Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Page 201
This morning, after the manuscript of Hang Fire, the mystery-in-progress, reached Page 201, I realized two things:
1. I now know the identity of the murderer.
2. There seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.
Progress on the fourth Steve Martinez novel had been slow, agonizingly slow, since my little cardiac event of nearly a year ago. No doubt the infarction and consequent triple bypass of last August took some of the wind out of my sails, but the deeper truth is that as a writer I am chronically feckless. From time to time a pang of guilt will get me going, but not for long.
The last month I have been working every day, forcing myself to put in two hours or get at least two pages done before goofing off. Discipline, discipline, discipline. (I used to have it but retirement gave me an irresistible opportunity to loosen my belt and liberate the paunch.)
There's now a strong possibility this manuscript might get done by the end of the summer.
Then the really hard work -- rewriting, rewriting, rewriting -- lies ahead. Sigh. I hope I'm up to it.
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Good to hear progress is being made! There are some of us who are waiting impatiently for Hang Fire to be available.
ReplyDeleteI can symphaize with the call of distractions when there is work to be done. But nose to the grindstone, shoulder to the wheel etc. (a truly tough position to write in!). Don't be taken in by the beauty of your surrondings, photo ops, etc.
If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster.’
ReplyDeleteFrank Muir.