This morning I completed the second draft of the new murder mystery, The Drowned Doll. The first draft came in at about 70,000 words, this one is just shy of 93,000, which is right about where I wanted it.
I then got dressed and went to the gym. January has been abysmally cold, so I haven’t been going. I used to be very susceptible to colds at below 25 degrees, and although I’m not so much anymore, I still draw the line at 10 degrees and stay home. It’s been push-ups and aerobics for the last few weeks. This week the weather broke a bit and it’s been up in the 30s and 40s. But I wanted to get this book done, so I haven’t gone. Pumping iron as partial celebration. How perverse is that!
Anyway, I kind of like the new book. It’s got a nice shape, interesting characters (I think), and a serviceable mystery. Tomorrow I’ll print out this new draft and let Donna tear into it, after which I’ll pick up the bleeding corpse and fix it up and it should be really good, then. (All my books are, at some point, Frankenstein creatures, sewn together parts and repaired viscera.)
Also this morning I got an email from BenBella. They’ve put up my essay from the Hitchhiker’s Guide anthology they did, The Anthology At The End of the Universe, and you can read it here . It’s a strange piece, even for me, but I had a good time writing it and every time I read it I think “my, I was reasonably clever with this, wasn’t I?” Or something like that. I’d like to think Douglas Adams would be pleased with it.
I’m going to go upstairs now and read. I get to rest now. Tomorrow I can print the manuscript and start cleaning my office.
Oh goodie.