Saturday, April 8, 2006
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Jupiter Retrograde
Rainy and cool

I was up for 21 hours yesterday. I got up around 6 AM and got to bed around 3 AM this morning.

It was quite a day.

Got out to the studio. Yesterday was the last day of shooting on Episode 10 – and, for some reason, they decided to overlap and shoot the first day of Episode 11. AND, they’d been on location for the previous two days. That meant we had to offload the costumes from the truck that we needed for the day – but since they’re going out again on Monday, stuff like the Court Officers – I got their sizes and just worked from the truck. No point in taking all the pieces off the truck and reloading. It was easier to write down the sizes for both units, get the pieces from the truck and bring them inside. At the end of the night, we had to load everything they needed for Monday back ON the truck, so that they’re ready to roll before the crack of dawn. I was mostly working the unit shooting Episode 10, but nipped over to help on 11 when they needed it.

I was wrapped at midnight, and they were still shooting. The van got stuck on the 59th Street Bridge, so it was well after one a.m. before I got back to the city from the studio.

So I stayed at my friend A’s place. He’s just repainted his apartment and it is AMAZING. Oh, my gosh, you’ve never seen such a great space in your life. The bedroom is such a gorgeous sanctuary I didn’t want to leave.

And, we were up talking until past three in the morning.

Hey, I can’t go home and go straight to sleep, no matter HOW many hours I’ve been working.

On Thursday, I managed to finish the trim in the vestibule. It looks decent. I couldn’t fix all the problems created by the prior workmen (they sure as hell weren’t craftsmen), but it looks better.

Also, on Thursday, I wrote a page on Regan Kincaid and yesterday, on my dinner break, a page and a half. Plus, during another break, I got about three pages done on an outline for a proposal packet that needs to go out soon.

It’s frustrating, because I’m used to being able to do 5-10 pages per day on whatever. And now, due to physical problems (my arm) and psychological stress (the Situation) which causes the need for action that has nothing to do with writing, it’s tough to get any writing done.

So I look at each page as a victory, and I’ve stopped berating myself for only doing one page instead of six. One page is still one more page than I had the previous day.

And, because Regan Kincaid is being structured on character, plot and theme simultaneously instead of character first and figuring out the rest of it in subsequent drafts, the crafting of it is bound to be slower.

I’m moving from being a blank pager to an outliner. One reason I find this helpful is that, when I have to put the work down for a period of time, it’s easier not to lose the thread of it when I go back to it. Basic notes are there. And, on the days when I feel about as inspired as wilted lettuce, the notes give me a structure. And as I force the words across the page, they begin to flow more easily.

The first three sentences are always the hardest. Getting back in. Once I get past that, it gains momentum and I can keep going until the arm gives out. Which, unfortunately, right now, is sooner rather than later.

The Lighthouse Stevensons continues to fascinate me. As does the development of the way England and Scotland developed their lights. It’s also interesting to me that, although the UK lighthouse system was begun far earlier than the US (heck, there wasn’t even a US at the time), the Montauk light, decreed by George Washington and built in 1792, was far more organized and supported than the lights in the UK. Comparing the timelines of the development is fascinating. I want to go back through my Montauk notes --- I think it was built more along the lines of the Scottish ideas than the English.

Guess when George Washington wanted to get something done, it got done.

Woke up just before 8, reluctantly left the lovely boudoir, caught the 8:37 and was home by 9:30. Went shopping for a shower gift for a friend, came back and crashed.

In other words, today, I have been a waste of food.

I read a biography of Doris Lessing. I appreciate her as a stylist, but I can’t say I enjoy her work The biography was interesting and reinforces what I feel when I try to read her – the dispassion and coldness just don’t work for me. I applaud what she’s achieved as a writer, but she’s not on my list of “must buys” or “must reads”.

I gave myself the day off from painting. I’ll just have to deal.

I slept a bit, and watched coverage of the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct and whatever prep race it was out at Santa Anita. Bob and John, a horse to whom I’ve paid absolutely no attention, won the Wood. And won it nicely. Brother Derek, who’s expected to be the favorite in the Derby next month, won at Santa Anita. He did a great job, but I adore the horse who came in second, Point Determined. His daddy’s one of my favorite horses of all time, Point Given. Point Determined closed well, and I think he can go longer. Belmont, perhaps? I hope he runs in the Derby, but I think he’d really shine in the Belmont.

I cleaned up my blog links, to the right. I got rid of quite a list. Some of the blogs have been discontinued; some of them I just don’t read anymore. Several people on the list I started reading during NaNo last year; however, their writing has waned and we have little in common. I’m really not interested in kid-centric blogs, unless they’re by friends of mine (like Mik or Colin or BK or Lara or Angela, et al where I both care about their kids AND they write well about them) or written so brilliantly that I’m enthralled every time I read them and must have my fix (Lara, in particular, writes brilliantly about her kids – she reminds me of Jean Kerr, and yes, that is a compliment).

If you don’t know who Jean Kerr is, go look her up. And while you’re at it, look up her husband, Walter Kerr.

I’ve added a bunch. Adrian’s blog, which used to be “Quantum View” is now “Chronicling the Novel . . .” and Anne’s freelance writing blog is now “The Golden Pencil”.

And I’ve added

Lori’s Words on the Page;

two of Kristen’s -- ::inkthinker:: and Editing for Everyone

and two of my friend Sagie’s – From the Observation Deck and Granny Grumbles.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Off to make popcorn and enjoy a quiet evening.

Devon