Quotable Quotes & Friday Funnies

Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now.
-P.T. Barnum, U.S. entrepreneur, showman (1810-1891)

As the clock ticks down toward a very exciting week, I'm working in a furious frenzy to check everything off my to-do list. So, like Jeffy, the only exercise I'm getting is from my extra-long sit-up and typing my little fingers to the bone.

The WMVR and I had a productive brainstorming session Wednesday night. While Little Bit was off with her friend's family, the WGH took The Tall One and The Boy downtown to brave the crowds and watch the fireworks - Nashville makes it a HUGE production. They said it was wall to wall people, and the WGH very astutely pointed out that was exactly the reason I would not have liked it. Instead, I spent a lovely couple of hours on the phone with my friend, my first reader, hashing out the solution to a problem I've been having with the book. Fortunately, the WMVR is quite excellent at playing devil's advocate for my work. She is a representative of my target audience and as such, I value her input. She won't hesitate to tell me when something doesn't work for her as a reader, and at that point I have to say, if it doesn't work for you, it's not going to work, period. But between the two of us we got a brain cell or two synapsing and managed to figure out both the problem and how to fix it.

I've managed to knock the book up to just over 78,500 words - with JT's input I decided we're shooting for 100,000 - and with the issues the WMVR helped me resolve night before last, I have a clear path ahead for finishing the draft. Wish me luck.

In addition to the Harry Potter premiere, next week also kicks off the 2nd annual ThrillerFest, at which my darling Wonder Twin and our Big Brother will be presented to the world along with their fellow debut thriller writers. Very thrilling. Ouch.

In the meantime, read a book, buy your Harry Potter tickets, and enjoy your day!

=) JB