Jennifer Crusie's Blog

I am thankful for books. And movies and TV shows and comic books and SNL skits, you know, story. But mostly books.

What did you read this week?

So I’ve been trying to do twenty things at once, which never works, so why do I do that? But I’m working on a rewrite of the first ten thousand words of “Getting Carter,” the novella that comes between Arresting Anna and Stealing Nadine, both of which I am also working on, while trying to figure out Johnny’s new tracking collar, making chicken casserole and banana bread and oatmeal cookies and . . .

Never mind that. The point is that I was in the middle of rewriting “Getting Carter” and doing this scene in a diner where they ordered burgers, and I went down to the lunchroom and got chicken tenders and fries so I could keep writing (chicken tenders and fries mean no knives and forks, great typing food) and when I got to the part in the scene where they ordered burgers, I thought, “You idiot. Order a burger.” So I went down and got that, too (see below).

What did you work on this week?

If I had to cook a big holiday meal for people this week, I’d lose it. Fortunately, I have a good friend and a good restaurant, an unbeatable combination for Thanksgiving. Also we both have dogs we will be introducing in an after-dinner stroll. Nothing but good times, people. (I do realize that Thanksgiving this week is American, not international, but for me it kicks off the insanity that is December celebration–“Oh, goody, the days are getting shorter”–which leads to me snarling at elves on the shelves and other who-thought-THAT-was-a-good-idea events. Bah humbug.)

What made you/is making you happy this week?

What did you read this week?

While I was in meltdown, I missed at least four Argh Author requests, for which I apologize profusely. Please request again including everything I need to post for you, and I’ll get those posted. Thank you (and really sorry about that).

I’ve been of absolutely no use for two months on the book (or anything else, really) and Bob has been a champ about it all, but now I’ve got my head space back and I’m on the final draft (before betas and more editing) of Arresting Anna. Yeah, not the best title, but it’s the best we can do.

So we already had the book divided into four acts, and I am now breaking it down to tighten it and pick up some of the threads I’d dropped. Bob finished his draft while I was picking things out of the air, but as he pointed out, it needed YEC. So I broke it into scene sequences because I’d realized that things were happening out of order. So after the crisis turning point, the team in the book regrouped with 1. A Plan. Then they had to survive 2. A Party, during which major things happen that blow up the plan. Which they deal with in 3. The Plan Goes Wrong. Followed by 4. Plan Two, and ending with 5. The Final Scene for the Action Plot and the Final Scene for the Romance Plot.

It’s so much easier to edit a scene sequence than take on an entire act or god forbid an entire book, especially when you title the sequences so you see the structure of the sequence. Then on to the first act, which is solid except I wrote long so I have some cutting to do on my scenes. Bob’s are all fine, which is irritating but he carried the can for us for two months, so I have to give credit where it’s due. The second and third acts, aka the mess in the middle, I will get to after the first and last acts.

It feels so good to be fully back at work. My whiteboard isn’t here yet, but I found white board paper online that is working out just fine, so all is well. Or at least there’s a final draft well under way.

Nothing but good times ahead. Fingers cross, good books, too.

Welp, it was a hell of an autumn, but I can see the end in sight. I still have moments when I say, “No, I CANNOT DO THAT RIGHT NOW” because my to-do list just got ridiculous, even more ridiculous that it was before, BUT we have an almost finished first book (Bob is done, I’m on my last pass), Bob has started the next book, which is a novella, we have 10,000 words on the novel after that, and (TA DA) we have titles: Arresting Anna, Getting Carter, Stealing Nadine, Surprising Lily, and Breaking the Frame. Carter and Lily are novellas. I’m very proud. Also, my dog is with me and settling into apartment living very well. He has conquered the elevator and rules the dog park. At least he thinks he does. I’m pretty sure by January, I’ll have this all under control. (Stop laughing, it’s possible.)

So what made you happy this week?

I’m reading books about art crime, a lot of them. We’re back to going full bore on the art crimes series (that was a rough two months on Bob when I couldn’t work) and I’m learning everything I can as fast as I can. We’re doing five books this time, Novel (Arresting Anna), Novella (Stealing Nadine), Novel (?), Novella (Surprising Lily), Novel (?). Yeah, we’re still two titles short and not sure about the ones we have but we’re on it.

What did you read this week?

I haven’t gotten my whiteboard back yet, so I ordered some whiteboard paper to put up on the wall to use for now. I have no idea how this stuff works, but we’ve got a full draft of the first book done, and I must analyze it to see where we veered off course. I just need to see it on my wall.

What did you work on this weekend?

I’m very, very, very sorry.

What did you read this weekend?