I have been very bad about blogging as of late, haven't I? I haven't worked as much these last few weeks and work is where I do most of my posting. My daughter has entered this phase where she takes off her diapers if she isn't constantly supervised. I will spare you the gory details, but let's just say I'm glad I have an industrial steam cleaner. As she progresses into the potty trained phase my productivity should skyrocket!
I got a good final critique from my professor. He really liked the final chapter (that took me months to write). Now if I could only make my heroine more likable ( he thinks she's whiny and bitchy)...really how hard is it to rewrite the book and change the main character?? Probably not that terrible. I wrote the first draft of the novel in a year, but the revision took almost two. I have intentionally not worked on the book for 2 reasons: 1) It's already with publishers and if someone buys it I wanted to wait and see what the editor wanted changed. 2) I got to where I hated the book. I wanted to kill all the characters off in one firey crash or explosion. Perhaps a violent storm. Not the best mindset to be in when doing a revision. I'm letting the book sit for awhile, maybe even another semester. Get another round of comments of the last chapters and then go at it one more time. I'm going to use the novel for my thesis, so even if it doesn't sell it will be worth putting in the additional work.
I encountered a minor issue when critiquing a manuscript for a Sisters In Crime group about the use of "blonde vs blond". I'm a stickler for the traditional usage of blonde for females and blond for males--mainly for clarity. Another person commented that Random House Dictionary said blond was acceptable for females. I don't think the comment applied to this manuscript because the author used both forms (some men were blonde and another blond), so it was a lack of consistency that caused confusion. But what about consistent use of blonde or blond for either gender. My first question is : Did Random House say it was acceptable because so many people incorrectly use it that is has become acceptable? Is is some sort of anti-French grammatical backlash? And, even if something is acceptable in main-stream usage, is it okay for writers? If adhereing to grammar rules wasn't important to writers why are there so many style guides? I understand that language is fluid and that we manipulate grammar and syntax for creative purposes, but when does it become laziness? When does the word irregardless become acceptable? Why has normalcy replaced normality? Perhaps I am over-sensitive about grammar rules. I was a biology major. I haven't had a grammar class since the 6th grade, so when I learn a grammar rule I like to use it. It makes me feel more writerly, more professional. When these rules can suddenly be tossed aside I feel cheated. It isn't like I have my firm grasp of comma and semi colon usage to fall back on (as if you couldn't tell).  I need my blond/blonde, Scotch/scotch, who/whom. I've learned them and now I want to dazzle others with my vast grammatical knowledge. It is the same feeling I got when I learned the 4 kingdoms in Biology 101 my freshman year  and then found out in my senior year that they were going to make only 3 kingdoms. Bacteria are animals?? What's next? Talking blonde chimps named George?