There’s a chance we’ll be moving either late this year or early next. Nothing’s decided or settled yet, but at the moment all signs are pointing to a change. These days I find myself taking long hard looks around my library, trying to decide what things I merely like and what things I actually need. There’s usually a disconnect there, when you really do look. Sure, you may like having a complete set of the old Encyclopedia Brittanica, but do you really want to lug it to another state in the back of a car that’s already too small? If taking it means leaving something else, what then?

It’s a little hard to think of it in terms of revision when it’s your life you’re talking about, but the process is pretty much the same–decide what matters. Get rid of what doesn’t. Sure, you may have thought that was a cute scene and it was fun to write, but does it really serve the book/story? If you took it out, would the reader notice? More importantly, would the reader (if they ever found out) appreciate the fact that you didn’t bring the pace to a halt while your characters become pointlessly witty with one another? Do you really need to lug all those words to the next draft where you know you’ll be asking yourself this question again?

As with the clutter of accumulation, personally I find revision empowering, as in “Sure, the story is good. I can make it better.” We can make our workspaces and our lives less cluttered, too. All it takes is to consider what you like, and what actually matters, and knowing the difference.

The book sale continues, probably through April but no guarantees. I am nothing if not capricious. I have, however, added my ebook releases for the Kobo and Nook as well as the Kindle. This doesn’t, of course, include anything released by TOR or Prime. Those are under their publishers’ purview. You do what you can.