I have been hacking away at the chapter on birds & dinosaurs for the last few days, but it is still overgrown with tangles of excess material. It stings to cut out some of the great quotes and concepts I stumbled upon during the course of my research, but 41 pages is about 15 too many for the chapter I have in mind.
The task at hand right now is one of editing. I need to inject a little more information about some of the arguments I employ, but my main task is to chuck out as much material as I possibly can without watering down what I am trying to describe. A lot of the excess material has to do with history, primarily the changing ideas about bird origins from the late 19th century until today, but there is so much information the topic probably deserves a book all to itself. (The same could be said about nearly every chapter I am writing.) I have to pick and choose carefully.
It will take some more time to make the necessary adjustments, but I want to have this chapter in good shape by the end of next week. Then it will be on to the big challenge, the chapter on human evolution, and I am giving myself a deadline so I don't struggle with it indefinitely. I want to have my book proposal in order seven weeks from Monday (the 13th), which means I will have to finish up the dinosaur chapter, complete/revamp/edit the human evolution chapter, and go over all three chapters that will be included in the proposal again by the 24th of November.
As I bring some of the key chapters nearer to completion, I am both happy and anxious. I am glad that, at this point, the book is no longer just an idea in my head and that I have something to show for my efforts. Simultaneously, I don't know if it's any good, and some days I have my doubts that it will ever make it onto shelves. I have to keep trying, though, and even if no one ever winds up reading it I am committed to finishing what I started.
Here is the latest Wordle for the dinosaurs/birds chapter;
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For previous posts dealing with this project, see the "Books" and "Great Book Project" archives.
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That's a cute kitten. Was it tasty? :D