Dept. of Weekend Endings

[kaffyr]

Cake and Writing

Although the weekend has been less than stellar (I had to work Saturday and, although the assignment was fun, and I got a good story out of it, and there will be OT pay, it was work), it has not been unproductive.

For one thing, I finally moved off the dime a bit on Chapter 15 of Hearts and Moons - by realizing first that it was far too long at this point, when I hadn't nearly gotten to the end, to be anything but unwieldy as a chapter. (Does anyone else have the problem in multi-chapter fics of writing progressively longer and more densely-packed chapters, generally as they get to know their story, characters and environment better? Just me?)

So I split it at what seemed to the be opportune place, and realized with a certain amount of relief that doing so gave me enough room at the end of the new, shortened Chapter 15 to reintroduce one character who I needed to bring up to date. I realized that, of course, by going back over my timeline chart. I was horrified to realize I had gotten so involved in one character's subplot that I'd left another one roughly 12 hours behind the times. Hence my post of a couple of days ago. Now, I only have to fix the other three or nine plot points I realized I'd left dangling.

Still, progress is progress.

The cake of the title is an apple harvest cake I made very late in the evening. It's one of my mother's and Nana's, and it is clearly a wartime cake (oil, not butter, which is usually the tip-off in my family's recipes) adjusted and sweetened to a post-war nicety with Too Much Sugar and Four! Count 'em! Four! eggs. I played a little with the ingredients this time around and it made for a very nice pound-cakey texture, although I'm generally fond of the sort of mealy texture that oil cakes usually have.

I did discover, a little to my surprise, that I found it too sweet. I think that's because last time I made it wasa couple of years ago, before my eating habits had changed. The next time I make it, I'll try cutting it to 3 eggs and perhaps cutting it to 1.25 cups of sugar instead of two cups. (Gack!)

Since it is now past midnight, I should call it more than a day, and prepare for the crazed week to come. Perhaps at another time I should talk about the editorial new mandates our new publisher has introduced and how they have ... intensified ... the work environment.

And I will let you know what I thought of the movie, I promise.

Comments

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

My weekend...could have been better, too. So I totally sympathise. and yes, I'm still on that building...speaking through a bullhorn *chuckles*

Ohhh, I do that!! I do that!! *Headdesk*

Unngghhh...cake sounds nummy. I have made a decision to camp out on your doorstep and beg you to feed me at least once a day. *Nods*

*Squishes you*

[kaffyr]

And here I am, still awake to read this. Bad kaffyr, no (more) cake!

I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one!

The cake was rather good, even if it was too sweet for my taste today. And, yes, you can come camp yourself on my doorstep if you want - I'd rather invite you inside, though.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

LOL!! GO. TO. BED. *Grins*

Ohhh, warm house to go with nice foods!! Eeeee - be still my beating heart!

*Laughs happily*

*SQUISH*

[ljgeoff.livejournal.com]

I can't wait to read the new chapters! Also, I'd love the recipe -- both the original and the reworked.

My weekend was less than stellar, but the coming week is looking better. I would love to talk to someone about a house design and for some reason my head tells me that BB might be interested. Why is that?

[kaffyr]

I put the finishing touches on Chapter 15 this morning (when I should have been writing for work, of course *rolls eyes at self* If Bob's not able to give it a once over, would you be willing?

When I'm off deadline, in the two or three seconds before I start on next week's workload, I'll send you the recipes.

I hope this week does turn out to be wonderful for you. As for Bob and house design, he's no architect, but feel free to PM me and I'll send you his email address.)

[janie-aire.livejournal.com]

"Does anyone else have the problem in multi-chapter fics of writing progressively longer and more densely-packed chapters, generally as they get to know their story, characters and environment better? Just me?"

Yes! You are not alone.

First three chapters, about 1500 words apiece. Chapter 15, that was, um, close to fifteen thousand. Like the chapters straddling it. You know, at this point it isn't a fic so much as a manuscript, and the work to doing isn't a matter of "fixing" so much as radical revision.

Joy.

[kaffyr]

First three chapters, about 1500 words apiece. Chapter 15, that was, um, close to fifteen thousand."

Holey moley. Well, OK then, I feel better (and feel guilty about feeling better at your expense.) Did you ever give thought to splitting up the chapters, or did you find that you couldn't do that, that the way you'd written them left you no reasonable break points?

[janie-aire.livejournal.com]

Depends on the chapter. Some of those very short chapters got fleshed out. Sometimes a long one could stay intact after slashing the count in half -- others were cleaved along natural fault lines, which was good since they happened to resist slashing (I like slash) with a dearth of dead weight.

Having really long chapters to cut has taught me the value of telling. You know the old saw, "Show, don't tell." Sometimes the showing of something is kind of boring, yet necessary to the narrative -- this is where paragraphs become sentences.

Best is figuring out how to compress, to show while saying less. Can I paint the picture in two lines rather than three? Sometimes a really good word can replace a whole clause.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

Indicative of nothing whatsoever, looking at your title I keep hearing it being read in Eddie Izzard's voice.

[kaffyr]

Heh. While one of the Pythons keeps insinuating himself into my mental landscape.