After the Pitches: Day Two

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The day started off well. I went to my local Starbucks to work on my manuscript. I brought Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3, Nathan Abercrombie Accidental Zombie 2, Elizabeth Lyon’s Manuscript Makeover – and my laptop.

My 2 favorite tables were occupied – by a businessman yelling on his phone and a homeless man sleeping over his cup of coffee. So, I ended up at a long table near the area where people pick up their drinks. But at least I could plug in my laptop.

I plugged in my ear buds and cranked Depeche Mode’s extended mixes. I settled in – although it was a little chilly (why do they crank the AC when it’s 65 degrees OUTSIDE) – and opened up my laptop to start working.

First, I pulled my manuscript out of Scrivener and pasted it into Word.

Second, I named the chapters for easier reference: Chapter One, Chapter Two…

Third, I copied my previously-concocted detailed outline into the document.

Then, I picked up Diary of a Wimpy Kid 3 to research effective first-person writing geared toward middle grade readers.

HUGE MISTAKE!

This lead to a trip to Kohl’s, a transfer into my pajamas, and a strong desire to clean everything within 100 square miles of my home.

And now? A repeat performance of Wall-E!

21 days to deadline

Procrastination = 2; Manuscript = 0