How Did I Ever Have Time to Go To Work?

At the end of the year, I "retired" to write full time. How is that working out? The good news is that I took my 108,000 word albatross, changed the main character and the back story, trimmed 8,000 words (8 is a lucky number in Chinese cultures) and did the rewrite and another edit. Now the book goes to an editor for further work, and then it's off to the agents yet again. I am feeling pretty good about this.

Made two out of state trips.

Now it's back to Festival Madness, where I am struggling with a complicated (but good) plot and the necessity to get the first draft done soon. At least this book starts off with a bang (a murder and then an FBI raid) and the subplots all tie in to the main plot. I think it will be a good who-dunnit. Not a cozy, but not a blood and guts book either. So it's time to sit down and suck it up and pump out those words.

Meanwhile, Significant Other and I are cruising into town at least once a week for lunch and various events. This is really cool. We went to a coin show last week and there are plots and books coming out of my head already.

The other things is that we are making an effort to rid the premises of various old records (33's), books, weird collections, and all that jazz, with the idea of turning some of this old junk into cash. Turns out this is work, which is why there are middle men (and women). Anyway, it is sort of fun, and the old album covers from the 60's and 70's are really cool. This is also a time sponge. On the other hand, I am getting stuff done that I have put off for 20 years. Yes, I swear to it.

And cooking. Trying recipes that have been in the recipe files for lo, these many years. Baking cookies from scratch, so far the old tried and true, but that will change. I have to confess that homemade cookies, real butter, fresh nuts, real vanilla, attention to detail are: a)a pain in the butt and b) truly delicious and c) addictive. Right now the cookie jar contains a dwindling supply of Mexican Mocha Balls.

Tonight we're having a pork tenderlion with yellow pepper sauce. Mostly Mexican - to go with the cookies. We're even doing homemade corned beef and cabbage on Friday. Now of course this eating has to be balanced with a certain amoung of exercise and diet meals. So we're walking or at the gym a lot.

I have watched a few TV programs: the Olympics, the Sopranos, a couple of on demand movies. I read a few books, some good, some so-so.

The house is slightly but not much cleaner.

How did I ever have time to go to work?

Grapeshot