That’s how long I’ve been getting up every morning, stretching, sorting out breakfast, and then sitting down to edit.  For someone who’s never held a real job (except part-time stints doing office work and at Target) that’s been weird.

I still don’t do it 40 hours a week because my attention span and posture don’t hold out that long, but I manage 25-30.   I’ve ordered a ridiculously fancy zaisu so I’m not sitting on pillows against a bookcase anymore.  My elbow and wrist would thank me in advance, except they’re too busy screaming at me for my bad posture.  (Things you learn when you actually work!  My wrist is a whiny baby.)

The biggest thing I’m working on right now is creating a more small-town feel in my manuscript.  Apparently to be a cozy you need 5-6 regular recurring characters or an editor won’t even consider it.  I hadn’t really considered how the social dynamics featured in my story, but now I’m having to think about it a lot.

My agent (and how cool is that to say?) also has a list about a mile long of editing mistakes to look out for, from misspellings to punctuation.  Unfortunately for her, the massive list still doesn’t cover the things I know I’m weak on, so even once I’ve cleaned up everything she’s got on there my MS will still have a metric ton of bizarre commas scattered throughout it.

I’ve got to get it done and ready for her by November 11th, so I’m doing two scenes a day.  More if I can make myself, but since that amounts to thousands of words a day, I’m only two scenes ahead.  In fact, I’m avoiding editing right now in favor of doing this.

So far this writing thing is an adjustment, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.