Ongoing Hostilities:  Couldn't sleep much, so I'm back up and doing some slice-and-dice (no rewrites) editing the new material from last night.  Deleted a gimpy scene that cut my wordcount back from 26,503 to 25,055.  Hated to do it but that scene was so lame only Christ could have saved it.

I'm going to save all the rewrites for Monday, so once the last of this chop work is done I'm heading back in to write new.  The kids will be back sometime today, but they're pretty good about these get-it-done marathons.  Will keep updating the wordcount as I roll on; that got me in gear last night.  Thanks for the cheers, I do appreciate them.

Oh and kids?  Don't try this at home. :)

12:39 pm:  Finished editing, added some dialogue bits I had worked out from my WIP notebook.  New starting wordcount: 25,549.  New goal: 40K by midnight.

2:38 pm:  Wordcount: 27,084.  The kids are home and exhausted from their trip.  Taking a break for hugs and stories of their adventures.

5:12 pm:  Wordcount: 29,100.  Taking a dinner break.  Making okay progress, kids are being great, my back hurts, though.  This is the tough part, slogging through the middle.

8:38 pm:  Wordcount: 30,198.  Two big revelations in one scene, had a time balancing and making them work.  Did you know there are 11,000 parts in a piano and 4,000 of them are moving?  I didn't. :)

12:02 am:  Wordcount: 32,410.  Eyes starting to glaze over.  I'm not going to make 40K but what I got tonight was good, and solid.  Taking a break, seeing if I can get the kinks out of my neck, might do a little more.

2:45 am:  Wordcount: 33,749.  Wrapping it up for tonight.  Tomorrow it's going to get ugly.  ¶ 6:15 AM

  Declaring War:  Since the kids are going to be home with me all summer, I've flip-flopped my schedule again to write new material at night and edit during the day.  I got another call that shaved another 7 days off one deadline, so I have to knock out 40K or better this weekend if I want to stay on schedule.  I've done 38K in a two-day stretch so I'm pretty sure I can swing it, but the next 48 hours should be interesting.

I've got to keep motivated, so I'm going to post my progress here as I go along.  7:28 pm -- Starting WIP wordcount: 18,317.  Goal: 25K by midnight.  Wish me luck. :)

9:02 pm:  Wordcount: 20,448.  Got through difficult scene but I feel like I'm plowing versus writing.  Thinking about it too much.  Taking a break for tea and to clear out the cobwebs.

10:54 pm:  Wordcount: 22, 841.  In the zone and the home stretch.  I might push for 26K if I can keep up the momentum.  Need water!

12:03 am:  Wordcount: 24,206.  Close but no cigar.  Hands and neck hurt, have to stop for a bit.  Soaking the hands in cold water, applying ice pack to neck.  Still have some energy left, though, so I'll hit it one more time before I go to bed.

3:19 am:  Wordcount: 26, 503.  Off to bed.  ¶ 6:35 PM

  Katharine Has the Last Word:  Legendary actress Katharine Hepburn's authorized biography "Kate Remembered" written by Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer A. Scott Berg will be released on Friday in accordance with Ms. Hepburn's wishes that it not be published until after her death.  The lady obviously knew how to make an exit.   ¶ 9:57 AM

  Lord, Lord:  Finally got to see Lord of the Rings; my PT is a big fan and put on the video while we were trying to work a kink out of my leg.  He made me take it home to finish watching it, too.  I think he's going to make me read the books as well, the sadist.

So.  Remembering as I do how many people I pissed off with my less-than-favorable opinion of Buffy, I must choose my words carefully now.  The special effects were interesting in spots.  That guy who played the blond fairy with the bow was majorly cute.  Otherwise, it didn't do much for me, sorry.  When I watch movies about lots of guys being, um, manly together, I usually like the Steven Segal or Bruce Willis or Jet Li variety.  No offense to those of you who loved the movie, Elijah and crew were quite lovable and I'm sure the LOTR franchise will continue to be a huge hit.

Oh, and Tolkien was Catholic, right?  That kind of smacks you right in the face up front.  ¶ 5:51 PM

  Why Harry?  A.S. Byatt turns visibly green in this op-ed rant over at the NYTimes.com (free registration required to read it) as she explains to the world why we're all screwed up for liking Harry Potter books so much.

Note too the discreet novel plug at the bottom of the article -- not that Ms. Byatt is trying to jump on the Hogwart's bandwagon to sell any copies of her Perfectly Wonderful Work, you understand.  No, it's her academic duty to correct us.

5 million copies were sold on the first day, right?  Of course someone should make a law against that or something.

I do love it though when snotty book reviewers trot out Freud.  They just can't resist shaking that literati naughty-naughty finger at the vulgar masses for enjoying a popular author.   There has to be some reason they're not making billions like Rowling, and it's because we have no taste.

Oh well. I don't know about you guys, but while A.S. writes with an eloquence not seen since the women used to kill themselves with lead-based white face paint and corsets, and she seems to have all her pyschoanalytic babbling ducks in a row, I'm afraid I just don't . . . byatt.   ¶ 1:34 AM

  Miracles Happen:  In 1984 a man named Terry Wallis was in a car accident that killed his friend and put him into a coma.  He also stayed in that coma for nineteen years, until last month, when he woke up.

He has a lot of catching up to do -- like getting to know his 19 year old daughter Amber, who was born just before the accident -- but what an amazing story.  ¶ 10:09 AM

  Submerging:  I'm heading into deadline week early and working sixteen hour shifts so I buy a few extra days of read-through time when the kids come back from vacation.  I dislike not having my progeny around so I'll be cranky for the next couple of days.  You guys know I never do well when I'm maternally deprived.

I'm way behind on e-mail too, so if I owe you one bear with me.  Working on three books at the same time = lousy response time on everything else.  ¶ 8:04 PM

  Better Late Than Never:  The new story and update are now up over on my author site, thank you Willa. :)  ¶ 2:52 PM

  Sweet Obsessions:  I thought I had an over-large sweet tooth, but this article on Hilary Liftin's sugary memoir "Candy and Me" made me feel better.  I am almost as much in love with fresh fruit as I am chocolate, and I never got into Jujubes and Lemonheads and what I think of as cheapie Halloween and movie candy. Okay, a couple of exceptions -- SnoCaps are okay now and then, as are Raisinets.

Reading this also made me realize that I'm not much of a sweets or junk food junkie anymore.  I rarely eat between meals.  I have a stash of M&Ms in my desk, which I administer the same way other writers pop aspirin.  At movies, I'm your basic popcorn girl (hold the icky theater butter.)  The few times I rent a video, I like to nibble on rice cakes or tortilla chips.  I've had more ice cream lately versus candy, and I'm kind of ice-creamed out too.

I've had to watch my diet so long that I'm hyper-aware of what I consume on a daily basis.  Also, I have a new and slightly naggish inner voice who analyzes my food choices and provides a running sarcastic commentary, i.e. "Sure, have some butter, you've got a few arteries you haven't clogged yet" or "Keep it up, another pound or two of chocolate and your butt will double as a desk."   ¶ 10:43 AM

  Rude Awakening:  I dearly love my boys, I honestly do, but the next feline who decides to wake me up by chasing his brothers across my back -- both with claws extended -- may find himself in a new home.  A new home with Dobermans.

I don't need stitches but it'll be a day or two before I can lean against anything.  I know, if it wasn't Monday I'd probably be laughing at this.

Ways to treat back lacerations when you live alone: quick lukewarm shower, apply mild soap with a long-handle scrunchie, try not to swear too much.  Apply antiseptic by scotch-taping swabs to a back scratcher (oh, the irony.)  Wear an old red t-shirt.   ¶ 7:54 AM

  Divide and Conquer:  Read a PW article this morning about the state of SF/F, this new idea to separate the genres in the book store and a couple of new developments.  Me and Blade got a mention too, which was unexpected but nice.

Some of what is being proposed sounds pretty good.  I don't know if I agree with the idea of bringing authors out in hardcover versus mass market; I think mm builds readership in the long-term.  Was happy to see romance not being trashed for once.  I don't agree with separating SF/F on the shelves; I think a lot of fantasy readers will miss out on SF they might have picked up while browsing for their favorite authors, and the same with SF readers.

Overall an interesting read.  It's good to see publishers trying new things and taking new directions.  ¶ 11:25 AM