What's that, you arsehole god-botherer?
No, stupid o'clock on Saturday morning, especially THIS Saturday morning, is not a good time to try to sell me a motherfucking bastard copy of Watchtower.
Goodbye.
But at least it's a gorgeous sunny day and I am in the unusual position of being completely at leisure, with no obligation to do anything at all...
...on account of handing the book in to the publisher yesterday evening. Yee-haarrr! I have my life back.
So here we are - deadline day.
I have a serviceable second draft which I'm reasonably happy with. Just need to take it home after work, read it through one more time, tinker about a bit, add a 500 word introduction and send it off.
Then it will be time for a mahoosive fuck off round of shots during last orders. And sleep, the sleep of the damned. Saturday morning will not exist, and that's official.
This morning I ended up doing something I swore I'd never do. I worked at my writing desk wearing a dressing gown and slippers for four hours. It's the living end for authors, as far as I'm concerned (think Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys - so not a good look). However you'll be glad to hear that general standards have since been restored.
I'm having a day off work to fill in the last gaps in the book, get a few more quotes and edit the whole thing down. So imagine how lovely it was to find that the flat upstairs had arranged to have their kitchen ripped out and replaced this morning. and they have the worst type of builders - the ones who bellow constantly at one another for no real reason. They could have warned the neighbours, the bastards.
Anyhow, I shall prevail. I mean, I've survived a dose of flu, a cancer scare, and a bunch of family and work bullshit during the writing process already, so unless they come through the ceiling or cut the power to the whole block it will probably be OK.
Note to self: You can't research and write a fact-based quote-filled book of this size in a two-month period if you're fitting it in around a full time job and evening classes. Not without destroying your social life and making yourself waaay too stressed to be healthy. Next time, do the maths, you silly thing.
Once it's handed in I'll soon be in receipt of a small cheque; just enough to buy a lobster dinner, get a couple of decent massages to uncrick my shoulders and lower back, and send myself off to a B&B by the sea for the weekend. Something nice to look forward to, eh?
I'm nearing the end of the first draft, although I have a touch of the zombie about me today. Still, it was worth it.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I had a lovely birthday yesterday, with smashing messages and cards and gifts and especially people, even if I did spend most of it doing research and book stuff. Sadly there was no drunkenness on my part as I think 4,000 (good) words are needed before bedtime today, but next year I promise to throw a proper lairy party of some sort.
So here's the rest of my week in pictures.
I will be mostly doing this:
And drinking so much coffee I turn into this:
And ending up like this:
But soon I will be doing this:
(that's a White Russian in there, I think)
Oh, sorry. That's one from the private collection. Don't know how it got in there.
*cough*
I'm currently working on chapter six of this eight-chapter tome, so the finish line edges ever closer. It will be great to hand the bloody thing over in the next few days. Then I might lie down in a darkened room for a while, to eventually emerge with a thirst for tequila slammers. To be followed by a lie down in a darkened room. Repeat as necessary.
This week might be rather busy, but hopefully there will be a first draft together by Sunday night.
Go on, encourage me.
I've had a few days off sick with the office lurgy and am still not back to 100%. Unfortunately this means the book has slipped behind schedule somewhat, but I'll be OK so long as I get a whole chapter finished this weekend, and the next chapter finished by next Thursday.
Mind you, two whole chapters is quite a tall order, but I think I can do it so long as I cancel everything else and switch to coffee 24/7. My birthday is postponed, I think.
Meanwhile I'm supposed to be preparing for my appraisal, and frankly it's not a good time to be getting stressed about anything. I'll just keep my head down this time.
