Eagles Over the Kennebec

We had planned to go to the ocean this weekend, as part of the Natal Day Celebrations. Unfortunately, Steve is still not quite recovered from the WorldCon Plague, so it seemed best not to expose him to Damply Airs and Humours(tm).

Friday was another out-straight run at the day-job, and I came home brain-dead. A co-worker had kindly baked me a plate of birthday brownies, which I brought home to share with Steve. May I just say? Double-chocolate brownie topped with chocolate-chip-mint ice cream? Heaven.

Even the infusion of Massive Amounts of Sugar was not enough to rally my few remaining brain cells, so I joined Steve in the living room for a marathon read of Girl Genius, he on the couch, I in the blue recliner, with a coon cat on my lap. Mozart admires Miss Agatha immensely, and seems to have a Sloppy Guy Thing going with Dimo, go figure.

Some time in the later evening we roused, much cheered, for dinner and a glass, and so to bed.

Yesterday's focus was Fledgling, which is moving along slowly, what with the number of brain-dead evenings I've been racking up lately. I got a lot of good work done, if I do say so myself, but it's not going to be ready for prime time by tomorrow. I've given up hoping for some quiet days at work so I can actually write at night. And, honestly, if I were first-drafting something, I could still probably press on at night with half-a-brain -- first drafts are full of krezy excidents; it's expected. Second/third drafting, though, that's tiny little stitches and set-in details -- precision work. I don't dare go into that with anything less than full capacity.

Pause while Mozart wanders around my office, calling loudly for Diggi Mao-Mao. I'm not at all sure who Diggi is -- or was -- but Mo looks for him from time to time, very earnestly.

I've been thinking a lot about how to fit all I have to do into the hours of the day and not drive myself into a depression. It had looked like the day-job was going to have to go, as the thing that took up the most time for the least return, after you factor in all those brain-dead evenings. But. Health insurance. Damn, that's a biggie.

The writing...I kept thinking that the writing didn't used to be such a strain, even during those other periods when I had a consecutive day-job. 'Course I was younger then, but...experience does count, and should weigh in the balance.

Then I looked at what we've been doing as writers since I went "back to work."

January 2007: Gloom, doom, destruction. Meisha Merlin has not paid us and is in default of their contracts. We have therefore stopped work on Web... while we scramble to make ends meet. Sharon fortuitously acquires day-job. Fledging goes into weekly serialization.

April 2007: Contract with Baen for Duainfey and Longeye. Contract with Baen's Universe for original Liaden novella, "Misfits."

July 2007: Hand in "Misfits." Fledgling serialization ongoing.

October 2007: Hand in Duainfey. Fledgling declared a draft.

November 2007: Begin writing Longeye

January 2008: Saltation goes into weekly serialization.

June 2008: Hand in Longeye.

July 2008: Begin revising Fledgling. Serialization of Saltation ongoing.

August 2008: WorldCon. Began writing "Shadow Partner" for Yule chapbook.

September 2008: Fledgling revision ongoing. Saltation serialization ongoing.

Deadlines, near and far: Fledgling to Baen September 15 (ahem); story for Yule chapbook to Steve, October 15; Saltation to Baen, December 15; Sequel to Scout's Progress to Baen, June 1, 2009.

...compare that to 2004, 2005, 2006, in which we were contracted to write one book, and maybe a few short stories, and there was no day-job in the equation. Granted, we were working harder on SRM's exposure, but we're still trying to hold line there, now, too.

Jeebers, no wonder I'm tired.

I'm thinking maybe we need to cut back on the writing, here; and hit a balance where we can have health insurance, time enough, and joy, to write, and some little bits of time to Have A Life.

Well...enough philosophizing. I got me some revising to do.


Beginning word count; Fledgling first draft:

97,483 / 100,000 (97.5%)

Fledgling Second Draft:

98,129 / 100,000 (98.1%)

The 50th anniversary party was a huge success; Mom-and-Dad-in-law were obviously enormously pleased and touched.

We had Friday evening dinner with Barbara Karpel, who some of you met at Boskone, and got a Cat Fix, graciously provided by Cory and Blackie. Miss Grey was Shy on Friday evening. On Sunday, we stopped by and saw my father and stepmother for a few hours before we headed back to Maine. Saturday was the Big Event of the weekend.

The party was held outside, which was good, because the house couldn't have comfortably held all of the guests. Unfortunately, it was July.

Twenty years remove from Baltimore's weather hasn't improved my tolerance for it, and even the locals admitted that it was really warm. I spent most of my time under the tent, where it was marginally less meltingly hot than it was outside of the tent, having a very pleasant conversation with Steve's ex-wife, whom I don't get to see nearly often enough.

Alas, driving south, then north again, for a grand total of 1,555 miles across three days did not do Good Things for the Schedule in terms of the Fledgling second draft. Tomorrow is, alas, a work day, as is the day after. Will need to beat feet on the days following, and before we leave for Denver. I really don't want to lug a Huge Pile of Paper with me on the train.

...and, no, I don't edit on the computer. I edit with a red pen on paper. Messily. So there.

Mozart had a small visit with his good friend Dr. Slack today for the tri-annual rabies shot and another, of cortisone, to help him with the Summer Huffles. Cats get hay fever. Who knew?

The laundry is almost done and Steve is making noises about the evening meal.

I tell ya, the excitement never ends around here.


Beginning word count; Fledgling first draft:

97,483 / 100,000 (97.5%)

Fledgling second draft:

96,683 / 100,000 (96.7%)

Been reading the discussion of "said-isms" with interest. Special thanks to mbarker for tracking down The Said Book, J.I. Rodale, 1947.

Was to the doctor's early this morning and had the cyst removed. Didn't hurt then, excepting the needle before. Does hurt now and aspirin has been administered. Despite a nap I'm still jazzed on adrenaline, so today is hereby designated an offical Putter Day. Work to resume tomorrow, after work, and in between packing for the trip to that exotic summertime vacation spot, Baltimore, Maryland.

Yesterday's work gained some words, then lost some words -- kinda like running quarters through a slot machine. Fledgling, The Rewrite is now shorter than the original draft, a condition that will not maintain long.


Beginning word count; Fledgling first draft:

97,483 / 100,000 (97.5%)

Fledgling second draft:

97,478 / 100,000 (97.5%)

As mentioned elsewhere, I've begun work on revising Fledgling. It occurred to me that some folks might find a description of the revision process instructive, or even enjoyable. While I'm not going to put up every revised chapter, I can post the ever-changing word count and discuss a little bit about why it's changing in a particular direction.

This will be, I expect, of interest only to a few, so I'll try not to bore y'all. Revision, however, is going to be my Life for the Next While, so my topics of conversation are likely to be otherwise limited.

So, let's see if this works.

Beginning word count; Fledgling first draft:

97,483 / 100,000 (97.5%)

Fledgling second draft:

97,910 / 100,000 (97.9%)

Revised through the end of Chapter Two. Inserted the hooks for two plot points and introduced all six of the main players. Dinked around with a lot of sentences, and added, hey, a whole 427 words to the cake.