Back in November, I printed my 300+ page manuscript for my revision course. Wanting to avoid killing too many trees, I printed it single spaced, double-sided, two pages per side. Actually using these printed pages has been tedious experience.
First, the small font challenges my already bi-focal-using eyes.
Second, any notes that I write, of which I've only added a few, eat up the little margin space that I have. (Looking ahead at future lessons for this course, I'll be writing lots of story revision on the manuscript. So I'll have to figure something out with extra pages tacked on to the original manuscript.)
But the worst is putting the pages in the correct order after reading them. I often have to ask myself if I read the other side or not. So I check to make sure, but then sometimes put the sheet in the read-pile with the wrong side face-down. Next time I read those pages, I have a minor anxiety attack as I wonder what happened to the lost scene or action. Then, I realize that it's all hiding on the other side of the paper and let out a sigh of relief.
So after using this manuscript since the end of November and not creating a fool-proof system that doesn't require another printout, I've finally found a solution to this annoying last issue.
I recently purchased loose-leaf book rings for my large stack of index cards. While I was writing on worksheets last night and moving back and forth through the manuscript and index cards, I thought it would be nice to be able to turn pages in the manuscript like I can with the ringed, index cards.
DUH! Of course I can.
I immediately put one of those rings on the manuscript, after hole punching the stack of paper, and smiled at the ease of turning those pages. While those extra holes lost me some valuable writing space, it was totally worth it.
Just wish this Duh moment had happened back in December. ;-)
