Well, other than an ending--the second draft is complete.
I know, I know...without and ending...it's NOT complete. But I finished all my editing. Boy did I do some damage. I'm not sure how interested any of you are in the "stats" of this little projects, but here they are:
I "axed" 17,328 words total. This was primarily a secondary, un-related plot-thread that was both unnecessary and cliched. This was about 54 pages of material, a majority of this crap was written back in the NaNoWriMo days (when I had to write, even when I had little to say).
But I've cleaned all this up, and now I'm just in need of an ending.
Ugh...
Monday, April 06, 2009
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Partial Victory
The end is nigh folks.
While not a 100% success, this weekend's "lock-down" has moved me MUCH closer to having a completed second draft. I left the apartment once this weekend, a few hours ago to get some gas for my car (so I didn't have to do it in the morning). Other than that, I stayed in an worked.
The digital edit is nearly complete. I'm 40 pages away from having that done. Once that is complete, I'll need to write the ending--and then I'll have a novel.
My target completion date is Friday April 10, 2009.
Wish me luck.
While not a 100% success, this weekend's "lock-down" has moved me MUCH closer to having a completed second draft. I left the apartment once this weekend, a few hours ago to get some gas for my car (so I didn't have to do it in the morning). Other than that, I stayed in an worked.
The digital edit is nearly complete. I'm 40 pages away from having that done. Once that is complete, I'll need to write the ending--and then I'll have a novel.
My target completion date is Friday April 10, 2009.
Wish me luck.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Status of Draft#2
I can't believe it (and you probably won't either) but I actually DID what I said I was going to do. I woke up, read in the bath-tub for an hour...then I got out and had breakfast (veggie burger)...and then I worked.
And I worked.
Guess what? I got it done. I finished making the physical edits today on the second half of my novel. I'm drained. While the first half had 20-30 pages lopped off, the second half (written last September) was mostly okay. I did kill the last 15 pages (the ending problem I'm having).
Anyway, tomorrow I'm going to start working on the "digital edit" which is boring and tedious. Hopefully I'll find the courage/will-power to get through that tomorrow...which leaves the ending...which will take me all week I'm sure.
This time next week, I'll have the second draft of my novel done--and I'll be ready to let people (Leah) read it. I'm excited.
Friday, April 03, 2009
The "Weekend Plan"
Say it again:
"I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend. I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend.I'm going to edit this weekend."
Now, I've said this before...but this time I have a plan and a goal. Tomorrow, I'm getting up in the AM and I'm going to shower/get dressed...then I'm going to finish editing my book. This is the plan. By Sunday night I should be working on the digital edit.
Next week I'm writing the new ending. The goal is to be have a 100% finished second draft by the end of next weekend, so that a week from this Monday *someone* can take a look at this damn thing (i.e. start reading it).
This is the "Weekend Plan."
Telemarketers: My New Plan of Action
One of my (many) tasks at work is to answer the phones. Would you believe a pallet company gets a lot of calls?
A lot of calls.
Some are related to what we do, but there is a percentage (I'd say 15-20%) that are from various telemarketers. The kind I hate the most are from the machines. You pick-up and get a recording hocking insurance or Cable/Dish services. All you have to do is "Press 1 to speak with an operator."
Usually I just hang up, but not anymore. They wasted my time, so now I'm wasting theirs. Here is what I am now doing.
I find out what they are selling and pick something else--something not related to what they're trying to get me to buy. Then I "Press 1" and wait. When the call center takes my call, I ask for the "head of the household." Then I ask the guy trying to sell me cheap health insurance if he'd like Dish Network.
I just did this about 10 minutes ago, and it was hilarious. I acted oblivious when he said, "Sir, this is a call center" (because they act oblivious to me when they're trying to sell me siding for my house...even when I tell them that the number they've dialed is a business and I don't own a home). I told him all about the 349 channels of HD-programming he could have. I told him he could try the service out for a month, and then decide if he wanted to keep it. Eventually he hung up on me.
But I wasted that bastards time.
To quote Carlin: "These are the thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools."
A lot of calls.
Some are related to what we do, but there is a percentage (I'd say 15-20%) that are from various telemarketers. The kind I hate the most are from the machines. You pick-up and get a recording hocking insurance or Cable/Dish services. All you have to do is "Press 1 to speak with an operator."
Usually I just hang up, but not anymore. They wasted my time, so now I'm wasting theirs. Here is what I am now doing.
I find out what they are selling and pick something else--something not related to what they're trying to get me to buy. Then I "Press 1" and wait. When the call center takes my call, I ask for the "head of the household." Then I ask the guy trying to sell me cheap health insurance if he'd like Dish Network.
I just did this about 10 minutes ago, and it was hilarious. I acted oblivious when he said, "Sir, this is a call center" (because they act oblivious to me when they're trying to sell me siding for my house...even when I tell them that the number they've dialed is a business and I don't own a home). I told him all about the 349 channels of HD-programming he could have. I told him he could try the service out for a month, and then decide if he wanted to keep it. Eventually he hung up on me.
But I wasted that bastards time.
To quote Carlin: "These are the thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools."
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Ting Tings Tomorrow
So I'm going to a concert tomorrow night...I'm taking Leah to see The Ting Tings.
The Ting Tings are a cutesy boy-girl Pop band that Amber and Leah like. They're pretty cute, though they have a few songs that I find annoying. They also have some pretty good songs, too. The band is playing at The Pageant out here in STL-Land, which if you recall--the last time I was there I saw metal legends Motorhead.
Motorhead.
This is about as from Motorhead as one can get kids:
Yes...the drums...those God-damn drums...
The Ting Tings are a cutesy boy-girl Pop band that Amber and Leah like. They're pretty cute, though they have a few songs that I find annoying. They also have some pretty good songs, too. The band is playing at The Pageant out here in STL-Land, which if you recall--the last time I was there I saw metal legends Motorhead.
Motorhead.
This is about as from Motorhead as one can get kids:
Yes...the drums...those God-damn drums...
Last episode of ER tonight
About a year ago, my wife and I got "into" ER.
I think it started out as a X-Mas/Chaunnnakuakau present that I bought for her (Season 1). From there is bloomed into an all-out obsession. The show is brilliant because it mixes the best parts of a medical show (the blood/guts and tension) with the best parts of a Soap Opera (the sex and backstabbing).
Unlike a lot of dramas on TV, ER (the first 4 to 5 seasons) had some really awesome characters/character development. And then there's Clooney. That guy, regardless of how you feel about his politics, is a star and his work on ER is some of his finest work.
We got all the way through the Clooney-era on DVD and kinda gave up on it. Once 60% of the original cast was gone, I frankly lost interest. This past season has been interesting because they've been brining back a lot of the old characters (including some dead ones). Tonight, NBC is saying goodbye to it's last great show from the 90's "Must-See-TV" days:
The only reason I know that tonight is the last episode is because of a report I heard on NPR this afternoon in my car. That's how out of touch I am with television. I know Leah is going to want to watch it, and I'm interested in how they'll finish things...but quite frankly the show should have ended YEARS ago. Like LAW AND ORDER, ER of late has just been recycling it's plots--with characters that are merely pale imitations of those from earlier seasons.
Still, ER is a television institution and it's sign-off will probably be "historic" in the same way that MASH going off the air was "historic." So that's what I'm doing tonight.
UPDATE:Just finished watching the final episode...and it ended just like I thought it would. Nothing amazing, they did the only thing they could do--which is basically set it up so that viewers are left with the impression that the hospital is going to keep running...but we're just not going to be visiting anymore. Kinda like it's not ending. Appropriate, but a little predictable. No Clooney cameo, but everyone else was back.
I officially care about 1 network TV show (30 ROCK, which is the only "great" show left on regular TV). NBC/CBS/ABC are boned.
I think it started out as a X-Mas/Chaunnnakuakau present that I bought for her (Season 1). From there is bloomed into an all-out obsession. The show is brilliant because it mixes the best parts of a medical show (the blood/guts and tension) with the best parts of a Soap Opera (the sex and backstabbing).
Unlike a lot of dramas on TV, ER (the first 4 to 5 seasons) had some really awesome characters/character development. And then there's Clooney. That guy, regardless of how you feel about his politics, is a star and his work on ER is some of his finest work.
We got all the way through the Clooney-era on DVD and kinda gave up on it. Once 60% of the original cast was gone, I frankly lost interest. This past season has been interesting because they've been brining back a lot of the old characters (including some dead ones). Tonight, NBC is saying goodbye to it's last great show from the 90's "Must-See-TV" days:
The only reason I know that tonight is the last episode is because of a report I heard on NPR this afternoon in my car. That's how out of touch I am with television. I know Leah is going to want to watch it, and I'm interested in how they'll finish things...but quite frankly the show should have ended YEARS ago. Like LAW AND ORDER, ER of late has just been recycling it's plots--with characters that are merely pale imitations of those from earlier seasons.
Still, ER is a television institution and it's sign-off will probably be "historic" in the same way that MASH going off the air was "historic." So that's what I'm doing tonight.
UPDATE:Just finished watching the final episode...and it ended just like I thought it would. Nothing amazing, they did the only thing they could do--which is basically set it up so that viewers are left with the impression that the hospital is going to keep running...but we're just not going to be visiting anymore. Kinda like it's not ending. Appropriate, but a little predictable. No Clooney cameo, but everyone else was back.
I officially care about 1 network TV show (30 ROCK, which is the only "great" show left on regular TV). NBC/CBS/ABC are boned.
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