{"id":8823,"date":"2022-01-29T17:02:55","date_gmt":"2022-01-29T17:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orcutt.net\/weblog\/?p=8823"},"modified":"2022-01-29T17:04:45","modified_gmt":"2022-01-29T17:04:45","slug":"the-seventh-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orcutt.net\/weblog\/the-seventh-year\/","title":{"rendered":"The Seventh Year"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On December 7, 2015, I began writing my epic novel (my magnum opus<\/em>), and while I\u2019ve also worked on other projects on and off since then, the vast majority of my time and energy has gone into what I refer to as \u201cthe Big Book.\u201d This means that I\u2019ve been writing this book for six years<\/em>, and I\u2019ve just entered the seventh<\/em> year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This T-shirt has gotten a LOT of wear this year.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The thing that is somewhat disheartening for me is this: I\u2019m still on the second<\/em> draft of the book. Because the Big Book is so long (my prediction is that, when finished, it will weigh in at 800K to 1M words), it will actually be presented in 6 volumes, or episodes as I call them. And here\u2019s the really<\/em> disheartening fact: yesterday I just<\/em> finished the second draft of Episode 2. Two out of a possible 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, while I\u2019ve only completed the second draft of two episodes, I did manage to finish half of Episode 3, so technically I\u2019ve finished 2\u00bd out of 6, which is a little better. Looking my writing productivity over the entire year, however, the numbers are staggering. To finish those 2\u00bd episodes this year, I wrote or revised approximately 475,000<\/strong> words (that\u2019s a little more than 6 copies of my A Real Piece of Work<\/em>), and wrote another approximately 30,000 words in the journal of the Big Book and on my blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s HALF A MILLION words written or rewritten. Not bad for a year\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rewriting command central. Note the new computer and the awesome vertically-oriented monitor. :)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You might be wondering why I\u2019m prattling on about all of these numbers. Well, here\u2019s the deal: writing novels is as much a numbers game as it is a words game. To finish a novel, any novel, the writer has to consistently write or rewrite a minimum number of words every day. The writer needs to do this for at least three drafts, and the writer needs to work a consistent number of hours each day. Numbers of words, numbers of drafts, numbers of hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back in December, when I entered the seventh year of this project, I realized a couple things. First, if I wanted to meet my goal of finishing the entire book by 2024 or 2025, I had to let go of my desire for perfection in every draft. Instead, by any<\/em> means\u2014by any dodge, cheat, hack, or positive or negative reinforcement I could conceive\u2014I had to simply finish<\/em> the second draft of all 6 episodes. This second draft will never be seen by the reading public, I told myself, so in a sense it doesn\u2019t matter. Second I realized that, while I might be the most self-disciplined and self-directed person I know, I still need to have ironclad deadlines; for me, if finish dates are left open-ended, that just gives the perfectionist in me more time to tinker, and f-ck tinkering at this stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This stage, this draft, is all about get it the f-ck finished<\/em>. Period. So, with these two realizations in mind, I have created a production schedule for myself for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

February and March<\/strong>: Finish the second draft of Episode 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

April, May, June<\/strong>: Finish the second draft of Episode 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

July, August, September<\/strong>: Finish the second draft of Episode 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

October, November, December<\/strong>: Finish the second draft of Episode 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By December 31, 2022, I want to be finished with the second draft of the entire epic novel. It\u2019s an incredibly daunting goal, but as Lao Tzu once wrote, \u201cThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.\u201d Over the course of 30 years of doing this stuff, I\u2019ve become very good at continuing to make that next step. From one of my ancestors I inherited this ability to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and to finish big projects by completing small task after small task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and did I mention that my wife and I recently began hunting for a house again (stress), and that I diagnosed myself as having stupid GERD from my 30 years of coffee-drinking, so I recently had to give up coffee? (One definition of a writer: a machine that converts coffee into words.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yeah. It SUUHHHHHHCCCCCCKKKKKSSSS<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in life, we can either adapt and live (maybe even thrive), or we can stay the same and die. I choose to adapt. It\u2019s Redfin for the house hunt and green tea for the GERD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Half a league, half a league, half a league onward!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The overwork and self-created STRESS has caused me to overeat a bit.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In a recent interview<\/a> with my best friend Jason Scott (internet archivist, computer historian, filmmaker and now successful podcaster, the brilliant f-cker), Jason says that he has always admired my self-discipline and my \u201cpretty impressive\u201d routine of writing and fitness. Well, as I said in the interview, I\u2019m hardly super-human. As I pointed out in one of my recent blog entries, when I am drawing near to a deadline, the stress (self-imposed stress, but stress nonetheless) usually causes me to overeat and exercise less. For the past month, I\u2019ve only exercised three days a week instead of my usual six, and I\u2019ve been self-soothing through junk food: Jelly Belly Sours, Mike & Ike, Popcorners (cheddar cheese), Newman\u2019s pizzas, and Bread Alone bread. The result is, I\u2019ve probably put on an extra 10 pounds. But, as Wyatt Earp says in the Kevin Costner movie (when he\u2019s come back to Dodge City to clean up the lawlessness), \u201cIT ALL ENDS NOW!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those of you from the 80s will get the reference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As soon as I finish this blog entry, I\u2019m going downstairs to my home gym and work out for two hours. Over the years, my wife has (somewhat enviously) pointed out to me that, once I start eating right, drinking a lot of water, and exercising daily, it only takes my body about two weeks to return to its toned, trim status quo. I guess that\u2019s true, but I never noticed it until she started pointing it out. I think it comes from a lifetime of being active; my body just knows<\/em> the drill by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyway, this is what the seventh year on the Big Book will look like: daily writing and rewriting; daily nutrition and fitness; daily sobriety and self-care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a lot of drama, to be sure. But as Flaubert once said, \u201cThe novelist needs to be regular and orderly in his everyday life so that he can be violent and original on the page.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I\u2019m doing that, my friends. By keeping my everyday life consistent and drama-free, I\u2019ve been able to put nearly all of my life force into my writing. As a result, the Big Book is good<\/em>. I mean really<\/em> good. Sometimes when I read sections of it over again, I can\u2019t believe I<\/em> wrote it; it\u2019s that good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But today until Tuesday, no more Big Book. I\u2019m giving myself a much-needed three-day vacation. A fitness and nutrition vacation (and some Red Dead Redemption 2; thanks for the XBONE, Jay!), with some self-care stuff thrown in there\u2014maybe a massage and a haircut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I go, I\u2019d like to point out one last thing. If this blog entry wasn\u2019t as smooth-reading as others I\u2019ve written in the past, or if it rambles or it contains mistakes that you usually don\u2019t see in my writing, that\u2019s because I only wrote one draft<\/em> of it. (In the past, revising blog entries three<\/em> times was not uncommon for me.) In other words, this is me letting go of this need for perfection in all things. Sorry, folks, but it\u2019s a f-cking blog entry; I\u2019m not writing multiple drafts of these things anymore; as you can see from everything I\u2019ve written here, I\u2019ve got a LOT of other writing to do, and I need to save my energy for the Big Book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with that, it\u2019s time to go exercise, and then, on Tuesday, February 1, it\u2019s back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll hear from me again when I finish Episode 3, which has the apt working subtitle of Danger Zone<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cover of my note cards. Readers who write to me sometimes receive one of these in reply.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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