Dirty Laundry

Book Hiccups, Palmistry & The New York Times Book Review

Had a major hiccup on the new book which has knocked me off the proverbial writing horse.  I’m not going to go into what it was exactly that knocked me off said horse, but suffice it to say I have to rip major pages from the text.  I nearly cried.  At least, I cried inside.

I am now busy struggling to pick up the pieces and assemble those pieces into some kind of order.  My brain is tired. 

Writing is often like a puzzle.  I used to do jigsaw puzzles with my dad when I was a kid and he would buy some real doozies (“hay in a needle stack” was one I can remember very clearly, another was called “jelly beans”)  They would take us weeks and weeks to complete.  But there was something oddly satisfying in finishing one and I hold onto that hope with the current puzzle my novel is in.  If I wasn’t on a deadline, it would all be so much to laugh at.  But I’m not laughing.  Just crying.  Inside.  Though not so much anymore.  I’m hoping this is less a “hay in a needle stack” and more of a “jelly beans” - difficult to figure out but a bit more to cling to.

I went to a palm reader today at the behest of my wife.  She thought it would be fun.  I was terrified.  My life line is broken and I was afraid she would tell me I was going to die soon.  I am always thinking that I will die soon.  Or at least, in the next ten years or so.  Chalk it up to some wonky genes in my family gene pool.  There’s longevity on one side, and a lot of disease and heart attacks on the other.  But the palm reader didn’t say that I was going to die.  She said that it just means a change in life paths.  She also said I would be a good military leader, so I’m not sure how much stock to place in her abilities.  I would not make a good military leader, I will tell you that right now.  Though, to be fair, there were a good number of hits in her reading as well.  But my wife was right (as usual) and it was fun.

Finally, some super cool news.  Swim the Fly was reviewed in The New York Times (or will be, tomorrow - though it’s available online right now).  Take a look here: New York Times Book Review

I was pretty stoked when I saw it. 

And now, it’s back to the puzzle… um… I mean… book.

Posted by Don Calame on 8.15.09 at 04:43 pm in Prattlings. (3) Comments