Some of my authors have begun tweeting about their writing progress. Perhaps they are unaware that I can use this new tool to spy on them as their deadlines approach. Those who are going to be on time have nothing to fear. It’s those who are twitching and moaning about being late, o so late, I can’t help it, it’s my neuralgia / unfaithful boyfriend / deadline for another publisher / inability to stop rewriting / addiction to WOW that’s getting in my way of finishing. And wasn’t “Lost” great last night?
To these authors I say: You’ll have something to tweet about if I catch you.
But I got a big laugh out of John Birmingham’s recent messages. Read all together like this, they give the impression he’s been drinking heavily, but the last tweet contradicts that. He’s in the throes of finishing the sequel to Without Warning, the apocalyptic SF thriller that postulates what would happen to the rest of the world if the U.S. were essentially wiped off the map. [Answer: Nothing Good.]
Anyway, here’s how the sequel is coming along:
Very gruesome scene coming up. It involves sledgehammers.
Haaaaaar!!!!! Smashed thru the last eight hundred words & carried on for another three. Five thousand words for the day. This IS SPARTA!!!!!
Just fired off another chapter of the book. A cowboy story. Now back to the sexy assassin!
Head pounding now. Eyes hot and grainy. Strange pain in kidney. But by God I shall write this last 800 words even if with my own blood!
Did I mention this deadline is being done without alcohol. I repeat. Without. Alcohol. ... I am in hell.
Good fun, eh??? Can't wait to read this one.
If you haven't tried John Birmingham's work yet, you might want to check out Weapons of Choice, the free eBook currently available through the Suvudu Free Library.
Today's blog entry: "What a wonderfully productive day! I don't even miss television or my family any more. I'm told that thing between my son and the Seattle police department will sort itself out eventually.
Not that it matters, because I've finished 50 more words this morning! I hope to hit the 100-word mark bedtime. This is hard work, but I'm determined to give it my all.
OMG! I've wasted three minutes on the internet! Back to the salt mines I go! Mmmm. Salt."
Ha. I knew I was being stalked. Hence my last tweet.
'Kinda over this deadline ... so tired... wait... did I type that out aloud? Dammnit. Uh... I meant THIS IS SPARTA!!!!!'
It has been kinda weird, tweetin a deadline. It's helped though. I often announce a word target for the day and then legions of narcs and harassment nazis get on my case about it until I'm done. I often wonder if they're all editorial assistants.
Sometimes fans or followers will have their own mini deadlines to meet, like term papers or whatever, and we'll have a race to the finish.
I beat them of course.
I always beat them.
Because THIS IS SPARTA!!!!
I *knew* there was a good reason for me not to Twit. :)