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?

A Hump Day Update

Here's a picture of the finished product. The floors look fabulous. My BIL did a great job. It feels like a whole new house. I love it. Next up - the carpet on the stairwells and upstairs hallway. But that might have to wait until next year.

Thanks to everyone for the support on my decision to hold off on getting the dog. It was a tough decision but the right one. I feel good about having made it and I'm looking forward to next year when I can find a new canine companion. I may go through the SPCA or one of the rescue organizations. I still want a dog that's between 8 weeks to 1 year, just to give me the longest amount of time possible with it, but also to train it properly so I feel good about it being around other animals and my small nieces & nephews. But that isn't written in stone. If I find a great dog and it feels right that will be the main criteria.

Meanwhile, I am motoring along on the revisions. I'm busy transferring my scene sheets onto my storyboard to piece things back together. This has allowed me to see things much more clearly and I realized elements I had missed and/or needed to be beefed up. I strengthened the motivation of the hero, heroine and the villain as well which I think makes for a much better story. And the mystery element that travels through all four books in the series has been given a much more prominent role in this one. My hope is to have everything completed in September so my CP and another friend who offered to read it can get the finished product. I want to have it ready for the GH so time is getting to be of the essence.

I'm hoping to take first week in October which I have off, and use that time to start storyboarding Book 2 of the series. I'd love to have the outline and storyboard figured out by the end of the year so I can start writing it the first of the year. My goal is still to have a contract by conference 2008.

As for the weight watchers thing - a friend at work and I have decided to team up. We'll do a weigh in every Monday and have each designated an amount to lose over the next twelve weeks. We aren't going to the meetings (can't afford that right now), but she has all the books from before so we're using those and following the points thing. I think having someone to check in with each week will definitely keep me motivated.

Good-Bye Ugly Green Carpet

Five years ago when I decided to buy my house, the first thing I said was - 'this hideous green carpet will be the first thing to go'. It seems the previous owner had a strange fetish for all things green and rose, and the green carpet to me was the worst offender. Plus it was extremely hard to clean. The dog hair would burrow in and cling to it and it always looked dirty. And nothing matched it. I snarled every time I looked at my floor. The carpet had become the bane of my existence.

But the laminate flooring I had planned to put down immediately was put off. I painted first, needed a new washing machine. Then a new water heater. Then a new lawn mower. It was always something. And five years later the hideous green carpet remained, mocking me with its ugliness. When I decided to get a new dog, I knew it was going to be probably another year before the carpet could be replaced.

So when I decided to hold off getting a new puppy until next year, what was the first thing I did? I ran to the nearest building supply store and purchased enough laminate flooring to get the job done. Then I came home and called my brother-in-law, the carpenter and asked if he could lend a hand. I was thinking next month or something. He's a busy guy between work, my sister and two babies. No rush.

Sure, he says. I'm off tomorrow.

Uh...tomorrow? You mean like the day after today?

Sure.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth I took him up on his offer. And I'm glad I did. I managed to do the prep work. Rip up the carpet and underlay, remove the staples and the board thingys the carpet was nailed to and to smooth out the floor where there were lumps of paint or plaster or something. When my BIL arrived, he got to work and I realized there was no way I would have been able to do that floor on my own. There were things he was doing I would have never thought of, and if I had, I wouldn't have had the tools or know how on how to proceed. Which made me really happy I managed to do the prep work so I didn't feel like I total waste product making him do everything. My contribution yesterday was to lay the underlay and hand him the boards as needed. At lunch today I need to go pick up the ¾ round edging and he'll pop up after supper to put that in and then we are done.

And the green carpet? Come garbage day, that monstrosity is gone for good.















My BIL hard at work.




Our job supervisor, my nephew Malcolm.