Sequel hiatus
With the blessing of the Shutter Sisters (on the morning of the release of our book) and friends at Glow in the Woods, I'm retreating to finish the sequel.
I'm saying no to anything that doesn't involve piracy. Even to things I love to do, wish I could do. It's time.
I'm shooting for 30,000 words six days from today (standing at 24,483). That leaves... I don't know. 15,000 to finish it? Maybe. That depends. Penelope said November so I'm calling the 15th our median.
I've spent months with this story in my head. It's been pushed aside by client work, a conference, laundry, facebook, twitter, company, a hurricane, this blog, that blog, the other blog, The Bachelor Pad, grief, beer, pesky personal grooming, and my camera.
And so now, all that has to wait. I belong to Missy. I'm gonna be kind of pale and unwashed. My face is going to be fixed in what Justin calls the Ten Mile Stare. Because even when I'm not writing, I'll be writing. I'll be making mental notes on flight dynamics and rotor parts and prairie foxes and pow wows and the sabotage of natural gas pipelines.
I don't even know if I can do this, as evidenced elsewhere. Last time, it didn't feel this precarious or exposing. This time, it does. A deadline, with all its implicit green light, messes with your head. See? Messy head.
But I'm going to try.
+++
People get all lyrical about finding inspiration and finding your voice and finding muses and this book about writing and that book about writing and inspiration prompts and voice prompts and exercises to write about preparing to write. That's fine, if overwrought movie scores work on you. You know. The instrumental accompaniment that's designed to take your hand and lead you to an empty shell so that you might walk out of the theatre thinking you were moved.
But there's nothing lyrical about this. This is dragging and heaving and a sore neck to the hum of the fridge and the creaking of the house after everyone else has gone to bed. This is writing as repeated labour, with a long way to go. That's all. There is nothing romantic about this.
There doesn't need to be.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Reader Comments (17)
Ahhh, feeling like a complete tool for my comment over on Sweet Salty sophomorism...
Getting all sing-songy about inspiration...go ahead, you can swat me.
Good luck with the book Kate. I am sure that you will do amazingly and that it will be even better than the first. Missy is a lucky girl to have your attention for the next few days. It sounds like you are well on your way to another hit.
Truly, Julia
Luck and elbow grease to you, Kate.
it is good and terrifying, to have this work to do.
nose to the grindstone, and focus, and love. i am waiting to hold this Missy you belong to in my hands. xo.
Hardly anything glamorous about it that I can see. I do the work after all the other work is done, through sleepless nights, not having enough money for food, endless revisions... and then, in hours of self-doubt, I question whether it's good enough to make its way through the publishing gauntlet.
But I'm glad that I'm not doing anything else.
Good luck!
Not sure if leaving a comment would only offer a distraction, but Good Luck from me, capital letters say I really mean it.
I know what you mean. Whenever I whip out my book (to maybe eventually finish it one day) it's hard hard work. I guess to finish it, I need to vanish to a cozy deserted island (with enough electricity to recharge the laptop) and write till my fingers bleed. That way I don't bother people with my constant murmuring and cursing.
Cross my fingers and hope all goes well. Happy writing...
Hunker down. That is certainly a big list of distractions! Tough work, but we will all be happy for you at the end, and even happier when we are able to get that book in our hands. Remember, I'm a Prairie Girl if you need me.
You're inspiring me to stop waiting for the magic and getting down to letting my hair go greasy. If only I had thick, luxurious hair like you do. My hair looks like flaccid ribbons taped loosely to my head by the end of the *day*.
Beat that manuscript until it bleeds. Have no mercy, pirate.
Sending prayers & blessings. Oh, & ... Not sure I followed the math. By my count you're only about 6k away from the end. Cheering you on from Central Texas, I have faith.
Thanks everyone.. Fran, as for the math, that wasn't clear at all. You're right. What I meant to say is that I'm at around 25,000 words right now. I'd like to hit 30,000 by the end of this week. I don't know how long the book's going to be, but I've been thinking it's likely to be somewhere around 45,000 words. But I feel like I've still got a lot of story to tell, so it's hard to say.
hard achey awful uproarious messy work that saves your soul. i don't know if i believe in romance any more. i DO believe in the hard work of love though. go go go!
Prairie foxes look like fish cresting the water when they're running and jumping around in the fields.
Sounds like you need a nanny.
Good luck, authoress.
Okay, this is shallow, and you are working very hard, but... damn, Kate. You are gorgeous.
Good luck and kick some butt.
go for it. it's going to be hell and i'm jealous as all fuck.
congrats on your grant too. just put your unwashed head down, and go for it.
Firstly, LOVING sweet salty. My first visit! I'll be back. Secondly, I know what you mean. When I'm paid to write it doesn't come so naturally. I'm just plain scared. Can you pretend you are just writing out of pure enjoyment and forget the deadline?? No, I thought not.
I have to tell you, I feel inspired to put my head down and finish my junior novel. So thank you for that. You go girl!
I too have 6 weeks for finishing my book.... it's daunting, especially since I have never actually finished a book before.... will I even know when I get there?
doesn't matter, I'm doing it, I'm taking this gift and going for it. there are temptations (like nano writing month) but....