Chapter 33.9: West Wing Shear

Ok, perhaps I missed something on tonight's episode, but there's a problem about the story line depicting the trouble with the International Space Station. My understanding is that there is an attached Soyuz capsule on the ISS at all times to serve as a lifeboat in the off chance the crew has to abandon the station. That could have been addressed in two sentences in the show, and I think it should have been. They could still have posited the military shuttle idea and suggested that CJ Cregg leaked the story to the New York Times, but the lifeboat should have been addressed. If I missed it, then mea culpa: it wouldn't be the first time.

Chapter 33.8: Mate in Three Moves?

I was intrigued by the re-emergence of chess master Bobby Fischer, who has been detained in a Japanese jail since last July. Apparently he hadn't shaved since then and his face was covered in a gray beard, which looked perfectly suited for his new life in Iceland.

He reportedly has become an Icelandic citizen and renounced his U.S. citizenship. He and his Japanese wife, whom I believe he married while he was in prison, flew to Reykjavik. They love him in Iceland, where he won his most famous chess match against Russian master Boris Spassky, a 1972 battle in the Cold War.

I didn't realize the problems with the United States revolved around his earning $3 million for beating Spassky again. The 1992 match was in the former Yugoslavia, which was verboten territory for Americans back then, according to the article.

As I recall, Fischer had been a bit of a recluse prior to 1992 also.

Personally, I think there should be t-shirts emblazoned with his bearded, baseball-capped visage, perhaps with a phrase in Icelandic -- not that I know anything about the country outside of Björk (or is it Bjørk?). He denounces governments, plays chess better than 100 percent of the planet (statistically speaking), and runs away to the Arctic circle. How cool is that!

Chapter 33.5: Moving Forward

The edits began today. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right. I’ve made the basic proofreading fixes, beefed up a few verbs, but I don’t know that I’m reading it like a reader would. I don’t know yet if it’s enjoyable. I’m still locked into the first chapter; I might need to give it more time to sit. It’s too fresh.

Perhaps this is because I’ve gone through the first chapter so many times already. I don’t know chapter 20 nearly as well, and it’s been months since I last read that deep into the story.

Still, today has not been a loss. I’ve gotten below 120,000 words. I’ve also asked some questions of the novel I believe a reader would ask and which need to be addressed. This will take a while.

Chapter 33.4: Worry Warts

I was just reading a piece about marketing one's small business. The sixth of the six tips spoke of not letting yourself worry -- to think positively. Sounds good, of course, but it's not that easy. Not to go into too much detail on what is a worldwide billboard, but I can relate to worrying too much.

Perhaps the thing I'm most positive and optimistic about currently is my novel, which I've barely touched since finishing 10 days ago. Mentally, I've eliminated some scenes and chapters, though I've got to physically do it and resolve the potential timeline holes that creates. I honestly expect those particular scene changes to not be so difficult. The primary purpose of those scenes is to create a reason for the wife to be out of town at a particular time. I can do it more succinctly without losing the story or the reality those scenes convey.

As any writer should, I recognize that I'm a small business. I need to have a product to bring to market -- articles or novels or scripts, editorial services as well -- and I need to let potential customers know about me, my talents, and what I can do to help their business grow. I hope to grow my business, and along with that will come other business partners. Of course, there's more to a business plan than those things. I have to know my market and show how I am focusing my strategy to meet what the market needs while differentiating myself. And I suspect that each new book will have a new "management team" of readers who have the skills and background to show me what I'm missing in the product -- whether it's my understanding of a specific setting or line of work or, God forbid, grammatical structure.

I was watching snippets of tonight's Project Greenlight, where the producers (including Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) selected a script and a director. What intrigued me was that neither the script nor the director were unanimously accepted. Serious issues of art versus commerce arose. I was a bit surprised that the less commercial director was selected, for he will present some obvious challenges. He doesn't seem to prepare well, and it's not clear what his vision is of the film he's to create. For him to succeed, it will take more than artistic talent.

One comment I found interesting was that the safer selection could have created a "double" on a baseball scale, while this guy could hit a home run but just as likely strike out. (Is it any surprise that Affleck and Damon are Red Sox fans?) In part, the safe selection was based on personality, and the antagonism toward the selected director also appeared based on personality. The director who presented himself as the weaker "small business" was selected, but how much slack will he be given before the leash is yanked back and possibly chokes him. I hate reality shows generally, but I might actually watch this one.

Chapter 33.3: Starting Slow

I can't say anything about the nascent baseball season has caught my attention yet. At this point in March I'm usually paying attention to learn which young players to watch and which team will be the surprise that catches their division asleep. (I think it's the Mets, actually, but they're not a huge surprise.)

But with all the discussion about steroids I'm simply not that interested. I probably am a hypocrite, because I believe the biggest problem with baseball right now is that fans are willing to give cheaters a pass. Yet, here I am saying 'I don't care, just start playing.'

I've looked at the Mets early schedule, and I think they could post a strong April and early May, especially if they put their pitching rotation the way I think they will. But it all remains to be seen. Perhaps the Marlins won't be as strong as I think they could be. I expect the Braves to win the division again, and I think the Mets aren't capable of more than 89 wins -- and that's a stretch in my view.

But right now I don't care. Is this part of what happens during a mid-life crisis? Hard to say. This is my first go-round as far as I'm aware. Perhaps I need spring instead of this crazy, disgusting weather: 58 one day, 28 and snowing the next. Give me a break! I need a vacation like no other time in my life. Not happening yet, however.

Chapter 33: First Draft

I have finished the first draft of my first novel, and I’m fighting my exuberance. I know there’s lots of work left to do, and I still have weeks of work before my initial readers will see a copy. My wife will see a copy before others. By the end of this year, she might read this book three times. She’s an excellent reader who will pick up on the things I’m missing, point out where I’m boring the reader, and show me that I’m telling the story rather than helping the reader see it.

I have written more than 120,000 words, which is probably about 25-30,000 too many for what this story is. Off the top of my head, I recall the Stephen King book, “On Writing,” advises that revision takes the original and cuts back 10 percent. Mine will probably be closer to 25 percent when a couple rounds of revision are complete.

I’m happy to have gotten this far. Yet, I’m aware that this doesn’t mean my book will be bought by a publisher much less grace the shelves of Barnes & Noble, among the hundreds of other titles. This step has not accomplished anything beyond what I’ve described. But, damn, it feels good right now.

Chapter 32.65: Less Than a Week?

I'm starting to get excited. I was closer to completion on the novel than I had realized. Tonight I consolidated two small chapters that were unwritten into one. And when I looked at what was left, I discovered I only had two, perhaps three, chapters left to write. I should be able to do that this week.

I have more than 116,000 words right now and a lot of revision to do, but I'm just talking about the first draft. I expect to cut whole scenes -- perhaps entire chapters -- when I delve into the messy copy I've composed. I will need to add detail and trim the "telling" that pervades too many chapters of the book.

I've recognized themes that will need exploration, minor characters that need to either become notable or die off altogether.

One thing that's hard to describe, however, is the feeling of anticipation when the story seems to be coming together: the end is near. By April I'll be well into revision.