Done

So I worked an insane amount, through the weekend, ending up with 57 pages on Sunday, which I think might be a personal best. But damn, it was a rough day.

For one thing, I didn't sleep the night before. Just a couple of hours, but I figured out what my problem was, so I could move on ahead. Got up around seven, worked, took a two hour nap, got up and worked for about four hours, took another two hour nap, then straight on through to the end, taking time off to see "Persuasion" (the Ciaran Hinds version -- I haven't seen that in years, but after having see "Miss Pettigrew" three times I decided I needed to see CH again. I like him better older).

So, anyway, 57 pages, finishing around 4 am. I'll figure out how many words that is later. I do use Courier New as a font, so that gives me maximum pages for my words. We shall see.

And I left out a pivotal love scene. Frankly, I was so tired I just couldn't get it up. It'll be lovely in the revisions -- I know what I need to have happen in there.

So I'm done -- a massive amount of hard work, making me wish I hadn't let so many people and things distract me from getting more done earlier. But it is what it is.

Now to whip it into shape.

My laser printer bit the dust and I hate printing 400+ page documents on an inkjet, so I took the mss. on a flash drive over to Staples and got it printed and bound so I can work on it.

Tomorrow I'll go to my friend's empty house, curl up in her recliner, and set to work.

Let's hope I can seduce it into shape.

No Days Off

Well, I may have missed posting and tallying my numbers but I haven't had a single day off since God knows when. Yesterday I only wrote 8, because it was time to take our ancient Springer, Rosie, to the rainbow bridge. Though personally I think she's rollicking in the fields by the lake with my mother-in-law.

So Richie and I were too depressed to do anything but watch stupid movies and I didn't get back to work.

Today, however was another day. Despite a 4 hour nap I wrote 24 pages and I could even write more.

I'm really hoping to finish tomorrow, even though I have one small obligation. But this weekend or bust.

Again

15 pages today, plus a long drive to the grocery store (20 miles away) to think out the subplot. I still have a little bit of other stuff to figure out but in general things are going good. And I like the cover.

Tomorrow I have to hunker down and really plot the final race to the end.

Pray for me.

Sunday Bloody Sunday

Did my 15 pages early and then visited with my son. I also stopped and made a list of each chapter and the scenes within, so I can navigate a little better. I'm thinking my evil kidnapper (who of course is the hero) should marry my heroine before they have sex. I just like him calling her his bride while he's dripping sarcasm and sexuality.

Ah, Toby!

14 pages today -- wanted to make it 24 but hey, 14 is enough. And then I wallowed in Jane Eyre (Toby Stephens is my hero stand-in), worked on my collage, listened to Outlander on audio, took a nap, took my mother shopping, busy busy busy. But I got my work done.
And here's a little treat to put you in the mood:

Another Day, Another Dollar

Well, I looked at my schedule on Wednesday night and burst into tears. It seemed so overwhelming, and I desperately want to get away to see my daughter and niece (who's a second daughter). But I have so much work it's ridiculous.
Yesterday I emailed my editor to see if there was anyway to rework things.
This morning I spent hours playing with calendars and schedules, and now have the next six weeks mapped out, with visits to my mother, due dates, amount I have to write each day, etc.
I'm not really left-brained. I'm all airy-fairy go-with-it. But as I get old and wiser I discover that a little organization is not a bad thing. I love my pages and pages of schedules. I can see that it's all very doable as long as I pay attention to where I am.

On top of that, I wrote another 15 pages, bringing me to 275. Hurray!!!

Better

14 pages today, plus mapped out where the rest of the book is going. Now it's hunker down time (as if it wasn't before).

Not so good

Busy day, with a shrink appointment, a long call with my editor, and having my ancient mother over for dinner (along with watching Ponyo, the new Miyazaki movie, which was as wonderful as always.

When I went back in I discovered to my horror that the last scene I'd written had head-hopping. Oh, the horror, oh the humanity! I start with my secondary heroine's POV, jump to my secondary hero's POV, back to my heroine's, then ended up with my hero's, and I'm a POV purist. I was mortified. So I rewrote that, wrote a few more pages and then sat and brainstormed for a couple of hours.

So five new pages, rewrote a bunch of old pages, and then planned.

The Beat Goes On

14 pages today. Hey, I figure that's enough. It's moving, I'm allowed to take a breath every now and then.

Oooops

Okay, well, I only got 5 pages done (though I may get up in the middle of the night and write some more). I've got two good excuses. One, my math was all screwed up. I don't actually have to write 20 pages a day, it's more like 11.666666 pages a day.
The other was that it was our 35th wedding anniversary, and since Richie had to take his sister to the airport in the big city (70 miles away) it only made sense that I went to and we go out to dinner there.
Which we did, in a funky seafood place by the Lake (Champlain, that is).

So anyway, onward and upward. Tomorrow's a 20 page day, I promise.