A Century of Pages

Finally passed the hundred-page mark for The Pirate's Bride; 108 pages to be exact. This milestone actually occurred a few days ago, but I wanted to make sure I planned to keep what I'd written. (It doesn't happen often, but I do sometimes scrap whole scenes, and that would have taken me back into the nineties.)

Frankly, it doesn't seem like much for ten months' work -- only about 58 pages, 'cuz I had 50 when I started. I try to take into account, however, that I also completed a major and a minor rewrite to Slide in those ten months, as well as moved 1.5 households, provided serious emotional support to my dad as he coped with his wife's terminal illness and eventual death, and laid the groundwork for several other projects.

I would really love to knock out 50 more pages before November 6. That would still only bring my average up to about 8.3 pages per month... but who's counting?

Light the Sky and Hold on Tight

Ever feel like setting things on fire?

Not literally, of course. I am not an arsonist. But figuratively dropping the match on the pile of tinderwood you've been dancing around for months, even years.

I broke a friendship awhile ago -- shattered it, actually -- for a whole bunch of reasons, not the least of which is that it was time to let it go. Yet I keep a sort of minimal tabs online of the narcissitic personality in question. Why? Beats the hell out of me. Maybe it's the veiled references he is still making to/about me. Maybe I just can't let go of my anger.

I almost responded today. I almost poured on the gasoline and got out my flamethrower. Some nasty, dark part of myself kept whispering, "Burn it all!"

I wrote this instead.

Messing About in the Garden

As I write this, I should be working on The Pirate's Bride, for which I have managed to write about six pages in the past ten days, and a whole paragraph (okay, two) today. Chalk it up to the dental hygeniest appointment this morning, and then the errands I had to run, as well as the lunch I had with my dad to celebrate his birthday. (A larger celebration is planned tomorrow; though today is the actual date, we're celebrating tomorrow night.)

Those aren't much of an excuse, though, especially when I took the time to score 237,100 on Bejewled Blitz and look at my email umpteen times this afternoon. If I could play that game professionally, I think I would --I'd at least be getting a return on my addiction. But I digress...

And that's the problem. I'm digressing a lot these days, and regressing, and procrastinating, and all kinds of other "ing"s. Perhaps the problem with being self-motivated is that when you're not, there's no one to kick you up the backside and tell you to move along.

So I'm telling myself:

MOVE ALONG!

Bended, But Unbroken

Received the email I expected last night: we did not advance to the Semi-Finals for the Nicholl Fellowship.

Je suis desolee.

But I -- we -- will survive. It hurts, no doubt about it. I don't think we ever realize how much we are invested in something until it doesn't come to pass. I wanted this, and I try not to want very much... Except to have faith in the writing, to believe that we are good enough to do this professionally.

My faith is shaken but not lost.

Happy little planner that I am, I do not know what to do next. No doubt, however, something will come along.

Just More Questions; Different Kind

I'm not officially Catholic--or likely to become so--although as I told my husband the other day, I think I am genetically. The Irish is strong in this one, to paraphrase Darth Vader, and the long-suffering guilt of Catholicism steeps my DNA like a warm, insistent, soul-crushing lavage. Not that I'm complaining.

Or maybe I am. The phrase bucking for sainthood keeps coming to mind as I contemplate my current situation. From spontaneously agreeing to watch the neighbor's dog for the weekend to doing laundry for four adults (I volunteered) to redoing the dishes (not voluntary but necessary) to keeping the details of four lives in my head in order to organize a smoother existence (as much for me as for anyone), I sometimes wonder why I'm doing any of it. What if I didn't? What if I stopped?

I suspect it wouldn't make much difference, other than that the ensuing, low-level chaos would drive me crazy. So how can I be a saint to do it all if I'm really doing it for myself?

I'm not a saint. And I don't want to be a domestic engineer, either. I'm not even good at it--just have a look at the pile of cat hair collecting by the bookcase.

And I am tired of being called defensive; I am tired, too, of being the nag who insists people do what they know they ought to do. There are no children in my house.

I think I need to adjust my attitude... Trouble is, I don't know what sort of adjustment to make.

It's Raining in Baltimore

We got back from North Carolina Friday night after a 13 1/2-hour car ride with my dad's two cats. It would have been nice if we could have made the same time going down (just under 11 hours, with an hour of stop-time for food & bathroom breaks) as we did coming back, but Dad did more of the driving. Guess I didn't get my need for speed from him. :) More important, however: the cats were well-behaved, and so were the people. Dad and I had some good talks, which made the time go a lot faster.

Spent the weekend putting life back into some semblance of order. Shopped for a mattress set for Dad; tried to find a dress for an upcoming wedding; did laundry; planned the 2 week menu and grocery list; grocery shopped; deflated the air mattress; installed the new bed; played with the dog; settled in the cats. Busy, busy.

Still trying to get used to the new house myself. Can't find anything. Always tripping over something. Frequently trying to help someone else find/do something. Not much time to think, let alone write.

Perhaps -- to quote Adam Duritz -- I need a raincoat.

Guess Who's Back? Back Again...

Long time, no write... To tie up some loose ends: the house deal worked out. We ended up taking it, and we got the seller to pay for the carpet removal. Then we shelled out a bundle to have the floors redone (they really really needed it). Near as I can tell so far, it's all been worth it. We have a nice place, and we all (people and animals) seem to like it.

News: After a two-and-a-half year fight, my father's second wife died from complications created by larangeal cancer. William and I attended the funeral in North Carolina in late July, and Dad has begun the slow process of moving up here with us. We are enjoying his company, but we are so sorry for his loss.

Other News: We made the first cut in the Nicholl Fellowship. Out of a record-breaking 6380 entries, 321 screenplays advanced to the quarter-finals. Slide is one of them. We are very excited, and of course, hopeful that we might make it to the semi-finals. (Between 110 and 120 entries will advance)

Travel: Tomorrow I head back to North Carlina with Dad to start wrapping up the selling of his house and the moving of his stuff, not to mention bringing his 2 beautiful cats home to Rochester. I will have limited Web access for a while, but I plan to pick up this blog upon my return. I even plan to start writing again soon -- with luck, when I get back, or maybe even a little before.

Stay tuned.

A Plague on All Their Houses (Redux)

This is not a writing entry...

I will admit I have a temper, and that I have my unreasonable moments. That said, I'm assessing the ridiculous situation with our real estate agent and the seller's agent as worthy of anger and desire for satisfaction.

We had a closing date. Because, in the words of the seller's lawyer, the seller was "not ready to vacate" because he "had other closings" he was dealing with, the seller's lawyer did not hurry to respond to our attorney or get the necessary paperwork to our lawyer. (As an aside, we also know that the seller just closed a sale on May 15 -- 1 day after we were supposed to close.)This delayed the bank, but the bank put through its approval in short order, because we were already pre-qualified and ably demonstrated our financial commitment and ability. At that point, we were 2 days past the original closing date.

Now, the seller's lawyer says there is some title problem that still needs to be cleared up. We won't be closing this week either. Monday is a holiday, so the earliest we can close will be next Tuesday -- and that's not guaranteed yet; we still don't have a closing date.

Because the delay has all been on the other party's side, we requested an additional concession, and not a huge one -- we want the carpets removed from the house, which is something we wanted to include as a contingency in our original offer, but our agent said that was an unreasonable request. So we made arrangements to have the carpets removed after we moved in -- and now those arrangements have fallen through because of the delay.

Our agent acts like we're asking for a pound of flesh. His agent won't even present the request to the seller. We're thinking of getting out of the deal all together.

We upheld our end of the deal; the seller and his side are dragging their feet. The house has soured for us considerably. If we don't end up walking away all together, I am looking for some solution to this issue that does not leave us feeling hard done by.

So -- I'm calling on all of the powers of the universe. Help us to resolve this dispute in a way that no one is hurt or upset, but that justice is served.

Let karma be served, too, to our agent, who has failed repeatedly to advocate on our behalf; to his agent, who behaves as if he's more important than the other people in the deal, and who has intimidated our agent; and to the seller, who seems to be up to something that is at least questionable (more than mentioned here). As for the seller's lawyer, well... he's a lawyer. I think karma's already been served there.

Oh, and if you're local -- think twice before dealing with Nothnagle Realtors.

Cue the Theme Music from "Rocky"

I am not giving up.

Got the latest rejection from an agent today. Boy, they're so nice. I wish they would read the book, but at least they're nice.

I am not giving up.

I read so many books that are truly crap. We have not written the great American novel, but it's entertaining, and it's as good as so much of the stuff that's out there.

I am not giving up.

We will find someone to read this book. They will find someone to publish it. The public will enjoy it. Hollywood will snap it up. The movie will earn everyone money and maybe a few Oscar nominations. We'll keep writing more and let success breed success. We'll help other people be successful.

I am not giving up.

Tomorrow, I will send out the next query letter.

I am not giving up.

"P" Is for Pertussis

So... I've been coughing for over four weeks now, and from my Internet research and a friend's husband (who happens to be a professional), we've deduced I have pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough. I didn't realize that despite being immunized against it as a kid, it's still possible to get a milder form of the illness, and anyway, after 10 years or so, the immunization kinda wears off. (Makes you wonder about the other immunizations we received, doesn't it?)

It's very little comfort to know what it is, as there's really nothing I can do about it but cough until I stop coughing. Fabulous. I should be writing, getting back to The Pirate's Bride or storyboarding the next screenplay.

Or barring writing, I should be packing for the move. So far, I've packed one box. One. And that's one more than anyone else I live with. We're a motivated group, I'll tell you what.

Oh, well... it will get done. Or it won't. And this cough will go away. Or it won't.

Everything's eventual.

It's Out of My Hands (For Now)

It's official: on Friday at about 1:38 in the afternoon, we submitted Slide and our application for the Nicholl Fellowship. We feel we've submitted the best version of that screenplay that we could, and I guess that's all we can hope to do.

Now we wait. With something over 5000 applications for the Fellowship, it takes months for them all to be read, so we're not complaining. It's a great thing to know that our entry will be read at least once.

Here's the basic timeline for notification:
Quarterfinals: mid-July
Semifinals: August/September
Finals: October
Winners: November

In the meantime, back to work on The Pirate's Bride, and time to start work on our new screenplay, Come Dancing. It should keep our minds off things.

I Am I Don Quixote

Received yet another very nice rejection letter, this time from Agent #3. The courtesy that the agents we've contacted have shown is exemplery, and we do appreciate that. I just wish we could get one of them to read the book. I think they would be pleasantly surprised, enough so that they would actually represent us. What the hell are we doing wrong?

I'd hate to think that it's all about who you know, because if it is, we're screwed.

Well... time to keep tilting at windmills.

Could It Be? Yes, It Could...

Updates, updates, updates.

Sent out the latest agent query for The Long Black Veil.

Completed the initial edit of Slide. Need to re-read it tomorrow and check accuracy, consistency, spelling, format, etc. Closing in on done, though.

Started the application for the Nicholl Fellowship (which I have been misspelling up to now). Doesn't appear to be terribly hard to get the basic information submitted properly. All online, due no later than 11:59 PM on May 1st. (I thought it was May 3rd; glad I double-checked.)

It's good to have things in motion.

Restaurant Haiku

Burger King's on fire.

I can hear The King screaming.

You want fries with that?

~ Bill Gibson & Bobbi L'Huillier

A Little Less Conversation, A Little More Action

Argh. Spent Tuesday editing and rewriting 65 pages of the Slide screenplay, for a total of 86 pages DONE (out of the latest count of 105).

BUT... Hit a big snag. Have one major bit left to amend, and we're just not sure how to do it so that it

• Doesn't add too much extraneous material; and
• We don't end up "telling" instead of "showing" the action.

The application MUST be postmarked no later than 5/3/09. And I haven't fully read the application materials yet. And it's already 4/9/09.

So why the hell am I wasting time blogging?

Counting All My Blessings

So many reasons to be thankful...

March coming to a close.

Great friends who provided incredibly useful feedback on the Slide screenplay.

The possibilities of a new house.

The extended network of friends all over the country who are always so supportive.

The five kitties and the puppy.

The family members who offer their expertise and tremendous wit in equal measure.

The chance to get to know Dad again.

The way Jeannine, William and I work so well with one another, whether we're on vacation or buying a house together.

Time Tells Everything, Given Time

Not writing much here, but writing elsewhere...

Spent a few days in Dover, Delaware, marking the first anniversary of my mother's death by playing the slot machines at Dover Downs and hanging out with J and W. A strange tribute, some might say, but Mom would have loved that place. And Rehobeth Beach was gorgeous even in March.

Spent the past week or so editing the screenplay for Slide -- first to get it ready for a reading with our great group of friends, and following the feedback from the reading, to prepare the script for the Nichols Fellowship application due by May 3rd. We fully expect not to receive the fellowship, but the act of faith committed in trying for it is a good, good thing.

Holding off on sending to a new agent just now... the time doesn't feel quite right yet. Soon, I hope. By the by, should any of you have contacts in the literary/publishing field, we have no qualms about begging for your assistance. Just let us know you're willing to be groveled to.

And finally, we're house-hunting again. Fascinating stuff. May have found a place we like, though not certain yet. That too will come in time, no doubt.

Why I Love to Read Crap Books

Just finished one last night in fact. Oddly enough, just after I bought the crap book (used), I was flipping through channels and discovered it had been made into a Lifetime movie. You know, Lifetime... Television for Victims.

So why did I enjoy reading the crap book that (no doubt) got made into a crap movie?

'Cuz it gives me hope. The Long Black Veil is not the great American novel, but it ain't crap either.

Wahoo!

Make That a 2-fer

Got the first contact rejection of the year today; a brief but very nice response from the agent who doesn't feel the manuscript (The Long Black Veil) is right for her list.

I hope that's not code for "your writing sucks big time", but if it is, at least she put it nicely.

And at least she responded.

Guess it's time to go for the hat trick...

Maybe Monday.

We're Thinking of Getting Him A Car

Our Maine Coon cat, Jake, turns 16 today. I was in college and broke when I drove to Copenhagen, NY, to get him as a gift for Jeannine on her 25th birthday. We like to say he's a gift that keeps on giving.

We drove him cross-country (with 2 other cats -- Dauntless and Harry) to Oklahoma City when we moved there from Watertown, NY; and we drove him back eight years later with three other cats (Yuri, Fox and the Monkey) when we moved from OKC to Rochester, NY. He's been a faithful friend, always quick to come see what's wrong if any of us is upset, or happy to bitch at us when we're not doing what he wants.

He has a thousand nicknames, or somewhere in that neighborhood: Jacob, Yakov, Grape Ape, Poopoo-Lala (his Indian name), Rodan, Yar, Lion King, the Dragon, the Pooh, Mr. Poopoo, and on and on. And songs. You don't want to hear the songs, trust me. Well, maybe one...

I love the Poopoo-Lala

I love the Poopoo true

I love that Poopoo-Lala

Oh, Poopoo I love you!

Happy birthday, Poopoo-Lala!