I can't polish it anymore. Okay, that's not true. No doubt if I looked at it again, I'd find another 1000 words I could cut, but I'm not going to. Enough is enough.

This was a bit of a dull post - I'm very tired lol - but I plan to be back on form soon so I can let you know (roughly) when Game On will be released, and hopefully, I might even have a cover reveal for you next week!
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Comments

  1. Cherie Reich31 May 2012 at 20:19

    Yay about finishing the edits for GAME ON! Good luck with Camp NaNo!

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  2. Lynn Proctor31 May 2012 at 20:29

    so great you finished!!

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  3. Dana31 May 2012 at 20:54

    Congrats on finishing your edits! I know what a brutal process that can be.

    Have fun at camp! :)

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  4. Alex J. Cavanaugh31 May 2012 at 21:24

    Glad you finished!
    I'm diving into BuMoWriMo tomorrow, so we'll both be busy.

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  5. Jessica Salyer31 May 2012 at 21:29

    Congrats on being done. That must feel great! Good luck on CampNaNo.

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  6. Clare31 May 2012 at 21:50

    Good luck with NaNo. You sound like you've got a lot planned/ organised so I'm sure you'll do well.

    Yay for the final 'final' Game On edits being done. I cannot wait to see the cover.

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  7. Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader31 May 2012 at 21:57

    That is a lot of words to cut. I'm impressed. It takes courage to do so.

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  8. Morgan31 May 2012 at 22:46

    Phew! I loooove getting your update, Kyra! And congrats on Game On! *swoons over McCoy* And I looooove the NaNo stuff... won't be doing June, but I'm always game for November!

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  9. Nick Wilford31 May 2012 at 23:16

    Congrats on finishing the edits! Woot!! :D I'm sure you'll do well at Nano, as no doubt you're bursting to get into something new. Look forward to hearing your progress!

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  10. Dianne K. Salerni1 June 2012 at 00:50

    Yay! Way to wield a scythe on that word count! Good luck at Camp NaNo!

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  11. Jaycee DeLorenzo1 June 2012 at 01:08

    Left you something on my blog! Have fun!

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  12. Kelley Lynn1 June 2012 at 03:39

    Congratulations! I LOVE me some soccer so you can bet I'll be all over this one :)

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  13. Suzi1 June 2012 at 03:51

    Amazing cutting job. You must be proud!

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  14. Cortney Pearson1 June 2012 at 04:23

    Nice work editing! That must be a great feeling!! And have an awesome time NaNo-ing! :D

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  15. Trisha1 June 2012 at 04:42

    Well done Kyra!! This is a fabulous achievement. I know how you feel about cutting that many words. I've been doing similar things with my current revision project - currently down to about 109k, but want to get it down to around 95k. I did the same with its predecessor, cutting down from about 140k to 95k. It feels so good to get rid of all the extraneous crap!

    Not doing Camp NaNo, but BuNoWriMo is basically the same thing, just under a different banner. So I will join you in the June fun-times!

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  16. M.J. Fifield1 June 2012 at 05:41

    I've never gone into NaNo with an ending or a middle in mind. Usually I just start with a character name so it sounds like you're in really good shape.

    Good luck with it... have fun!

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  17. Jennifer Joyce1 June 2012 at 10:46

    Wow - that's a LOT of cutting down. Bet you're glad it's all over now!

    Good luck with NaNo :-)

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  18. Creepy Query Girl1 June 2012 at 12:35

    congratulations on your edits and good luck with camp nano! Enjoy!

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  19. Dani1 June 2012 at 13:15

    Congrats with your story and where you're headed with it! And good luck at CampNaNo!

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  20. jaybird1 June 2012 at 14:05

    Good luck with Camp NaNo and finishing your edits with Game On. I envy your "finished" position. Still procrastinating over here with mine...

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  21. Rachel Schieffelbein1 June 2012 at 14:38

    Congratulations Kyra! That's so exciting!

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  22. Jennie Bennett1 June 2012 at 15:19

    Wow, that is so many words! You are amazing! It's probably best to take a break from revisions to work on your new book anyway. Good lick with camp NaNo! You're a winner already in my book ;)

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  23. Laura S.1 June 2012 at 16:26

    Congrats on finishing, Kyra, and have fun at CampNaNo!!

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  24. Jenny S. Morris1 June 2012 at 16:35

    Yay for finishing edits!!! And so happy that you have your next story all mapped out.

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  25. Carol Kilgore1 June 2012 at 16:40

    Yay for you!!!
    Happy Weekend :)

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  26. Kyra Lennon1 June 2012 at 17:08

    Thanks, everyone!!

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  27. Unknown1 June 2012 at 18:25

    I love how you keep finishing Game On. That sounds very familiar. Have at CampNaNo!

    I nominated you for the One Lovely Blog Award because I think your blog is lovely! You can pick up your award @ Scribles From Jenn

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  28. Christine Rains1 June 2012 at 19:44

    Good luck and have fun with CampNaNo! :) That is some awesome editing. I know it's painful to do, but it says a lot about you as a writer to be able to do it.

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    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:24

      Thanks! I am STILL editing - I think I have issues LOL!

      Delete
  29. Cortney Pearson1 June 2012 at 21:37

    Btw, Kyra, I left you an award on my blog!! :D

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  30. Annalisa Crawford1 June 2012 at 23:21

    I can't get over how much you cut! I've yet to write 80,000 on one project. Congrats on finishing.

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    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:25

      I know, it's insane! Hopefully my writing will be tighter the next time around, and the cuts won't be as dramatic lol!

      Delete
  31. Jemi Fraser2 June 2012 at 00:49

    Good luck with nano! I'm not a plotter, so I think the amount of knowing you have about your story is awesome!!

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    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:26

      Thanks! I'm not usually a plotter, but for NsNo, I decided I better have some idea of what I'm doing lol!

      Delete
  32. Mark Koopmans2 June 2012 at 09:14

    Super Duper Congrats and GAME ON ;)

    Have a fun time at camp... and behave :)~

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  33. Talli Roland2 June 2012 at 15:11

    150k! Wow! I'd say 80k is better for the genre, generally. Well done!

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    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:28

      Yup, I knew 150K was a ridiculous amount, but I never imagined I'd cut so much lol! Thanks, Talli!

      Delete
  34. Elana Johnson3 June 2012 at 03:08

    Great job on the polishing! You're a rock star for cutting that many words. Also, what is CampWriMo? I feel like I should know, but I don't. Good luck with it though!

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    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:29

      Thank you!

      CampNaNo is like NaNoWriMo where you have to write 50,000 words in a month. :D http://campnanowrimo.org/

      Delete
  35. Tara Tyler3 June 2012 at 04:24

    yeah, i thought i was done polishing several times, til i had a cp or two read it...
    high hopes for nano! its been a while since i wrote from scratch, it'll be exciting in august!

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    Replies
    1. Kyra Lennon3 June 2012 at 07:31

      Lol, I saved telling everyone I was finished until after my CPs had looked at it, and now I'm finding new faults myself!

      Argh. NaNo is hard! I am struggling a little already but I think in a few days, when I get more used to it, it may get easier. :D

      Delete
  36. Elizabeth Seckman4 June 2012 at 07:57

    I'm a horrible over-thinker too. I found I write best when I pretend no one will ever read it. Then it's just fun!

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