This would count as “a good week, but …”

The good part is that I finally finished another draft of Brain From Outer Space. As some of you may recall, I started this novel ages ago, turned the first chapter into a short story, and sold it to Big Pulp. The magazine then suggested I do a whole series of related stories, now online as Applied Science (except for the last two—they haven’t gotten around to ’em yet, but I got paid already).
That was a challenge, and a blast, and I’m pleased with the results. The trouble is, the characters changed enough I had to rework a lot of the book (Dr. Claire White, for example, is a close friend to Dani and Steve so all her interactions with them change). Since then I’ve had four or five false starts, realized they were false, and gone back to the beginning. So finishing this one is a landmark.
The “but” is that it still needs mega-work. I was so thrilled at getting close that I didn’t tidy up pieces that carried over from the last draft as much as I should have (and man, is it weird to see elements that have changed so much from last time). And everything still has to be tidied out and sorted, and I only figured Dani’s character arc near the end so that has to be put in. Plus there are bits of the old version that I’d like to work on (like the armada of flying saucers attacking at the end). But despite that, I actually do have a plot that takes me successfully from start to finish, and I haven’t felt like that was true since before I moved up here to Durham.
•I read Affairs of Honor to my writing group and got great feedback. They liked it (though they haven’t read to the end) and their insight gave me several ways to touch it up. But by and large, I’m on the right track.
•I submitted I Think Therefore I Die to a new publisher.
•Started work on an article for Brass. I’ll finish it up next week (it will probably need a rewrite as I’m not firm on their style yet).
•Demand Media articles:
•Should I Put My House Into an Irrevocable Trust?
•What Will My Spouse Get From a Retirement Plan During a Divorce?
•401(k) Safe Harbor Investment Rules
•Tax Deduction for the Points on a Mortgage for a Second Home
•The Consequences After Foreclosures
•How the Authorized Shares Are Determined
•Definition of Cash Earnings Per Share
•Can I Transfer Rollover IRA to Traditional IRA Without Penalty?
•401(k) Vs. ESOP
•Does Paying Insurance Reduce Taxable Income?
•Are Roth IRA Startup Expenses Tax Deductible?
•Ordinary Income Property Vs. Capital Gain Property
•Effect on Credit Report Due to Short Sale of Real Estate
•Can Debt Be Added Into a New Home Loan?
•Collecting Sales Tax in Multiple States
Plus I did enough articles this month to qualify for a bonus.
It’s been a good, satisfying week. I’m ready for a relaxing weekend.