Letting life get in the way

[pjthompson]

Cut another 500 words today from more tightly written chapters, for a total of 6,000 words and 24 pages cut. I still have quite a bit of ms. to go, so I'm confident there's another 15k to be gotten rid. Maybe more to make room for the wee bit of a new beginning. That would be really nice.

Crime scene of the day: Well, of tomorrow.

Tomorrow we take Lynn for her birthday treat: a Dearly Departed tour of L.A. murder sites. That should be festive—for a crime aficionado like her. Have to get up early to do it, too, because the normal 1 p.m. tour was sold out. I guess she's not the only one who grooves on the Manson family murders, baby.

Then lunch at the Raymond, a truly nice restaurant in Pasadena, where she lives.

So I'm thinking there won't be much writing or cutting of writing tomorrow. I'm going to let life get in the way for a change. And that's a good thing.

Comments

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

Good for you. Glad you're going to get on out and have some fun. I've never heard of the tour you're talking about. Sounds way cool. I may have to check it out! Do post about it if you would!!!

Congrats on the progress. Keep up the hacking and slashing!!!!

[pjthompson]

Hopefully we'll have fun and it will make an amusing blog.

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

I'll be looking forward to it.

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

That thing tomorrow sounds pretty cool.

And I'm finding it amusing that your cut-rate is pretty much even with your usual writing-rate.

[pjthompson]

You noticed that, too, did you? since I'm doing it in the same lunch hour timeframe, I guess that sort of makes sense. I'll see how much headway I make Sunday. Then again...

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

So how much progress did you make today?

[(Anonymous)]

Huh. Yesterday I cut 250 words for three chapters! It was one of those days where I cut stuff, but had to add some back for clarity, et al. And these are some of the tightest, best written (imho) chapters in the book. I'm coming up on some material where I'm sure there's going to be a lot more cuttage involved. We'll see how I do today.

(And I'm going to cheat when this is all over and begin my chapters at the top of the page instead of halfway down since no one seems to care overmuch.)

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've never been sure which way is really accepted these days. I like keeping things to the top, personally, but recall seeing that teh official way is halfway down the page.

[pjthompson]

The correct way traditionally has been halfway down the page and in the best of all possible worlds I'd do that. But I recently read an interview with an agent where he said he doesn't care as long as the writing's good, and I know other agents who've said something similar. So I may give it a try. Basically, at this point I'm just aiming to get someone to ask for a partial. And to do that, I need to slim this baby down.

[merebrillante.livejournal.com]

Dab some White Light before you go on that tour. Seriously.

[pjthompson]

I had to do a smudging ceremony after visiting Gettysburg. Souvenir bullets. Sometimes radical obliviousness is not a good policy.

If I knew where my medicine bag was, I'd carry that, but it's not where I thought it was. I haven't seen it since the move. It'd probably have to be re-smudged anyway.