Well, dear readers, so there I was, writing, trying to finish a chapter. I needed a character to respond to another character and I needed that response to say something very specific that the other character needed to hear, but I needed it to not be ham-fisted and boring. So, I’m sitting at the computer like so much fish, just staring at the page and what I’d just written and one of those wonderful gifts from above just fell on me, the perfect way of imparting what I needed to impart by having the character recount a real-life story and in the recounting be able to say exactly what the other character needed to hear. I love when that happens. I wrote it quickly, it’s funny, and it gets the job done. And that is what I love about writing, these little gifts from above that come at just the right time.
I had an interesting conversation about writing the other night, with another writer who is ready to tackle writing some fiction. She was asking me how long it used to take to write as opposed to how long it takes now. So, I said that the first book, back in 2001, had taken nine months. The second book took six. The third book, which was much longer than books one and two, took three months. The first mystery took about ten weeks. The second mystery took six weeks. The short stories were written over a period of time so they don’t really apply. The Hofstetter books have all taken about five weeks. And the two non-fiction books have each taken four weeks. That was interesting to her, since her favorite is the first book, and she tried to make the point that maybe taking all that time results in something better. But it’s not quite that simple, I’m afraid, and I don’t agree with that at all. Books take the time they take. There are no set rules. But the point with the first book is that I was a full-time record producer in 2001 and I was running a record label of mine own. Also, a nightmare happened towards the end of the year, and dealing with that became time consuming. The point being, I didn’t write every day, sometimes I didn’t write for weeks. Sometimes I’d write a page and be happy, sometimes three. But, if you add up all the time that I spent actually writing that book, my guess is that it would come out to be six to eight weeks. But with the third book, my writing schedule became more focused (I happen to love the first Kritzer book, but think the writing in the final Kritzer book is better), where I began writing every day, but only five days a week. Again, I was only doing between three and seven pages those days, although on the third Kritzer book, the book’s final fifty pages were written in a very short and intense period. After that, I began writing every day, seven days a week and at least seven pages a day, sometimes more. That, for me, was more focused and on the mystery books an absolute necessity. So, yes, I write faster these days, but I do hope the quality of writing, for those who enjoy the books, hasn’t declined. But the bottom line is I write these books for me first (or rather the books end up writing me), and then if others enjoy them, that’s just the icing on the cake. But if I’m happy with the result, if I think I achieved my goals with whatever book I’m doing, that’s what really matters to me.
I went back recently and skimmed through Writer’s Block, just for fun and because I wanted to see how I did one particular thing. And I just thought, how did I write this book? I have no memory of it. It’s somewhat complex and strange and I really like the way it came out, but I just don’t know how I did it. But the point is, I could never have done it had I not written it in a white heat. I would have become totally confused by it all, but wasn’t because I kept writing forward. But everyone has a different process and that’s what’s so fascinating about writing a book. One writes at his or her own pace. It’s said that Ayn Rand took two years to write the big speech in Atlas Shrugged. Do I think for one minute she worked on that single speech every day, every hour for two years? Of course not. I just think you have to sit down and do it, and if it takes two years or nine months or three weeks, as long as it achieves what you want, then you’ve done a good job. Wait a minute. Don’t I have some notes to write and shouldn’t I be posting them in about six minutes?
Yesterday was perfectly okay day. I got up at about nine, turned on the heat, but didn’t get back in bed. I answered e-mails, then began finessing, futzing and fixing the previous days writing. That took the time it took and then I wrote two new pages. Then Mr. Garage Man came. He saw write away what the problem was – the gears were stripped. I didn’t know I had burlesque gears, but there you are. I also needed new springs and one new bearing. He said it would take about ninety minutes, so I went and had a patty melt, since the same folks who cancelled dinner on Saturday cancelled lunch yesterday. Here is what I learned about having a patty melt at Jerry’s Deli on a Sunday: Don’t. The good chef is only there from morning to four in the afternoon on weekdays. The weekend chef just isn’t that good, frankly, and the patty melt had much less burger in it (which was fine with me), and it wasn’t quite cooked as perfectly as I like, plus he kind of half grilled the onions, which I don’t like at all. So, I ate it but it was a little gross. I had some cole slaw and baked beans with it. Then I came home and Mr. Garage Man had just finished. It all worked perfectly, I paid him, and off he went.
Then I buckled down, Winsocki and wrote five pages – really fun section I’m in. Then it was time for a two-hour work session with a singer. This is for a show that’s in two weeks, so we’re just assembling something very fast. She had a list of about twelve songs. We began with a put-together she had an arrangement for, but while the idea of the two songs was fine, the arrangement wasn’t – it had no sense of how to tie them together and tell a story. Rather than move on, I worked with Shelly Markham and we came up with a whole new arrangement that does what it needs to do. Then she sang the rest of the songs and by the time we were done we had six usable numbers. She wanted to do Where or When, which is something I’ve had an arrangement idea for years, and Shelly and I worked on it, he “got” the feel right away, and it’s really a unique way of doing the song and it’s going to work really well.
After the work session, we all moseyed on over to the Studio Café to discuss other possible songs. I really shouldn’t have eaten, but I must tell you that when I’m writing I have to eat like a normal person and that’s just the way it is. So, I had some mac and cheese. We came up with about five or six new song choices, so we’ll go through those mid-week and see where we are.
Then I came home and wrote five more pages, for a total of twelve. I finished the chapter I was on, and wrote the first two lines of the new chapter, just so I had the start of it done. Then I listened to music, played on the computer, and looked at postings on our discussion board, which told me all I needed to know about the Golden Globes. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall finesse, futz and fix yesterday’s writing, then I’ll write a new page or two, after which I shall be on my way to the editing room to do a little more work on episode five of Outside the Box. Then I’ll hopefully pick up some packages, then I’m supposed to have a meal with someone I haven’t seen in thirty years, but I didn’t actually hear from this person so I have no idea if that’s happening or not. At some point, though, I will eat, and then I’ll do more writing, hopefully at least eight to twelve pages.
Tomorrow, I’ll print out the latest pages, Xerox them, and then deliver them to Muse Margaret, who I hope will like them. The rest of the week is writing, meals, a couple of meetings and/or work sessions, hopefully seeing a first cut of episode six, and then I’m not at all sure what’s happening on the weekend.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finesse, futz and fix, write new pages, go to the editing room and hopefully lock episode five, hopefully pick up some packages, write, maybe have a meal with someone I haven’t seen in thirty years, write, and then relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Since I was watching a little of one of my favorite Brit films, Fallen Idol, what are your all-time favorite Brit films? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland happy to have gotten that wonderful little gift from above.