Work of Genius

July 6

8:00 a.m.

I got home yesterday evening and worked, starting at 5:30 and finishing around 11:00. I took a break at 7 to hang out with Scott for a while (and rest my hands), and at 9:30 to finish King Rat (and rest my hands).

What I accomplished: The first three chapters of my novel Genius of Deceit are completely revised. Done. Edits are typed, words are on the page, everything. I basically re-wrote the entire first chapter. I'd known for a while I'd have to do that-- that's part of why I've been dragging my feet on this project; I didn't relish the prospect of a total rewrite. The other chapters were altered significantly, too, but on more of a line-by-line level, rather than a conceptual one.

The synopsis is also finished.

So, today at work, I'm going to do a last read-through to catch any typos, and then print everything out, write a cover letter, address an envelope... and send my darling out into the world.

Thanks to all of you who've encouraged me over the laborious course of getting this novel on its way. The first draft took me a month to write. That turned out to be the easy part.

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That really and truly is all I have to report. I might still talk about King Rat at some point. I liked the book very much, but I had some basic conceptual problems with it (some of the same problems I had with Preacher, actually, and I love that comic). I'll think about it. There might be an article/essay idea in the subject, actually, and if I decide there is, I'll write that instead.

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I'm reading K.W. Jeter's Infernal Devices. It's a "mad Victorian fantasy," and it's pretty wacky so far. I mostly know Jeter only as a guy who hangs out with Blaylock and Powers (and indeed this novel is dedicated to the two of them)-- I've never read any of his stuff before. He seems very much of the Blaylock/Powers school, though, perhaps more like Blaylock...

Hmm. It occurs to me that someday people will say "I mostly know Pratt as a guy who hangs out with Lingen and Cooper..."

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I head off to Oakland this weekend for Heather-visiting. She's been driving down here a lot lately, so it's my turn to endure the grinding suckdom of the highway. I don't mind. It'll give me time to gloat about getting my novel prepped...

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Two rejections yesterday, from Flesh and Blood. I can't fault his response times, but now I have to come up with someplace else to send these two stories. Jack said nice things. He just didn't want to buy them. Tra la.

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I'm going to re-read my first three chapters now. Perhaps at some point I'll do day-job work. Ta.