The Stupid 365 Project: Day, uhhhh
December 26th, 2010
To begin: Thanks so much to Everett for CHRISTMAS DRIZZLE.
It was a joy, in more ways than I can say, to read a Junior story that was completely new to me. I mean, they’re new to me while I’m writing them, but after that, the bloom is pretty much off the rose and they become objects of scrutiny: How many passive verbs; how many ways to say someone looked at someone (this drives me crazy); how to describe a simple action vividly without wasting a paragraph on it; which jokes to cut (since I always cut about one-third of them); trying to figure out not so much whether the structure works, but rather whether it can be said to have a structure at all.
And on and on.
And here was CHRISTMAS DRIZZLE, all wrapped up and perfect, and I never once had to ask myself, “What does he say now?”
So thank you, Everett. You really have been one of the universe’s gifts to me in 2010, and not just for CHRISTMAS DRIZZLE. For those of you who don’t know, Everett rides point for the Quality Control Rangers, which also involve Gary and Bonnie, all of whom spot, identify, and pry out thousands of mistakes in virtually every manuscript I write these days. And they’re nice about it, too.
So . . . the question of the day.
What day is it? It’s Day 85 if you’re counting from the time I made this m*d&&fbt%#al#@!! commitment, but the last time I actually wrote anything was Day 83. Therefore:
a. Should I add two days on at the end?
b. Should I not look the gift horse in the mouth?
c. Are you way too busy to waste any time on this?
I will understand perfectly if the overwhelming consensus is (c).
And — back to Everett’s story for a moment — I was amazed at how neatly Junior fit into it, and how Junior he really was. And it gave me two days off to entertain my usual conflicted feelings about Christmas. So thanks yet again, Everett.
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9 Responses to “The Stupid 365 Project: Day, uhhhh” -
EverettK Says:
December 26th, 2010 at 11:52 am
I answer (b). Several times, you’ve posted “extra” blogs:
71A Book by its cover
67A Wolf Trap
53 1/2 Munyin’s birthday
Plus the horrendous output of comments to all of our comments…
I figure you’re ahead slightly at this point, so as long as you don’t start cheating too often  and continue through day 365, I’d vote it “Mission Accomplished.”
You never promised us sterling prose and thoughts as deep as the Mariana Trench. I’d call this day 85 and keep on truckin’.
And your kind words warm my cockles.
So to speak.
If you know what I mean.
Signing off now…
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Debbi Says:
December 26th, 2010 at 6:29 pm
I think you’re doing an absolutely amazing job, for which you deserve an award. You’ll be getting one at some point, to be determined …
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barbara macdonald Says:
December 26th, 2010 at 6:53 pm
voting for b as well
and a thank you for all the entertainment and thought provoking posts for 2010 (well a few days to go but at this point i’m on the hurray it’s over side of the holiday rollercoaster and can sit back and enjoy the new year in relative calm as we start counting the days until spring 8-)!)
happy new year!!!
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Laren Bright Says:
December 26th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
I’m glad you brought this up. I was going to report you to the blogger commitment police because you squeaked by with a guest blogger for 2 days — which could be a hanging offense in some universes.
However, now that you’ve owned up and didn’t try to get away with it, I vote to give you a pass and call it square. Besides, it’s Christmas & I didn’t buy you anything, so maybe you can count this.
If not, well, humbug anyway.
Happy new year, by the way,
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Timothy Hallinan Says:
December 26th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
All RIIIGGHHHT!!! Three votes for B. I declare the poll closed.
(Only Everett would have tracked those extras and had them at his fingertips like that.) Good argument, Everett.
Debbi, thanks so much. I’d love to get an award. It could be anything — the Chrome Beppo, the Titania Irregulata, I don’t care. I haven’t won an award since high school, if you don’t count the Lifetime Oscar I won when I married Munyin.
Barbara, thanks for making the choice I was hoping for and also for the compliments. I will happily accept compliments in lieu of awards. In liey of compliments, I’ll accept discreet smiles. And a happy New Year to you, too.
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fairyhedgehog Says:
December 27th, 2010 at 1:23 am
Closing the poll before I have a chance to vote? No fair!
I was going to say, not that it matters now, that if you don’t count the last two days then you don’t have an unbroken record and you’d have to start all over again. Which is a very good reason for choosing b.
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Lil Gluckstern Says:
December 27th, 2010 at 9:02 am
Frankly, I’m in awe of the amount of writing you given that you have your fingers in several pies at once, so to speak. I read your blog on murderiseverywhere and loved that one two. So I really really liked CRASHED, and I will put up a review for that and Queen as soon as my family leaves today. Due to fractured families, I get Christmas today. Hey, it works. Your books are interesting because I think they are genre bending. Thrillers, yes, but also a very literary description of the human beings that are not perfect, but loved anyway. Poignant stories. Thank you, Tim.
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Timothy Hallinan Says:
December 27th, 2010 at 10:42 am
FHH, your vote counts. Makes it unanimous, in fact. I’m actually kind of glad it worked out this way, because as much as I enjoy writing these, it’s also nice to feel the unwritten batch dwindling down — you know, like the way you I, anyway) hold the unread pages of a book between the index and middle finger of my right hand and feel the fingers grow closer together, either with dread that the book will end or a certain smug self-satisfaction that I’m going to make it. (This is one of the things I don’t like about the Kindle — in fact, probably the only thing.) So thanks for the vote and thanks also for continuing to drop by.
Lil, so glad to know that CRASHED held up for you. I’m going to write about that very thing in today’s blog, so I’ll keep this short, but I am SOOO happy you enjoyed it and I appreciate all the comments about the texture and characters of my book.
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Sylvia Says:
December 28th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
A belated thank you to Everett for his Christmas story!
And I totally believe that guest posts count so that’s sorted then. 
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