Dog Chow

I feel like Dog Chow today. My joints ache, head is pounding, throat raw and sinuses clogged. Being sick is the worst!

So, I just finished reading Lynn Viehl's "Way of the Cheetah". What a great book! It's a step-by-step outline of her own writing process and I was totally fascinated by it. Funny thing is, a lot of the things she writes about are the exact things I had to do to get myself into a regular writing routine. I imagine all of us in this profession have to find our way to the simple process of: "park your ass in the chair and do the work" but this book has some great ideas and methods to help you get into that daily swing. I strongly recommend it for anyone who wants to write for a living.

Actually, I have to admit I've been slacking on the regular work ethic lately. Been blaming it on the house problems but I can't let that happen anymore. I just have to push through the stress and GIT-R-DONE! Overall though, I am pretty damn happy with the amount of work I've churned out over the last year. My final word count for 2005 fell out just short of 600,000 words. That would be the equivalent of 5-6 standard length novels (or three if you're as long-winded as I am!) That is pretty satisfying. It makes me think I have it in me to really do this on a regular basis. It's kinda funny actually. For years I worried that if I wrote that much I'd run out of ideas and/or fresh words. Imagine my surprise when I realized the exact opposite was happening! I have more story ideas, creatures, and worlds bouncing through my brain now than ever before. (much to my wife's annoyance - I tend to fade off into extended "daydreaming" when she'd much rather I be focused on doing the dishes or taking out the garbage!)

So, back to the contractor saga:

In the end, I decided to give him one last shot. Why? Well, mainly because he's already been paid to do a decent chunk of the work he hasn't gotten to yet. Also because even though I have no illusions about him actually getting the entire job done, every bit he accomplishes is one less thing I have to do, and a few less dollars that I paid out for nothing. I warned him that if if he disappears once more: he's fired. If he's not done by next Friday (yea, right!): he's fired. He agreed to all this, and agreed to the items I need to backcharge him on as well. He claims he wants to finish the job because he's never left a job undone in his life.

We shall see.

Later!