THE DAY
Feeling as if my brain is slowly coming back. Woke this morning for the first time in several days with a headache that only ate at the margins. One thing about migraines, though: You always know they’re ready to pounce at any second and the slightest provocation. Not enough sleep, too much caffeine, too much stress, hormones . . . you name it. I have a friend who’s got bad migraines, too, and how she keeps on is a miracle. Though I’ve certainly done that, too. You just . . . do. There are lots of days when you don’t have the luxury of lying down in a dark room. I also find that kind of stressful in its own right because I’m always thinking of all the things I ought to be doing.
Anyway, busy rearranging things today in the story. You know, I’d written these big chunks a certain way and I just didn’t like them. Too much info-dumping, not enough showing. One huge section was a well, you know, Bob and so I killed it. Figuring out how to get the same information across by showing is harder and frequently means not only rewriting but introducing new characters (or fleshing out a secondary character you’d not given much thought to).
The day was also a tad truncated because I met up with someone to gather information and so had to bug out earlier than I normally would. The meeting was relatively fruitful. I find that I’m doing a lot of what I would’ve done in my office: letting people tell their stories but trying to guide them instead of letting them get derailed on tangents. OTOH, this is one of the side-effects of a long life: lots of experiences. I’m only grateful that people seem eager to share.
The other thing: You may spend a few hours and come away with only one or two usable pieces of information. But that’s okay because they’re frequently tidbits and details you can’t find in a book and only discover by having lived.
WRITING OUT LOUD
Dark Side of the Moon
Day 1: 4326 Day 11: 2500 Day 21: 1800 Day 31: 745
Day 2: 2085 Day 12: 500 Day 22: 0 Day 32: 0
Day 3: 3011 Day 13: 1000 Day 23: 2700 Day 33: 4000
Day 4: 2652. Day 14: 3700 Day 24: 3500 Day 34: 2800
Day 5: 3210 Day 15: 5630 Day 25: 1500 Day 35: 4500
Day 6: 3450 Day 16: 1060 Day 26: 0 Day 36: 4800
Day 7: 0 Day 17: 130 Day 27: 0 Day 37: 0
Day 8: 2756 Day 18: 0 Day 28: 380 Day 38: 450
Day 9: 4580 Day 19: 3000 Day 29: 390 Day 39: 1000
Day 10: 2670 Day 20: 2600 Day 30: 380 Day 40: 2500
Day 41: 2600 Day 51: 1000 Day 63: 4800 Day 73: 1500 (edit)
*Day 42: 830 Day 52: 1600 Day 64: 3300 Day 74: 250 (sick)
Day 43: 3600 Day 53: 2600 Day 65: 2500 Day 75: 3000 (edit)
Day 44: 5000 Day 54: 3600 Day 66: 1200 (edit) Day 76: 2500 (edit)
Day 45: 2600 Day 55: 3200 Day 67: 1000 (edit)
Day 46: 3000 Day 56: 4000 Day 68: 3000 (edit)
Day 47: 2800 Day 57: 1200 Day 69: 1000 (edit)
Day 48: 2500 Day 58-60: 0 Day 70: 1000 (edit)
Day 49: 1000 Day 61: 3500 Day 71: 1500 (edit)
Day 50: 4600 Day 62: 3000 Day 72: 2500 (edit)
Blog Post: 930
***
What I’m Watching:
Another episode of The Chosen, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll watch. I can feel myself losing patience. Believe it or not, at the moment, I’m keeping an eye on the Westminster. It’s kind of cute; I see about eighty dogs I’d like to take home. If only I could get the husband to agree to a dog. Just kills me that as long as we’re married, he’ll never agree.
Oh, dang…they didn’t pick the husky in working dogs. OTOH, they did choose the black lab from an earlier group. The Samoyed, Bogey, is also a beauty. But I do love shepherds. Heck, I just like big dogs.
***
What I’m Reading:
A little bit of Pet Sematary last night but also time spent reading a few nonfiction articles. Sleep is both pleasant but a waste of time.
***
What I’m Listening to:
<warning: rant follows>
Listened to half of Episode 5 of Serial. I’m bored, frankly. There is really nothing new that this woman is telling me–and anyone who’s been in the military or paying attention for the last ten years probably feels the same. The whole season this year makes me wonder where these putative reporters have been for the duration of our involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like…have they been reading or listening to anyone at all? I can’t shake the sense that this (only somewhat) irrational feeling that this woman’s relative disingenuousness is somehow symptomatic of the divide in a country where only a few serve and everyone else is happy for them to do so.
<end of rant>
Trying out a new book since the husband appropriated Rocket Boys (which I thought I might try to get through). Anyway, started Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets. I will be honest: women’s fiction doesn’t really do much for me. I chose this, though, because it does combine some elements I really like, namely survivalism and the wild. (I’ve actually been toying with another book with similar themes.) So I’m curious to see where this one goes. The narration isn’t bad, though I will say that as an experienced hiker, I find one of the lead characters’ choices to be a touch unbelievable, if only because she’s posited as this very experienced person. OTOH, experienced people make bad choices all the time, and frequently that’s because they overestimate their abilities. Sometimes when you’re out there, you don’t know you’re in trouble until the point where you could’ve gotten out of it is way past. I have a feeling that’s where this is heading. So I’ll try to curb my irritation a touch. (In addition, one plot element is so blatantly telegraphed very early on that you can see it coming a mile away. That’s annoying, too. I mean, sure, show the gun. But don’t then show it and then have the lead kind of ignore it.)
Anyway, it’s easy to criticize when your own book is still in pieces.
