The Race

As of a couple of hours ago, I got half-way through the revising-edits of Meet Sam, correcting errors from draft 1. Now, the second draft isn't done until (a) all the edits have been done and (b) the additions have been made, as per my plans to expand on the relationships between characters and the characters themselves. It isn't until all of that is done that draft 2 is complete.

Setting myself an example from Going Postal, the film of which I have just finished watching, I'm racing. While I'm not travelling 1700 miles in a horse and carriage or fighting off the telegram/text message service, I'm working against something else - come Friday week, I will lose about two and half days of work. I have a delightful double-21st to attend to, and while I don't want to miss it, I also don't want to fall behind on my book. So, the race is thus:

I, Paul Carroll, hereby challenge time itself; I will finish the second draft edits of Meet Sam, at least insofar as all the errors have been corrected. Failure to do so will result in world-suck of the highest order, and I must buy the birthday girls a drink each, even if they're already fairly hammered by that stage. Success, on the other hand, will allow for a jolly good time, during which I may, as a result of my free will, purchase the birthday girls a drink each, if they so choose it. There may also be other spontaneous acts of getting friends intoxicated, though this is not mandatory.

I also have to bring my camera... that's entirely unrelated to the race, but there were very specific instructions from Liam not to bring a camera, and I know damn well why. So, naturally, I'm going to do the exact opposite. Sure, it'd be rude not to take any pictures. The girls may, and this is quite a strong possibility, all things considered, end up so drunk that they don't even remember the morning before the party. It has happened, on occassion, that people even forget they went somewhere. Funnily enough, someone who I saw last Wednesday wasn't in any photographs, and due to being a little bit drunk, she can't remember being in the pub. So... it's kind of necessary to prove to people afterwards that they were in the pub for the party... they won't remember it, most likely...

Back to the book! I have, in my time editing, isolated a few key areas that will allow me to expand on character relationships. There are only two chances to make the mother's position in the family and her relationship to Sam known, and these are pushing the boundaries of fiction a little bit. In contrast, there are five chances to expand on the father's relationships, and three chances, albeit three large chances, to expand on the relationship with the cousin, Nick. Added to this, there are four blanks that can be filled in, and based on my experience with a fifth one today, driving my character insane for a very short while (three minutes), I am fairly confidant that I can get a lot of work done inside the mind of Sam Richards. In short, I have a lot of opportunity to add to my word count, which has thus-far increased by approximately 2,500 words.

Also, based on last night's strange misadventures staying up past midnight (actually, staying up to two in the morning), I think I might be able to get quite a bit of work done on this novel. I have the rest of the night, about two hours tomorrow before I meet up with Sophie and a couple afterwards, and all of Saturday to work on this book, before I go to work on Sunday. I should be able to get at least half-way through the remaining edits before Monday, if I work at every chance I get. If I finish correcting the book by Sunday night, then I have four and a half days to get the rest of the work done. Did I mention I type very fast when I'm in writing mode, and that I can get through thousands of words per day? I've forgotten my record, but I can assure you, if I work that quick between now and Friday night, I will have the second draft completed entirely.

So, without further adieu, let the race begin!