For those of you who haven't been there, they're these gigantic pits of sticky mud where all these prehistoric mammals got stuck, perished, and now people have excavated the bones. The prehistoric skeletons are on display at the museum and it's incredible. I thought the NYC Natural History museum's dinosaur wing was impressive but the La Brea Tar Pits definitely win when it comes sheer volume of prehistoric treasure.
And what blows my mind is this: who would've thought that a pit full of sticky mud would yield so many incredible treasures?
But it did.
Which brings me to the point of this post. Right now I'm in the middle of editing and my manuscript is about ten notches lower than a pit of sticky mud. Seriously. It makes the La Brea Tar Pits look like a shiny swimming pool. And there are moments when I start to wonder, is it possible that there's anything of value hidden under all this muck?
That's when I try to remember the tar pits. The hundreds of wolf skulls. After all, if scientists could pull out all that treasure from a pit of sticky mud, surely I can find one tiny redeemable thing in my mess of a manuscript. And thinking that makes me feel better.
Where will you find treasure today?
Speaking of finding treasures, it's about time I announce the winner of the most recent contest and share some treasure! Turns out I didn't make it to 200 so I'll be drawing one winner. But stay tuned: there will be more contests to come in the future.
And the winner of the Road to 200 Contest is...
Catherine Lavoie
Catherine, please send me an email: iggingabi[at]gmail[dot]com to claim your prize! Can't wait to read your pages.
I'd also like to say a special thank you to everyone who entered the contest. You guys are the best!
6 comments:
Nice metaphor for the writing process! It's a sticky, murky business for sure. And like a tar pit, sometimes it's easier to dig up the treasure after it has sat and cooled awhile.
Just hopefully not quite THAT long. :)
Best wishes for finding your treasure in the tar--it's sure to be in there, with some careful yet thorough digging!
wow! I want to go there! I love all that kind of stuff XD
and yeah, the analogy was good. it's easy to get stuck in the mud when editing lol
I believe my novels go through a similar tar pit experience. And I am constantly searching for more treasure in them as I revise and revise and revise....
Thanks so much Gabi! :) I will be sending you my pages soon!
I hope I get to visit the tar pits one day! Sounds fantastic. For now I can wallow in my own tar pit of a manuscript, hehe. Congrats to Catherine!
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