Another 1000 words rattled off (47,000 in all), but tonight I managed to do it without the vodka kick start. Lots and lots more dialogue, which isn't ideal, but i thought it best to get it down on paper and I can always fiddle about with it later. After Claire's comment on my last entry, I would like to point out that there is no rhyme or reason to my "story filling in" at the moment, suffice to say it's my bloody book so I'll do it in whatever order I bloody like haha! The last two scenes are yet to be written (although I know exactly what is going to happen) so I've moved back in time from what I was writing last night although I've missed a bit out so I'll need to move forward again at some stage before going back to the beginning and then doing the ending. Maybe it's time for a sniffter of vodka after all.

It's going very well, thanks for asking. Forgive me, I've had a couple more vodkas than I probably should have - on a school night and all - but the planning of the book has come along in leaps and bounds. It's all there, it's just a case of incorporating what I've already written around my new framework. Written about 1000 words tonight but had to delete around 600 which are now obsolete. Current work count of just over 46,000. Still a long way to go but feel happy it's all fitting into place. I'm actually starting from the back and piecing it together as i work my way forward but I was just toooo keen to get another twist in at the end.
Only just realised this is the first book I've written in the third person and although it supposedly gives you more freedom, I actually find it harder to write. Slightly concerned with the amount of dialogue currently in the story but that's something i can address later.
PS Saw HOT FUZZ at the weekend. 6/10.

Some of you may be pleased to know that I'm working on the thriller today having finished reading The Catcher in the Rye this morning. I didn't know anything about the book before I read it other than,

1) It had a cult following.
2) The bloke who killed John Lennon was reported to have had a copy of the book on him when he was arrested.
3) The bloke who tried to assassinate Reagan was supposedly obsessed with the book.
4) I think it's been mentioned in "Lost".

I read it, and as much as I don't take criticism too well myself (and who am I to comment on a modern classic), I just didn't get it. So I've done some research this morning on the basis I'd missed something (after all, I'd have probably thought Animal Farm was about some talking pigs if it wasn't for the fact I studied it at school) and from what I can tell, yes it is purely about a messed up teenager who's been booted out of school. I can't say I really ever got into the story. It's written in the style of a teenager (although it was published in the early 50's i think) but everything is "kinda" this and "sorta" that and "if you wanna know the truth". He basically hates everything, including himself at times but I never really knew when he was being serious or not. The story trundles on, he was going to ring someone and then couldn't be bothered, then he was going to go some place, but couldn't be bothered but I kept with it on the basis that if someone killed the inspiration behind the biggest boy band in the world and someone else attempted to assassinate the President of the United States because of the book, then something really profound must happen at some stage. It doesn't, but then Donnie Darko was supposedly a cult film everybody loved (about another messed up teenager) and I didn't really get that either - and this comes from a teenager who wrote crap depressing poetry until it came out of his ears.
Being a sucker for trivia as I am, I was however pleased to learn that the title is based on a misreading of a line in the song "Comin' Thro' the Rye," by Robert Burns. Furthermore, the lead character's surname is Caulfield. Apparently 'Caul' in Scottish, means 'Rye' ... Rye field.
Who am i to criticise? I just don't understand ... even thirty years after it was first published, it was the most banned book in the States. Still, don't let me put you off.

If it takes this long for the completion targets to be done on the third book, how long is it going to take to finish the actual book? Well, I'll tell you ... 12 weeks ... with a following wind. That's the aim, and doesn't include cover design, formatting, getting it to the printers, sourcing an ISBN etc etc. It's going to be a tall order. Going back to full-time work for the immediate future has put pay to any plans to crack it out ASAP. I've completed over 45,000 words though so I'm half way there. It'll just take about 3 months of evenings and weekends to get to grips with it.

As for my day job, the news is good. Now that the weather is warming up a little, it means that the site toilets aren't frozen up until lunchtime. There were 2 days last week when I couldn't go for a wee before noon. And they say nurses have it tough ...