[writing|cancer] Kalimpura revisions underway, other updates

Yesterday, despite a bit of lingering chemotherapy fog in the lowlands of my backbrain, I got through about 100 pages of Kalimpura revisions in the course of two hours. The fog finally got to me, along with the usual ongoing lower GI disturbances post-infusion.

This is the reading pass from my editorial notes per casacorona and la agente. There’s some deeper revisions needed in the midsection of the book, requiring at least another pass after this one, which is why I think it will take me into the end of next week to get through these revisions. Possibly a bit longer if I am ambushed by more chemo fatigue, or high-demand parenting moments, etc.

Still, it’s good to be back in Green’s head. She’s quite the ferocious young woman. And the reception to this book among my earliest readers has been good so far. I am pleased.

Once I’ve wrapped this revision, I have several smaller tasks to deal with, including participating in two podcasts, revising a requested short fiction draft, completing a much-delayed email interview, and, um, some other stuff. Then, depending on available brain power, I may stir the Sunspin pot some more, also assuming feedback from la agente has arrived in the mean time.

All of this, of course, preparatory to my likely shutdown of writing. When I was on a similar six-month course of chemotherapy in 2010, that occurred around session 8 of 12. I just passed 6 of 12, so I figure I’ve got about four more good weeks in me, interrupted for 4-5 days by the forthcoming session 7.

I truly do hate to see the time slip away from me. Still, this is my life, measured out not in coffee spoons but chemotherapy doses. Write to live, live to write.

At least I have Green to keep me company.

Originally published at jlake.com. You can comment here or there.