Day 123

Spoiler Alert! May contain planning-stage plot/character details or other spoilers!

30 Sep 2016

So I’m coming up to one of those conversations again. The ones where I dread it and run all possible scenarios, comments and expressions in a loop in my head. The ones that generally turn out to be less unpleasant than anticipated, but generally less productive too. Gotta get my hours down again; I’m spending too much time scrubbing toilets and not enough working this book. Or consulting. Or generally enjoying life. All of which rank higher in my strategic plan. But for whatever reason, I have an asking problem. I hate doing it, dread doing, avoid doing it, and rarely benefit from doing it. Feminist theory might have something to say about that… Either way, life lesson fail.

One more run at the first couple chapters, then I’d really better review my bit of feedback and see what lines up. Should probably get in touch directly with a few of those beta readers as well and press for some responses (again with the asking problem). Thankfully, the cold that I’ve been (literally) working through hasn’t been too debilitating, so hopefully I can stay clear and get some good work done. Made little to no progress on the whole finding an editor issue, which I’d be more concerned about if I were further through the rewrites or stumped as to improvements to make…

Part 2

OK, I think I’m happy with where the first chapter (became the first 2, just to add to the confusion) got to. A bit too talky/narrative with world-building, backstory and motivation all cramming in to not enough action, but it feels right, which is about as technical as I want to get with things at this stage. I’ll push through to the first 5 (now 6) hopefully today, and then be able to scan through again based on feedback. If all goes well, I could even start releasing the preview edition on whatever that site was… Reddit, Tumblr and Instagram, I think, to start. Maybe Twitter? Although that’d be super irritating to read, imho.

The Holy Grass vodka is spicy with apple-pie baking notes of caramel-cinnamon. Extremely tasty, and not at all neutral - like complex gin minus the juniper, really. The Isle of Harris comes off a little bland afterward - clean, cool green notes with pepper, and the cucumber manages not to overpower. The Rock Rose couldn’t possibly be overpowered, with a strongly exotic, curry-cumin or dill scent. Fascinating, tasty and layered.

Friday

Start time: 3 & 4 pm

Mallaig: the seawall across from the high school & The Tea Garden Cafe

Soundtrack: ocean waves and passing cars & ‘70s pop-rock?

Drinking: Rock Rose Gin with lime, Isle of Harris Gin with cucumber & Holy Grass Vodka with lemon Scottish Distilling Taster with Fever Tree Mediterranean Tonic

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