Well, dear readers, this year is flying by, like a gazelle doing a back flip on Wilshire Blvd. So, how was the first day of 2016? Well, I’ll tell you how the first day was of 2016 because why should I withhold such information from you dear readers? I shan’t and I won’t, not necessarily in that order. I had difficulty falling asleep due to book thoughts roaming around the windmills of my mind. I probably fell asleep around three, then slept straight through until the alarm rang at ten. I’m always alarmed when the alarm rings, but I guess that’s the point. Once up, I answered e-mails and did some stuff on the computer until I was completely coherent because I find one must never start a new novel when one is only partly coherent. So, around eleven o’clock I opened the new book document. That’s always a momentous moment for me on the first day of a New Year. As I’ve mentioned, in recent years I’ve found it helpful to write the first two or three paragraphs a few weeks or months ahead of writing the book. That way, when I open it, there’s already something there, I read it, fix it, finesse it, or change it completely. The point is that it kick starts me into my writing mode, which is exactly what it did. Now, in last year’s Murder at the Hollywood Division, I’d actually written about three pages of the opening scene. I pretty much liked it and only changed a handful of things.
For the new book I’d also written about three pages, just to get a feel for the flow and rhythm and to try and figure out my way into telling the story. In recent days I was thinking about what I’d done and wasn’t sure it was right, but when I read it it seemed to work. And I really liked the title. So, I finessed and futzed those opening three pages for about forty minutes, then began the new writing. I finished chapter one (the chapters in this book will probably be shorter than usual, but who knows), which is the set-up – it needed to be short and sweet and it is. Then I had a decision to make regarding the style of the book once I began the second chapter. I went back and forth about it, but made the decision that I think will work best. I wrote up to page twelve, then took a break. I think twelve pages is the most I’ve ever written on the first day of writing. But it was still fairly early, so I did a jog then continued writing when I got back. I got halfway through page seventeen, which I couldn’t believe.
Then I got ready to mosey on over to the Pearl household for a New Year’s Day partay. I got there about four-fifteen and there were already quite a few people there, all of whom I knew. I spent most of my time with Kay Cole and her ever-lovin’ Michael Lamont, but also talked to Jeff Harlan quite a bit – he was one of the original Dancing Dildos. It was a very fun partay and the food was excellent. I personally had one slice of something called ham, one slice of something called turkey, and a tiny bit of something called salmon. All that was very calorie friendly. I had a tiny bit of something called black-eyed peas, some asparagus in some kind of vinaigrette, and, best of all, excellent potato salad, along with some green salad. When it came time for seconds, all I had was another helping of potato salad and green salad. I was stuffed but I think there was nothing outrageous, calorie-wise.
Then the brought out the desserts. I had a very small slice of something called Louisiana crunch cake – it was very good. I had one small cookie, and a brownie bite. I took my leave around eight-fifteen and was home by nine. Once home guess what I did? I wrote. I adjusted a couple of things, was very happy with a direction I took with some character history, which enabled me to write about one of my favorite areas of Los Angeles – yes, the new book takes place in the city that almost all of my books have taken place in, which I think qualifies me as one of the most LA of LA writers. I had to do a bit of research as I wrote that section, but boy was I having a good time. I’m hoping I like it when I read it this morning. I ended up writing almost twenty-one pages. I felt pretty damn good about that.
So, I watched no movie, listened to no music, but it was just a very nice first day of 2016, and I hope all of you dear readers had an equally nice first day of 2016.
Today, I’ll arise when I arise, I’ll read over yesterday’s writing, futz and finesse as needed, and then proceed. I’m hoping I can at least write seven to ten pages a day on this book and more if I’m feeling my oats. And I’ve bought some oats just for that purpose. At some point I’ll eat (I may make a batch of tuna pasta salad and eat half today and half tomorrow – I always lose weight when I do that because half of it is about a thousand calories and it’s so filling you can’t eat anything else), I’ll hopefully pick up packages, and at various points I’m sure I’ll relax and watch something fun.
Tomorrow will be exactly the same. On Monday morning I head over to the SAG offices in the San Fernando Valley so they can help me fill out some sections of my pension paperwork that are confusing to me. Once I turn that in, the pension should begin in February. I could have taken this three years ago, but I just didn’t and it did go up a bit in that time, so that’s good. But I see no reason not to take it and it’s money every month for as long as I live. I also want to check my earnings for the year 1981 because I don’t think they’re correct. That was the year of The Creature Wasn’t Nice and unless I simply didn’t take an acting salary, which I don’t think would have been possible since it was a union gig, the earnings for that year should have been quite large but in glancing at the yearly stuff it didn’t seem so. We’ll see. Then the rest of the week will be meetings and meals, doing a show order, writing the commentary, but mostly writing the new book every day.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, write, eat, hopefully pick up packages, write, relax, and write. Today’s topic of discussion: If you could get in our haineshisway.com Time Machine and go back in time and walk any street or neighborhood of your choosing for three hours, which would it be, what year would it be, and why? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy as a Louisiana crunch cake to have begun a new novel.