This week has been weird.
It started on Tuesday. Trevor and I played tennis, which is a rarity in and of itself. When I say played tennis, what I actually mean is Trevor attempted to teach me tennis basics, which is made even more complicated in that I am left handed and he is not. But, it was a ton of fun. My abs and sides ached for days afterward, and I got a nice tan too! Apparently I need to go outdoors more.
So, naturally, we followed up all this physical activity with beer. Beer and margaritas. A lot of beer and margaritas. Which was then followed up with an aching head and a tumultuous stomach. Tuesday was our day to party, Wednesday was our day to recover. I spent most of the day groaning on the couch watching Trevor play Dead Rising 2.
And then I worked at 7:30am both Thursday and Friday. Puke. Between sheer lack of sleep and two incredibly busy days at the Bux, I really haven’t done any writing. I’m used to closing. Wake up at 11am, take my time getting ready, pack up the Mac and sit in the lobby for a solid three hours and some sort of fictional magic is sure to take place. But, when you’re up until 1 and then back up at 6:30 you suddenly feel no urge to stay passed 3:45 to clack away on the laptop.
And so I haven’t.
In fact, until about 20 minutes ago, I hadn’t even watched this week’s lecture! Don’t worry, I won’t be summarizing here. That’ll come Sunday, just as it should.
Instead, I just wanted to say that, even though I’ve been a bad writer this week, it’s been killing me. My lip, which had almost healed completely has since been plucked into a painful callous, hinting at the pent up energy just waiting to find its way to the page. It’s gross, I know. Sorry. In the shower the other day, I couldn’t remember if I’d conditioned my hair because my mind had runaway with scenarios that Val is going to face. But, I didn’t write, because I was just too tired.
Which is a sad excuse. That doesn’t make it any less true.
Anyway, the lecture has been watched, and the notes taken. Tomorrow chapter 16 will come to an end. And hopefully I’ll get about half of chapter 17 down. That’d be nice. For the first time since I first started writing the book everything seems clear. I can see exactly where scenes are headed and what is coming up next. I know how characters are going to behave and react to the things I’m about to put them through, and I’m so incredibly excited to put this book to bed.
It’s not that I’m sick of it. I’m not. But, it’s like reading the climax of a book. You hurry through it because it’s so good. That’s how I feel about writing the climax.
Also, there are other works waiting impatiently. The horror story, which I’ve been trying to write since 2010 and the sci-fi comedy that has eluded me for even longer. They’re both great ideas, but remember, ideas are cheap. They’re also both a little experimental. The horror piece toys with viewpoint and reliability, and ultimately leaves you wondering at the end. The sci-fi… it wants to be told in three parts. I think. I’m not sure. It’s been so long, and I’ve grown so much as a writer, that I might just scrap the entire thing except for the concept, characters and opening line. That’s how rough it is. There’s something in there that won’t give up, but it isn’t working in its current format.
I plan on reading Stephen King’s short fiction while writing the horror piece. It will help me with pacing and tone, plus I just really want to read King’s short stories, they’re amazing! Then, once that is done, I’ll pick up Douglas Adams again. I’ve read the entire Hitchhiker’s “Trilogy”, but it was a very long time ago, before I’d ever considered writing for a living. There’s something to be learned there, I’m sure,
Right now, in the wake of The Way of Kings, I am reading Joe Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself, lent to me by a friend. So far I’m not really sure what to think of it. I like it. But it is entirely different than what I’ve been reading the last five years or so. It’s funny. Really funny. So I’m taking notes on that department. But, I’m not a big fan of the language. It’s rough, and kind of distracting. And very British. Which is usually a good thing for me. When I say rough, I’m not talking about cursing or anything like that. I mean that the sentence structures and word choice are hard for me to read. But, I think it actually works for the stories being told. I like all the characters so far. They’re extremely interesting. And I like some way more than I thought I would, and others far less. My expectations are constantly thwarted by this book, which is refreshing. Plus, I can see that the three characters are all intertwined, I just don’t know how yet, and that’s why I keep reading.
At least they better all be intertwined!
Anywho. Just wanted to bounce in, let you know that I’m still here. I’m still writing. See you Sunday, Blogland.
BZ
To Write These Words Down... 