Deadlines Suck

So I've let myself off the hook with my deadline. Or rather my deadline (yet another one) approached at the speed of light and I realized I wasn't going to make it. Finally I threw my hands up in surrender (albeit with much cursing and swearing) and decided, screw it. I'm just going to hack away at this thing (thing being my manuscript and I believe the actual terminology used was 'piece of crap') until I was finished.

I've reached the point now where I'm sick of it. Actually I think I reached that point last month. But there's little choice but to finish with an editor request hanging in the balance. I don't actually hate the book. I love the book. I love the characters. I love the whole damn series to be honest. I'm just sick of writing this book over and over again until I get all the elements in place so the rest of the series, and this book in particular, flow they way the need to.

Whose idea was it to throw a mystery thread in there anyway? Sigh...

Anyway, I have 50 pages left to edit, then I need to sit down and read through it, make a final clean up and then off it goes. There will be no more edits after that. And when I sit down to write Saving Grace, I will have gone through such a detailed outlining process, that it will not take anywhere near as long as Brimstone. I will have figured out all the little ins and outs of the story and the mystery and the GMCs before I try to write it. Granted, there will always be surprises, but hopefully none as story-altering as what I ended up with in Brimstone.

Meanwhile, back at the weight loss ranch, I've decided to add in 3 days of strength training to my workout routine to build up some muscle tone for the summer in the hopes it will prevent me running in horror when I stand in front of the mirror in shorts. I picked up Kathy Smith's Matrix Workout at Chapters and did that yesterday. Now, I'm in pretty good shape, but damn if this thing didn't kick my ass. Literally. It's very sore today. If this workout doesn't build up muscle tone, then I probably don't have any, that's all I can say.

By the way, can anyone tell me the law on firing a rocket launcher across the street into your neighbor's driveway to take out the stupid motorcycle they insist on idling for nearly 15 minutes every freakin' morning? I'm pretty sure that would qualify as justifiable homicide, right (yes, he's sitting on the motorcyle while it idles, and no, I have no reticence about taking him out with it)? And, uh, should one be requiring a rocket launcher, where exactly would one get such an item...ebay?