Wednesday, February 21
I haven't posted for a week or so, for very simple reasons. About 140 of 'em.
Basically, my parents took a week's vacation and flew to California. This was a good thing. My parents are in their early fifties and spent the last year going all-out, full-bore, ten-hour workdays seven days a week. The last "day off" they took was the working trip to that conference in Portland back in June. They needed this time.
Thus when I started getting a cold the day before they left, I was at great pains to conceal it from them. I succeeded, and I don't regret it.
The upshot, though, was I ended up feeding 140 cows plus 3 pigs plus 4 Border Collies for the coldest week we've had this year, with a cold, while taking care of the cheese business and keeping up my 750 words a day on the novel. And, yanno, eating and sleeping and such. Blog posts were pretty far down the list.
I couldn't have done it without Dan, who, despite his lack of farm experience and catching my cold, was right there soldiering through the evil wind and ice with me, hauling feedsacks, rolling bale rings, and yelling at the dogs. It was a helluva week.
Kinda fun though. I have not worked with the beasties in some time.
Anyway. The cold is gone now, save for the nasty racking cough it's left as a parting gift. I managed to get my 750 words a day every day except Sunday. Nothing died, and in fact my dad is very pleased with how well we did taking care of the cows.
Back to the routine. Until Monday. When I drive to DC for a week-long internship and have to make up an entirely new routine.
Geez. My life.
Writing Progress:
Today's Yesterday's Progress: 627 words. Yes, again, not quota. I swear I'm making it while you lot aren't looking.
Comments: I is stuck. Aimless writing-related thinking-out-loud follows. Those of you not interested in this writing stuff may want to drift off for a bit.
So way back when I crossed 50K I was all excited about the book, because what I'd wanted to happen at 50K had happened, and it was fun, and stuff was coming together in my head and all was joy and light and song.
This did not last.
What I thought would be 5, maybe 10K of stuff between that landmark and the next has stretched to more like 15. It is all boring. The protag runs around talking to people. And it's necessary, it sets the emotional tone for the next landmark, I can't just jump ahead, but it's long and messy and dull and exhausting and I feel stuck.
Grr.
Basically? The book needs a reshuffle. Most of the Boring Stuff That Must Happen is happening in this huge lump because I introduced the antagonist -- well, one of them -- at 50K, which was the plan. It was just a crappy plan. I think now that I should move him back about, oh, 20K or so, and then spread all this stuff out a bit more and cut like a mofo and then maybe this book's pacing will start to resemble something workable.
After a night's sleep, though, I've come to the conclusion that I should not take the scissors to it right now. Because I've already had similar Horrible Realizations at least three times, and at least two of those fixes have been made obsolete by later realizations about the book. It would be different if I didn't know where I was going -- that's where I've stopped, dropped, and rolled out the ren pen on previous projects, when things had gotten so messy that I could no longer see through the haze. I do know where I'm going. There's scenes coming up that are very clear in my head and that I'm really, really excited about writing. I just have to get to them.
So a lot of what I'm writing will be moved or cut or reshaped beyond recognition. So what? I'll do that later. Right now, I need all this crap on the page so I can feel my way through it. You can't make a roadmap without getting a little lost.
Not if you're me, anyway. *sigh*
Crappy Writing Skill De Jour: Aside from complete inability to move the plot? Lack of words. I hate sitting staring at the screen, feeling what needs to be said but unable to find the words. Stupid words! Don't you know your whole reason for existence is to translate what's inside my head to the outside of it?
Snips: You must be joking.
Basically, my parents took a week's vacation and flew to California. This was a good thing. My parents are in their early fifties and spent the last year going all-out, full-bore, ten-hour workdays seven days a week. The last "day off" they took was the working trip to that conference in Portland back in June. They needed this time.
Thus when I started getting a cold the day before they left, I was at great pains to conceal it from them. I succeeded, and I don't regret it.
The upshot, though, was I ended up feeding 140 cows plus 3 pigs plus 4 Border Collies for the coldest week we've had this year, with a cold, while taking care of the cheese business and keeping up my 750 words a day on the novel. And, yanno, eating and sleeping and such. Blog posts were pretty far down the list.
I couldn't have done it without Dan, who, despite his lack of farm experience and catching my cold, was right there soldiering through the evil wind and ice with me, hauling feedsacks, rolling bale rings, and yelling at the dogs. It was a helluva week.
Kinda fun though. I have not worked with the beasties in some time.
Anyway. The cold is gone now, save for the nasty racking cough it's left as a parting gift. I managed to get my 750 words a day every day except Sunday. Nothing died, and in fact my dad is very pleased with how well we did taking care of the cows.
Back to the routine. Until Monday. When I drive to DC for a week-long internship and have to make up an entirely new routine.
Geez. My life.
Writing Progress:
Comments: I is stuck. Aimless writing-related thinking-out-loud follows. Those of you not interested in this writing stuff may want to drift off for a bit.
So way back when I crossed 50K I was all excited about the book, because what I'd wanted to happen at 50K had happened, and it was fun, and stuff was coming together in my head and all was joy and light and song.
This did not last.
What I thought would be 5, maybe 10K of stuff between that landmark and the next has stretched to more like 15. It is all boring. The protag runs around talking to people. And it's necessary, it sets the emotional tone for the next landmark, I can't just jump ahead, but it's long and messy and dull and exhausting and I feel stuck.
Grr.
Basically? The book needs a reshuffle. Most of the Boring Stuff That Must Happen is happening in this huge lump because I introduced the antagonist -- well, one of them -- at 50K, which was the plan. It was just a crappy plan. I think now that I should move him back about, oh, 20K or so, and then spread all this stuff out a bit more and cut like a mofo and then maybe this book's pacing will start to resemble something workable.
After a night's sleep, though, I've come to the conclusion that I should not take the scissors to it right now. Because I've already had similar Horrible Realizations at least three times, and at least two of those fixes have been made obsolete by later realizations about the book. It would be different if I didn't know where I was going -- that's where I've stopped, dropped, and rolled out the ren pen on previous projects, when things had gotten so messy that I could no longer see through the haze. I do know where I'm going. There's scenes coming up that are very clear in my head and that I'm really, really excited about writing. I just have to get to them.
So a lot of what I'm writing will be moved or cut or reshaped beyond recognition. So what? I'll do that later. Right now, I need all this crap on the page so I can feel my way through it. You can't make a roadmap without getting a little lost.
Not if you're me, anyway. *sigh*
Crappy Writing Skill De Jour: Aside from complete inability to move the plot? Lack of words. I hate sitting staring at the screen, feeling what needs to be said but unable to find the words. Stupid words! Don't you know your whole reason for existence is to translate what's inside my head to the outside of it?
Snips: You must be joking.
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