Well, dear readers, it is always an insecure moment when I hand the first pages of a new book to Muse Margaret. It’s been that way on every single book. Authors write in a void – we sit at home and we type a lot of words and sentences and paragraphs. And we just keep mushing on, ever forward. I’m lucky enough to have my muse – without her I’m not at all certain I would have gone beyond book one. She is my rock, and if something doesn’t feel right to her I can guarantee you it’s not right, which is why I always make those changes. Sometimes it takes a while to figure out exactly what’s not working for her but we always do. It’s usually not much – a line here, a description there, an addition here, a deletion there, moving something later or earlier. Only once would I describe a change as major and that was cutting twenty-three pages out of the final chapter of There’s Mel, There’s Woody and There’s You. And she was totally right about it. So, yesterday was the day Muse Margaret got the first batch of pages of the new book. I always give her the first batch on the first day of the second week of writing. Wednesday was the end of the first week of writing. Now, the most pages I have ever given her after a week of writing has been somewhere between forty-five and fifty pages. Prior to that, it had always been around thirty for the first week. This time, because I kind of have writing fever, she got ninety-one pages. And all I could think of was: Why did I do so many pages – what if she hates them? I had to leave them because she was working. And I really didn’t expect to hear from her before this morning, given the number of pages. So imagine my surprise when the phone rang at five and it was Muse Margaret. I got very nervous. And then she told me that she could not put down the pages – from the first to the last, she was hooked. I cannot tell you how happy that made me. And, as always, she was so specific about all the things she really liked. We spoke for fifteen minutes – well, I listened and she spoke. At the very end, she mentioned too tiny things that I should adjust – I did later on – it took me about ninety seconds to do it.
As some of you may have gleaned just from what I’ve been saying in these here notes, this is the return of Adriana Hofstetter in her sixth book. I almost was going to write this one last year, when I switched to Red Gold because I wanted to do something really different. But I had the title and the germ of the idea. Five months ago I decided to do this book. And I began making notes. But I kept thinking, maybe I should do something else, maybe something new, maybe a second Red Gold book, which I have a lot of notes on. I have never waffled so much, until one night about five weeks ago I found a way into this new tale that was completely unique to the series. Once I found that, there was no other choice. In fact, I got up that night and wrote a rough version of the opening two paragraphs. I read them three weeks later and rewrote them heavily. It was that opening that really grabbed Muse Margaret, so I was really glad it worked for her because it kind of informs everything that follows it. Anyway, I could not have been happier with her reaction.
Prior to that, I got up after a bit less than eight hours of sleep. I futzed and finessed the previous day’s writing, doing quite a bit to it, then I printed out the ninety-one pages. Before leaving, I wrote two new pages and finished a chapter. Then I took the pages to be Xeroxed whilst I ate some lunch next door – I had a cup of creamy tomato bisque and an egg salad sandwich (really good), then picked up the pages, delivered them and came home.
Once home, I wrote another five pages or so, starting the new chapter and doing a sequence that was so much fun I was almost dizzy writing it. I wrote right up until rehearsal began. The second Kritzerland rehearsal was pretty great. The kids had done their homework and so had the musical director, so we had very few hiccups at all. Everyone was hugely better. Oliviana Marie had the most growth and is doing a lovely job on my new song. Sarah Staitman also got very solid on her song and it’s going to be one of the best songs she’s done for us. Our lone boy is just so adorable, and Adryan Russ was just smiling from ear to ear. Brennley Brown is very special – honest and real with a gorgeous voice that is much more mature than her years. Hadley Miller was terrific on her two numbers, and we finessed the accompaniment even more. New to us Sydney DeMaria is so adorable and so funny, with a terrific voice. She will, I can assure you, become a regular member of the Kritzerland stable. As I was talking to her after, I realized she’d make a good Adriana Hofstetter. I’ve said it all about Jenna Lea Rosen – just superb and she’s really learned how to take direction and make it her own. Sami was late in arriving, but did a really good job on her two songs, although there was one section in my song that was giving her note problems. So we drilled it and plunked it out for her and she’ll be fine. The songs all work really well. Kay Cole was also with us, and we decided to switch up the arrangement of her song, so we put in a little instrumental and then she goes back to the bridge and sings to the end. It works much better that way.
After everyone left, it was too late to watch a motion picture, so I went back to writing and wrote another six pages and finished another chapter – thirteen pages in total. I’m really liking writing at this pace and I’m hoping I can continue doing so. Those final six pages basically took the remainder of the evening.
Today has turned into a busy, busy day, which doesn’t make me all that happy, as I won’t really be able to start writing until four o’clock – I’ll at least try to futz and finesse early in the day and maybe write at least a couple of new pages. I have an eleven o’clock meeting, a one o’clock meeting (both of those at restaurants) and then a three o’clock meeting. Once all that’s done, it will just be writing for the rest of the day and evening and probably no time for a movie.
Tomorrow is much less complicated. I will have to be gone until noon due to she of the Evil Eye, but once I’m back I’ll write most of the rest of the day, take a break and watch a movie, and then write some more. Sunday we have our stumble-through at noon, and then some of us will eat afterwards. I’ll probably write before the stumble-through and certainly after the meal. Monday I write during the day, and then it’s sound check at four and then show time at seven.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, have three meetings, and write. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Friday – what is currently in your CD player and your DVD/Blu and Ray player? I’ll start – CD, who knows? Blu and Ray, who knows? Your turn. Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have let the cat out of the bag about the new Adriana Hofstetter book.