A Meerkat's Bolthole

First off -- condolences to my friends out there in the heat-baked lands who don't enjoy springtime temps of 90+ (and you wanted me to MOVE out there? Um....no. Thank you. I'll keep my rainy-and-60 Spring, thanks muchly)
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I have a post up @ Bookview Cafe, talking about the joys (not) of dealing with a copy-edit, and when it's okay to admit that you need help...
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On a not-quite-related note, I'm on several publishing-oriented news and job lists. This teaser-link came through one today, and all I could think was "OMG, seriously? No, seriously?"

You’re so Perfect for the Job Why Don’t They Call You Back?
If you have been applying for jobs without not a lot of success you are not alone, most job applicants complain about exactly the same thing. Lot’s of application, lot’s of resumes, no interviews, no callbacks.…

Life Lesson: Anything that makes me feel good about MY proofreading skills? Bad, bad, and also bad. *facepalm*
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On the writing front, I 'only' got 2,000 new words yesterday in Word War but they were fun bits, including possibly the worst interruption of a sexual fantasy ever. *grin* Also put down about 750 words on a new story, and have figured out what it wants to do, which is always nice. Ahead of schedule, even. No work on PoL, though, due to Social Life Interrupting. Today is All About PoL. After Word War, anyway.
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Okay, onward to the Castle-squee.

( First Kitten, now the White Whale... )

This week's contest is still ongoing.Bring out your best (worst) pun on the topic, and win your choice of STAYING DEAD, CURSE THE DARK or BRING IT ON in mass market!

I made a mini-fritatta [pepper, rocket, grana padano, sweet paprika & garlic] for breakfast this morning. Yummmm. It probably won't surprise anyone how silly-happy the act of cooking made me. And then I went and whacked out 2,000 new words of MUSTANG in word war. Yay! But I have to go back over that last bit and do some layering. Word war is great for conversations and descriptions. Not so great for detailed plot-twisting....

This afternoon, the plan is to edit another chapter of PACK OF LIES, figure out the actual plot of the story I have to write, and then try to put the rest of the apartment back to sorts, now that the kitchen is together. For the first time in more than a month, everything will be in the right place! Oh, and then there's the freelance gig that just landed....

Gah. Have been up since 6am, and I still feel a little like the White Queen. It was the White Queen that was halplessly behind and always trying to catch up, right? If I put everything I want to get done for the day on my to-do list, I feel overwhelmed. If I don't put them on the to-do list, they get lost in the daily shuffle. I need to find a work-around for this. Maybe if I get a bunch of things taken care of...? Nah, they regenerate. I know! I'll tattoo a few of the repeating ones on the cats' butts, so when they sit on my manuscript, I'll see them and be reminded! (the cats are Not Impressed with this idea).

Happy Easter to my friends and readers who are observing. I hope the services are uplifting, and the baskets are overflowing...


1. Tech.
I have achieved new netbook! After going hands-on with a lot of models, and comparing price-to-tech, I decided to upgrade to the 10" HP Mini. Her name is Seshat and she is quite lovely. Still light (2.5 pounds) and portable, she also has a much larger screen (up from the 7" of Toke) and more comfortable keyboard, Windows rather than Linux so I don't have to hack the apps I wanted [I'm going for workability here, not geek cred}, a good sound system, and a built-in webcam. All for just a smidge more than I originally paid for Toke. I can't wait to see what $300 will buy consumers in a year or two...

2. Contest
Although the Midnight Cravings contest has closed, you still can enter the "plausibility" contest! and win a copy of one of the first three "Retriever" books in mass market!

3. Social
Had dinner last night at Via Emilia with friends visiting from Los Angeles, and kudos to the manager for not kicking us out (we were a group of 12 and probably sounded like 24). The six bottles of wine we ordered probably soothed his nerves quite a bit. Anyway excellent restaurant at reasonable prices, down on 21st and Park Avenue, and I highly recommend the pastas. They only take cash, though, so be prepared.

4. World Events
Although I've been too busy to do more than glance at the news, I am of an age where the mention of modern pirates brings two words to mind: Achille Lauro. Historical Figures aside, I do not like pirates. I do not find them romantic, or inspiring. I find them reprehensible and worthy of being smacked into a pike-studded wall. And I fear we will see more, not less, as the financial crisis goes on. I almost feel the urge to write about it...but every time I think about starting another short story I am reminded of the others still waiting their turn, for when I get out from under these novel deadlines.

Which leads me to 5. Writing
Unable to make the world take a time-out and straighten up, I dealt with what I can control -- the writing.
I've figured out what was broken in PACK OF LIES and am slowly rebuilding it be better, fast,er, stronger, and longer. On the drive home from Boston on Friday, I started thinking out loud about Vineart 2, much the way I had done previously on that same drive regarding Vineart 1, thinking out Major Points and letting the smaller details rise to the fore, as they often do. My mother sat in the back seat and scribbled down what seemed to be the salient points [I used to have a minicorder for this sort of thing, but it disappeared a few years ago].

Saturday morning, I sat down at my desk and started typing up sort of free-form what I had been vocalizing about the plot. Of course, as often happens, the writing of book 1 has completely changed what I planned to do in book 2 -- so I've been performing terrible genetic experiments, making a hybrid of the original outline and the revised ideas. And -- thank god -- the fire lit in me and I started to get excited about writing this book. Which is good, because that's all I'm going to be doing for six months after I finish PACK OF LIES and MUSTANG.....

Today, I am off to the Park with my outline and Puppy! to see if I can manage both productivity and exercise...

If anyone is interested in the writing process, I've posted on the topic of the month ("Outliner or Pantser?") over at fangs_fur_fey http://community.livejournal.com/fangs_fur_fey/471769.html Lots of good entries on this topic, proving once again that there is No One Write Way.

Also, remember just yesterday when I said that Mustang was all about Chris Isaak? I just realized I've been writing to the Clash this morning. Um.... *is puzzled but amused*

And yes, Catie, I got my wordage, and now I'm off to the Park! [with my draft and red pen in hand, natch]

5 responses on the writing post
11 responses to the cat picspam post
38 responses to the nude celebrity wrestling post.

You guys are so busted.

Me, I got nothing. Plans for the weekend are to hunker down and write, write some more, figure out where to put things in the new kitchen cabinets (slowly, order is restored!) and write some more. Brain is all about the books, right now. Then a brief pause to go up to Boston for the seder, and to congratulate Eldest Nephew on his choice of Pitt (Syracuse was the second-runner).

Amusingly enough, for the first time in my entire life I actually have a kitchen that's truly kosher for Passover. Mmmmm, matzo. Mmmm, matzobrei. I need a working stove so I can make matzobrei! (savory, not sweet. How about you?)

Writing. Right. Gone.


*poof*

I have an entire month to redo the rough draft of Pack of Lies.
check.
I have three months to write Mustang.
check.
I have two months in which to come up with the outline for Bonnie #3
check
I have seven months until Vineart #2 is due.

Seven months?


wheeeeee........

As usual, this is a Fool-Free Zone*. For today, anyway. You may return to your usual foolishness tomorrow.

Despite the chaos of flooring and cabinetry and oops sorta forgetting to eat an actual meal until 5pm, I managed to haul another 1500 new words down on Pack of Lies, and am through to the penultimate chapter. As seems to be forever the case, the closer I get to the ending, the more I understand what I needed to do in the beginning, so before I write the final chapter I will be going back and starting the rewrite.

Yep, I rewrite without knowing exactly how the last chapter will go. I know most of it, of course. But the actual laying down of words? Doesn't get done in the first draft. Y'see, if I write that final chapter? The book's done. I'm ready to go on to the next project. If I don't tell myself how it all turns out for real-and-final, though? I can keep working at it.

Yeah, I know. My brain is weird. But you work with what you're assigned. And this particular weirdness works for me. That's the damned truth of this business: you have to go with what works for you, and toss everything else. There is no One Write Way.

Nick tossed me a glazed doughnut, and I caught it with one hand. Nifty held up six fingers, rating my catch. I gave him one in return.

Today, the cabinets are to be installed. The cats are already in hiding. If all goes well, tomorrow the crew will be off cutting and prepping the countertops, and I will be able to start putting some things away. Yay! (no working stove or sink for a while yet, but it will Look Like A Kitchen!)


( Meanwhile, an update to the Troll Situation discussed earlier: )



*I have nothing against April Fools' jokes, but there should also be a place where you can relax and not have to second-guess anything. Today, this LJ is such a place.**

** and no, this is not a multi-year lead in to a significant April Fool's. Believe me, I'm really not that ambitious. Or organized. Or ...am I?***
*** however, I did help perpetuate a prank indirectly... http://www.slowtravtours.com/index.htm You may recognize some of the photos...

Headache is staying a real but distant threat, and my muse came back from wherever he's been hiding and helped me figure out a twist the book needed. Another 1700 words today, yay. Oh, and Madame Agent loves crack story idea! But since it is option material, must wait until this book is done and handed in. *hates waiting* Tonight, I get to work on Mustang, finally. *rubs hands together* I am aiming for so over the top I'll need oxygen on this one, folks. :-D

On the renovation front, the flooring not finished yet, but what's done looks pretty. I begin to see maybe-light at maybe-end of renovations tunnel. Hope so. Feeling very cramped in my office right now. Grrr. On the plus side, my worries about all the colors and patterns not coming together are being soothed. This may work, after all.


And meanwhile....( a brief rant on on-line manners, not directed at any of the regulars here )

I just had a cracktastic idea for a book that literally made me hop up and down and say 'yes, oh yes!" in glee.

Now to run it past Madame Agent, and see if it's the good crack, or the bad crack.


Oh, how I hope it's good crack... (more to the point, I hope it's saleable crack...)

Sharon is Major Houlihan.

It all makes sense now.

Does that make Bonnie Hawkeye?

No... Honnicut.

Danny's Trapper.

Pietr is Fr. Mulcahey.

Nick is Hawkeye? Oh dear.

Nifty is Klinger. And Colonel Potter. And a little bit of Charles Winchester. Which is so wrong on so many levels...

I need to stop watching M*A*S*H reruns before I go to sleep.


(I suppose it could be worse: I could have fixated on the Muppets)