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Tonight, anyway.
I'm more and more dissatisfied with the book, which is I believe a developmental inevitability. Here are some things that irritate me at the moment (when I am about 4.5K from the end of the first draft -- i.e., three days' work):
1. If the protagonist is going to be such a whiny little guy, shouldn't he be deliberately ridiculous?
2. Or maybe he should be less whiny instead.
3. If the love-object is going to be so relentless in pursuing the Truth About Skip, maybe I should give him a better motivation than Love At First Sight, which he's already been noted not to believe in?
4. Maybe this guy ought to have some motivation at all? And maybe a little more back story?
5. If the title of the book is A Suitable Lover, and the germ of the book is that conversation about how Skip is a perpetually unsuitable lover, maybe the idea shouldn't be introduced and dropped in a few chapters?
6. Why on earth do I find it necessary to have the people who like Skip the most bitch him out at every opportunity? If he's that annoying,how do I expect anybody to want to read about him?
7. Skip's sex schtick seriously needs tweaking. Also Marcus's. I don't so much think that the scenes themselves are so bad, but one of the things about Skip is supposed to be that he'll do whatever the other guy wants -- whatever, within reason -- so the three? sex scenes in the book shouldn't read the same, should they?
8. Why should anybody care about the minutiae of Skip's back story? Why does it matter whether he ran away or was thrown out of his ex's apartment? Why does it matter whether he tried to call afterwards or not?
On another front,I have made large strides towards cleaning up my front yard. I cut quince branches for hours today. We filled the greencycle can and we have a pile more of sticks. I hoed away at the dirt strip that ought to be a sidewalk. Tomorrow: more raking and sweeping, and if I can find the sticker for extra recycle pickup I'll bag the extra sticks and label the bag for pickup Wednesday. I also made leek and potato soup, only a week later than I said I would.
Frank looks glowy and golden in sky blue.
I'm more and more dissatisfied with the book, which is I believe a developmental inevitability. Here are some things that irritate me at the moment (when I am about 4.5K from the end of the first draft -- i.e., three days' work):
1. If the protagonist is going to be such a whiny little guy, shouldn't he be deliberately ridiculous?
2. Or maybe he should be less whiny instead.
3. If the love-object is going to be so relentless in pursuing the Truth About Skip, maybe I should give him a better motivation than Love At First Sight, which he's already been noted not to believe in?
4. Maybe this guy ought to have some motivation at all? And maybe a little more back story?
5. If the title of the book is A Suitable Lover, and the germ of the book is that conversation about how Skip is a perpetually unsuitable lover, maybe the idea shouldn't be introduced and dropped in a few chapters?
6. Why on earth do I find it necessary to have the people who like Skip the most bitch him out at every opportunity? If he's that annoying,how do I expect anybody to want to read about him?
7. Skip's sex schtick seriously needs tweaking. Also Marcus's. I don't so much think that the scenes themselves are so bad, but one of the things about Skip is supposed to be that he'll do whatever the other guy wants -- whatever, within reason -- so the three? sex scenes in the book shouldn't read the same, should they?
8. Why should anybody care about the minutiae of Skip's back story? Why does it matter whether he ran away or was thrown out of his ex's apartment? Why does it matter whether he tried to call afterwards or not?
On another front,I have made large strides towards cleaning up my front yard. I cut quince branches for hours today. We filled the greencycle can and we have a pile more of sticks. I hoed away at the dirt strip that ought to be a sidewalk. Tomorrow: more raking and sweeping, and if I can find the sticker for extra recycle pickup I'll bag the extra sticks and label the bag for pickup Wednesday. I also made leek and potato soup, only a week later than I said I would.
Frank looks glowy and golden in sky blue.
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