Clutter

I lost the map for 'Blue.' I searched high and low, in the house and in the car, but could not find it. The Muse scowled. She spent a lot of time working on that map; she would not let me forget that fact. 

Time to get the office back into some semblance of order. Put the crayons and markers where they belong. Gather up the My Little Pony coloring pages and put them in their cupboard. Pick up the clothes that the little one likes to fling on the floor before she climbs into bed. Good grief. Summer can be hard on a house. *g*

I have a wire four-drawer stand next to my desk. It's got a truckload of stuff in it and, on top, there is more. So much more that I can't open the top drawer of the stand. *g* 

Today, I made it my mission to clean off the top. I'm almost there. I started around 8am and it's now almost 11pm. Of course, I didn't spend all my time on the clean up job. I spent some time hand washing this lovely beaded dress I have. I also de-dished the dishwasher. I picked up the living room floor but left Ponyville under the dining room table. I saved the little one's eraser and pencils from the dogs greedy teeth. My, that dog loves to chew!

When I looked at the stuff on the top of the stand, I found pages and pages of 'Blue' that had been edited. You know, I didn't have a clue as to whether or not I'd made the changes to the MS document. I went through over two hundred pages. Some changes I'd made, some I hadn't. Took a long time. 

I also found two critiques that I'd paid for at conferences. Given as my skin has thickened over the years, I re-read them. They made better sense. I added some stuff and embellished... I did the things I've been talking about over the past year here on this blog. My advise now - don't let your STUFF get out of hand. Keep a tight rein on it. Otherwise, you'll be spending a whole Saturday afternoon looking through it.

I haven't found the map yet. *g* But I have a pretty good clue as to where it is. I also found some pages for Chapter Two of Book Two of 'Blue.' That was a neat discovery. I still have a few more things to go through and then the stand will be topless - less of stuff on top.

I'm almost done withe the TENTH edit of 'Blue.' I'm going to finish up before July - God willing and the creek don't rise. Then, I'll read it aloud. And send it out to agents. I've got two in mind. Two that fit my genre and age.

You know I can't leave you without at least a couple links. *g*
http://goinswriter.com/clutter/  About clutter in your life.
http://grammar.about.com/od/words/tp/clutter_tips.htm  About clutter in your MS.
http://www.makealivingwriting.com/2013/05/24/de-clutter-your-mind-for-productivewriting/  decluttering your mind.

Also, I got folders and made one folder for each book. Not the MS itself - that won't fit - but the things associated with each one. Like the lost map. *g* *g*

Life is clutter.