triple shot

When I sat down to write on Friday morning I realized I’d only written 850 words for the week and only 3200 words for the entire month. Spending a week in Nevis threw my writing routine, and when I got back I found it hard to reach my self-imposed quota of a thousand words a day. But what I’ve learned about writing is that you have to trust yourself—and you have to keep at it even when the results are disappointing. By 3pm yesterday I’d written a thousand words and to celebrate I went out and bought a pint of triple espresso gelato. After devouring half the pint in one sitting, I went back to the novel and wrote another 1500 words before calling it quits around midnight. Then I woke at 4:45am and managed to crank out another 300 words before heading to the park for a run. I also did a bit of pruning last night—it’s funny how being productive somehow gives you the courage you need to cut away dead weight. When you’re not writing, every word seems too precious to surrender but I *know* this novel is too long. And I know that when I finish these last ten chapters, I’m going to have to go back to the beginning and show no mercy. I’m at 88K words and will probably reach 100K before I’m done.

It took a while for me to accept that this book will not be the novel I set out to write in 2003. In fact, I recently accepted the fact that it will also need a new title because it’s no longer accurate to call it Judah’s Tale. I first envisioned a book told entirely from Judah’s point of view. But now I’ve got alternating viewpoints, which helps to reveal the journey that Genna’s on as well. What interests me most is the way teenage girls handle power and so I’m struggling to give Judah equal time in this novel. I just don’t know him the way I know Genna, and I thought I could redeem him in this book but so far that’s not looking likely. He’s a boy who’s bought into patriarchy and there’s not a whole lot I can do about that—not if I’m committed to realism. Even a fantasy novel has its limits…

Ok, there’s no food in the house (besides leftover gelato) so I better head to the grocery store. Samiya Bashir posted a brilliant diagram on Facebook a while back that argued artists can only do two things at a time: you can meet your deadline and a) practice good hygiene, or b) socialize with friends, or c) maintain good eating habits. This weekend I think I will opt for good hygiene. If I reach 1000 by 3pm, I’m heading out for a burger with fries (hold the shake).