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January 22, 2023:

FINISHING THE BOOK 23

Bruce Kimmel Photograph bk's notes

Well, dear readers, I have bombshell breaking news. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, I have breaking bombshell news and that news is that I have finished my twenty-third book. I finished it at nine-thirty last evening and it was quite emotional for me to write the final pages, just because I knew it was coming to an end. This one has been exhausting to write because of the style and conceit but it’s an idea I’ve wanted to do forever and could never figure out how to write until it finally came to me after twenty years, back in late December. And in certain ways it’s been really fun to write and in certain ways it’s been really hard to write. The book came in at 296 manuscript pages and over 72,000 words. Normally, my books come in at around 267 manuscript pages and 52,000 words. I hate to be so enigmatic but I really can’t reveal anything about it until Muse Margaret has seen the last 100 pages, which I’m praying she’ll like, and then the endless proofing stuff. Once that’s all done, I’ll post the cover and title. You know I want to do all that right this second, but we do have prying eyeballs here and I learned long ago not to jump the gun in that regard. Once I wrote the final sentence, which I must say I really like, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck because the last few days have been so concentrated with writing. I’m sure I’ll have stuff to futz and finesse tomorrow, and then I have to add the handful of things Margaret said would be helpful – those are really tiny, minor things that won’t take more than thirty minutes. I’m still feeling quite the mix of emotions at this point and probably will for the next few days, as that’s what usually happens. So, book twenty-three is done save for anything Muse Margaret may or may not mention, so there may be minor things that are cut or added to but it won’t be anything major, at least that’s the hope.

Yesterday was a finishing the book day, as that is literally all I did from the time I got up to the time I finished, with time off for a meal. I got nine hours of sleep, arising at one. I answered e-mails and got coherent and then futz and finessed for about ninety minutes, then wrote new pages, about five at that point. Then I went to Gelson’s and got a small top sirloin steak and a baked potato for food, came home, broiled the steak and ate it, then microwaved the potato and ate it with whipped butter, chives, and whipped butter and chives. All of it was very good and then it was back to writing.

The rest of the writing went pretty smoothly because I at least knew exactly what was left. I did another five pages, then another, and that was fifteen. Thinking ahead, I realized that there wouldn’t be more than ten or eleven pages left, so I just mushed on and did them and it was eleven more pages in the end. After I finished, I went to K’s Donuts. They were out of the two things I wanted, but I got a chocolate buttermilk bar and a jelly donut, stopped at CVS for more Pepcid, and then came home and ate the damn donuts and then it was time to write these here notes.

Today, I’ll try to be up by eleven or so, I’ll futz and finesse and then send the new pages to Muse Margaret. Then I’ll do the little adjustments and send her just those pages with the additions highlighted. After that, my intention is to have a ME day and to just watch, listen, and relax.

This week I have another project to get started on, a little workshop of a new play I’ve been asked to direct and am happy to do so and I’m looking forward to working with the writer on it and casting it. I’ll also hopefully see episode nine at some point this week, I’ll have a finishing the book celebratory dinner, and I’ll catch up on stuff and keep hoping for some kind of major miracle or there will be HELL toupee.

Well dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try and be up by eleven or so, futz and finesse, send new pages to Muse Margaret and hope that she likes them, do the little adjustments, about six things, then send those pages to her so she can see what I’ve done, and then just watch, listen, and relax. 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 finished book number twenty-three.

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