2/5/08: We're off, you know

Word count: 122908 | Since last entry: 3683

Posting via the free wi-fi at the Portland airport. (I love this town.) We're on our way to Washington DC for the ACDC square dance fly-in, with a few days of touristing beforehand.

I'm into the final section of the novel, and I expect to finish the first draft on the plane today. Nothing left but one final crisis and an emotional resolution for the surviving characters. But I'm a week and three days behind The Plan, and with the amount of traveling we're doing this month I'll have in effect about two weeks, rather than than a whole month, to revise the novel and write the synopsis. That should be enough, though. I'm not sure how much revision I'll be able to do while we're in Washington, since my critique comments are all in a file drawer at home, and I don't know how much time and energy will be available after a full day of touristing or dancing anyway. But there are some high-level and word-level things I know I want to do and I can take a first pass at the synopsis. I don't have a grand revision strategy, but will probably take several passes (one to perk up the main character, one to remove redundant adjectives, etc.).

Meanwhile... the Hugo administrator points out that nominations close in about five weeks. May I suggest that you consider "Titanium Mike Saves the Day" for Best Short Story (you can read it here, for free), Kate Yule for Best Fan Writer, and Bento for Best Fanzine? Anyone who is a member of Denvention or was a member of Nippon 2007 is eligible to nominate.