Muse Interrupted

Day 11 of Writing Marathon.
Why is it taking so long?

• The Unexpected. Take today: had to move my rickshaw cuz of the floods in Bangkok. Now that my rickshaw is no longer at risk, I had to move it back so the final work can be done on it. I don't have to do that every day, but yesterday it was the hospital check-up, the day before my computer died, yada yada yada. Total time spent: 3 hours.

Now, that is unexpected! - art by fayren pickpocket 

• Sleep. Let's face it: the longer/more/harder you work one day the longer/deeper/more sleep/naps you have to take the next. It's just not a desk job, where you can push yourself doing the same thing every day. Inspiration and creativity come at a price and that price is a clear focused mind, which means sleep enough to get it. There are no shortcuts or bonus rounds in writing a book. Total sleep time 'good' day: 6 hours. Total sleep time the next day: 10 hours.

This is how dysfunctional my sleep is now - The Kiss by Chris Bachalo

• Inexperience. It's my first book. My 1st draft was really 3 drafts (Nancy's writing, my writing, our blended writing). My 2nd draft was really 2 more drafts (oh, let's add different character erspectives - no wait, we're over 200.000 words). My 3rd draft was really just a massacre (HACK... SLASH... Look mama, we slashed 100.000 words... oh, we also turned the book into bullet points). And finally the 4th draft is trying to fix plot, character development, scenes, dialogue and syntax. Sheesh!

An approximation of my process each and every
freaking draft. Prison Break - 20th Century Fox

• Conan and Jon. Okay, this one is my own fault, but if I don't end my day with a little late show viewing my brain keeps on rattling on and BAM, I'm lying an extra 2 hours in bed talking to myself about plot, drama, characters and how bad I want to sleep. Did I mention Nancy's on a work trip, so there's no one to tell me to 'shut up and go to sleep!'? Total laughs: 138. Total tears (for skipping work): 138. So I guess that evens out. Talking about Nancy...

Then again, the result of zoning out with TV can be that I find,
characters which inspire the looks of mine. Jimmy Neutron - Nickelodeon.

• Nancy and Alex. I love them and I love spending time with them. I write at home and you try keeping a energetic 6yr old Lego-building maniac from showing off his latest creation (which are admittedly cool... tee hee). Or... or you try not wanting to hug and cuddle with the most beautiful woman in the world, who turns into a helpless meowing kitten, as she's gotten sick from travelling and is lying in bed sneezing and coughing. Total love factor: 1 MILLION. Total work productivity: -98%.

Come on and tell me this is not worth some time away from writing, huh?
Okay, the kid is older and the wife a little less at home,
but they're still as fuzzy as in this picture!

and finally...

• I'm only trying to put together the most awesome, well-written, plot-intensive, uber-mythological, multi-genre-spanning, endearing, challenging, frightening, exciting, mind-blowing, ever-in-size-increasing, page-turning, globetrotting, adventurous, romantic, empowering, escapism-enhancing, sponge-bathing (what now?), game-changing, record-breaking, bestselling, Harry-Potter-And-Lord-Of-The-Freaking-Ring-smashing, life-improving, balanced, ecological-minded, social-commentating, detective-like, crazy-freakish, stupendous, wonderful, enlightening, fantasy-rich, marvelous, excellent, tear-jerking, laugh-inducing, atypical, engrossing, box-office-hit-in-the-making, unusual, funny, sad, intelligent, risky, nature-loving, surreal-experiencing, delicious, nutritious, imaginary, inspiring, all-inclusive, 

BEST YOUNG ADULT NOVEL 

SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME

(and forever after, sticks to you, no rebound until eternity, so there)

And that's why it's taking so long.

Okay, maybe writing blogs like these adds a little to the problem. Total time wasted: 1,5 hour. Good grief.

Ses i morgon.