Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Frickety Frak

I had great intentions of getting lots of work done.  An all day layover.  Sore feet (a new problem) keeping me in my hotel room with nothing to do but work on Skully the Pirate.  I'm putting the finishing touches on the re-write, having composed a new ending.  Now I'm just going through the manuscript to make sure everything meshes.  When I'm at home, I write on the iMac, but on the road I take my laptop.  So, last night, I loaded up the jump drive with the latest revision and set it on the counter next to things like my wallet, sunglasses, keys, etc.  Then, I moved my wallet, sunglasses, keys, etc. near the front door, as is my routine for any pre-sunrise departure.  When I got to the hotel, I discovered the jump drive, with the latest revision, was still on the kitchen counter.

Now what the frak did I have to do all day.

That's when I realized I had other stories on my laptop.  So I wrote 1198 words for Sister Very Pretty, my attempt at a romantic comedy about a guy who falls in love with a nun.  I feel a bit lazy, stopping short of 1200, but still not bad for a story I'd given almost no thought to in 2010.

I really hope to get Skully ready for submission soon.  I've always used people I know before as beta readers, but I've made some new blog friends in the last year, so I'm considering seeking beta readers online.  Has anyone ever done this?  How'd it go?

8 comments:

Bossy Betty said...

Love the name "Sister Very Pretty"!

No advice on the beta readers. Sorry.

Tina Lynn said...

I've had nothing but good experiences using betas I met online. Of course, I felt like I knew them pretty well, so...

Amy Saia said...

Betas can be very helpful, but remember that it's all just a suggestion to help you, not a command.

A good Beta reader can change your book and make it sparkle! And all the time they devote is priceless.

Good luck in the quest.

Bossy Betty said...

Hi Matt! Sorry to write back to you in a comment, but I couldn't find your e-mail address! I am back as a follower. I was cleaning up my site a little and noticed that while I followed you and left comments, you didn't follow me and (maybe I missed it) you didn't come to see me.

I started to feel like the kid at the lunch table who perhaps annoyed you. Is there a reason you don't follow Betty? Am I just missing you on my list?

Anyway, I am back, so please steal from airline snacks for me and send them my way.

--BB

Green Monkey said...

Betty - I'm not following you, honest.

I'm stalking writers - looking for constant motivation. especially interesting to me is people that say they finished their book.

my inner voice..."hey, if this pilot can do it you can do it. he spends his days with his head in the clouds... do it shannon, do it..."

anyway...back to you and your blog :)

no I don't know of beta readers but I do applaud your efforts and tell me if the nun drops her habit

best, monkeyME

MC Howe said...

Thanks for stopping by Green Monkey. And believe me, most days my head isn't in the clouds. Its stuck somewhere else...

Kathy said...

Glad you worked on something else.

I've had betas from AW. One or two actually read the whole thing and commented. Some said they would read the manuscript then never got back to me.

Melissa Hurst said...

HaHa...I love it when someone uses the word frak! My hubs always laughs at me when I use it.

I've never asked for betas from online friends before, but one of my cp's has and she hasn't had any trouble. I'm probably going to do the same when I'm finished with my MS.