Slate at 9 1/2 weeks
I passed a milestone today. I've written 50% of the first draft for the Highway 89 book. Even better, of the part I've written, three chapter are edited and pretty much done.
When I worked at the UofU, I went to a media training session with Ken Verdoia. That was at least ten years ago, and I often think of his main message: "know what you want to say, say it, stop." There's so much I could say about the advent of middle-class tourism, the mystique of the road trip, the reinvention of the west. But I can't say it all at once, and it won't all fit into the book I envision. I do know what I want to say. It's not a blank slate, so far (fingers crossed, etc.).
I did get some more tools for the second half. I bought the most expensive thesaurus at the big box bookstore, one with a hard cover. I gave up on the on-line versions. Visual Thesaurus is kind of entertaining, just not while I'm writing. I used up my favorite spiral bound pad (top binding only, please), so I got another. I have tons of pens (Uniball Vision fine black. If I could get the purple ones by the box, I'd use them instead). Even though I am loving the Mac authoring software, Scrivener, I output the first draft by long-hand. Writing with pen, paper and my 3x5 index cards narrows my focus to the question: "what do I want to say?" Then I write down the answer.
R calls this kitten the Great Blank Slate. He won't be working at the Genius Bar, that's for sure. Like Randy Pausch, Slate thinks he should be having fun. With my 3x5 cards, books, hair. Slate hasn't tried the keyboard yet (Mango loves helping R with his MacAir), but that's because he's too busy galloping around the house. Slate is easy-going, and he's only fallen off the sofa once.
They won't be kittens for long. If I can keep them from disconnecting the wireless and chewing up my notes, I might just finish this book before Mango is a grown-up, serious cat. Slate, on the other hand, lives in his own version of Wonderland--he's trying hard not to grow up at all.
Comments (1)
he's trying hard not to grow up at all
Aren't we all?
Posted by Phil | June 5, 2008 11:22 PM
Posted on June 5, 2008 23:22