Well, dear readers, thank goodness for a calmer day yesterday. A day completely sans drama. Just what the doctor ordered. I even got nine hours of sleep. That’s what I’M talkin’ about. Here’s an interesting thing: I come to type these here notes after writing all day and most of the evening. In the book document everything is double-spaced. In THIS document everything is single-spaced. It’s an eye adjustment that’s more difficult than you think. I don’t know why I felt compelled to bring this up, but now it’s out there in the open for all to see.
Yesterday was a double-spaced kind of day – room to breathe. Once I was up and coherent, I went right to futzing and finessing world and did quite a bit of it. But rereading the new opening for the final chapter made me very happy because it was just so right. But I needed to smooth things out, I cut a few bits, added a few bits, and then I decided I shouldn’t wait until six-thirty to eat, so I went and had a bacon and cheese omelet and a bagel. Then I came right home and began writing. It was slow going for a few minutes, but then I got to a really fun section and that part, which was three or four pages, flew by. I probably wrote seven pages prior to rehearsal.
Then everyone showed up. The living room was jammed – this is a cast of ten plus their parents. I only have about fourteen chairs so I think we squeezed six kids on the couch. Then we began our stumble-through, which had not one fumfer or mistake. These kids are so adorable and so talented, and the material, even the wacky material, just fits them like a glove. Lots of laughs, some things that were moving, and just wildly entertaining. The structure worked perfectly, too. I had a few notes and we worked some stuff after, but nothing major. There was only one number that I felt didn’t land the way it should have, and it wasn’t the fault of the singer. As I mentioned, little Hadley Miller is singing the Mama Morton song from Chicago – she loves the song and she sings it really well. This is along the lines of when we did Dance Ten: Looks Three, but there I actually rewrote the lyric. Here it’s the show lyric. I gave her some staging and she did that well and those parts did work. But it was like we were waiting there for some kind of payoff or point that never came. I knew this was on me, so after they left I looked at the lyrics and added some quick lines between verses that take the onus off what she’s actually singing about – in other words making innocent what isn’t in the song – I rewrote two lyric lines to make something funny, and that was that. I think it will really help, and she’s such a pro that I don’t think she’ll have any trouble learning it. She’ll call this morning and we’ll rehearse it over the phone.
Anyway, I was very pleased. It turns out no one was going out to eat, so I just went to Gelson’s and got some snacks for the evening, then came home. I continued to write, and again it was slow going – it’s always like this on the first and last chapters because I’m feeling my way in the beginning, and trying to feel my way to the end. I had one idea that I wasn’t sure of, but I think I’m going to try it – I actually began writing it differently but I kept thinking that it would be better this other way. We’ll see. In the end, I wrote about twelve pages and I may just write another two before I go to bed. I think I have around thirty-five more pages to go, something in that neck of the woods. I probably won’t print out anything today because there’s just too much stuff going on. I really think if I manage to do even ten pages tomorrow then I can finish on Monday and just give Muse Margaret the rest of the book. I really didn’t even take many breaks during the evening’s writing session.
Today, I’ll be up no later than eleven, but more likely ten or even earlier. I will futz and finesse for sure, and I’ll also try to write a few pages before getting ready and moseying on over to The Federal for sound check at about 1:30. Doors open at three, and then the show is at four-thirty. After, a lot of us are planning to go to Little Toni’s. I will, of course, have a full report. After I get home, then I’ll write as many pages as I can.
Tomorrow is a holiday, of course, so I will really try to buckle down, Winsocki and take it home, book-wise. I tend to do that at the end, just have a big burst and go for the gusto – on some books I’ve done twenty or thirty pages on the final day. The Hofstetter books usually come in at around 260 manuscript pages – this one will probably be ten pages less than that but will have more words. Not sure how that happens but it looks to be the case. The rest of the week is meetings and meals, seeing a few things, and figuring out what the March Kritzerland show is (we take off February). I also have to seriously begin thinking about the LA show and its structure. People are being VERY slow in getting me material, which is a real problem. I may just have to take the bull by the horns and write some stuff myself if no one else is going to.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, futz and finesse, write, have a sound check, do a show, sup, and write. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s free-for-all day, the day in which you dear readers get to make with the topics and we all get to post about them. So, let’s have loads of lovely topics and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have had a calmer day.