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Wasn’t getting anywhere on the book yesterday. Yeah, it was just a read through, but my head felt like cotton wool, and worse yet, my attitude towards the book was going ugly. I’ve gotten to where I can spot a bad mood that’s going to effect how I see the book. If I can simply step away for awhile, then it’ll be fine, but when your head goes too ugly you need to stop doing anything to the book. If you don’t step away, you may end up cutting things you’ll need later, or doing more damage than good. So, I called my friend, Robin. Sometime during the conversation I realized that my head wasn’t going to get any better without an hour or two break.
So, I talked to Jon, and we went out to see a movie in the middle of the day. We saw SHOOT ‘EM UP. We both enjoyed it. It’s a fun movie, but with a few warnings. If graphic violence bothers you, don’t go see it. You, also, must not pick at the story. You must suspend disbelief almost from the opening frame and keep your belief in limbo until the closing credits. If you think too hard, you will not be able to stop yourself from catching the impossible. Things that could never happen, well, as long a Newtonian physics is still the rule. But the previews do not lie. It is action, it is outrageous. It is fun. It is mindless violence. With some good performances scattered throughout. Paul Giamatti is delightful as the main bad guy. Deliciously evil. You will come out of this movie believing that carrots are one of the most dangerous foods around. The best bits are not in the previews. There are plenty of over the top and down the back action still to see.
But a movie where I didn’t have to think very hard was perfect. Exactly what the doctor ordered.
Ironically, Darla was taking the day off, too. She and her husband, Jack, were actually at the same show for the same movie. Great minds and all that. Vacation days in the middle of the week, seem to work for all of us. Maybe we’ll make it a tradition.
I came back to the desk this morning refreshed. I finished the read through, and found where the rabbit hole opened up and tried to swallow my plot. I’ve lost nearly a hundred pages, but I’ll save the ideas in them for another Anita book. The concept is very cool, but for another book. One of the best things about writing a series is that if something has to be cut from one book, you always have a chance to use it later. A little rewriting and the book, though not exactly going where I’d originally envisioned, is much closer to the original idea. I’m happier. My characters are happier. I think the book will be a little shorter and definitely more linear, tighter. Stay on target, stay on target. Maybe I should just post that over the desk for the next hundred pages.