The Novel Diary: Week 14

Word counts: 1,345 (Chapter 3); 23,742 (total).

I put the finishing touches on Chapter 3 last night and I am giving myself a break for the rest of the week. I kind of need it. Not only am I working on a bunch of other stuff (at least trying to), I am starting to feel a little burnt out.

Chapter 3 was a poor effort, and I will no doubt need to tweak it a lot during revisions. It is a short chapter, as promised, but as is I think it lacks the symbolic power needed to connect with the story. Perhaps (and I just thought about this) I will tie it into Chapter 4, which I will start Sunday or next Monday night. Chapter 4 has the potential to be another short but, hopefully, symbolic chapter.

Not one to be unproductive during my break (despite my concerns of being burnt out), I wrote about Rolling Vengeance while listening to the Padres-Cubs game on KXIC. The game was not on TV for whatever reason (probably because of the Bulls’ playoff game), so I took advantage of the opportunity to work while listening, or at least trying to. It is very easy to lose track of the game while working, which I don’t have a problem with. Writing is obviously more important than the game. I started listening while cooking and continued in my room as I hammered the keyboard. It is the first time I think I have ever listened to an entire baseball game on the radio. The Cubs won the game, 1-0, when Geovany Soto scored off Tyler Colvin’s walk-off double in the 10th. When Soto crossed the plate, I did a fist pump.