Personal Status Update

I just realized how long it's been since my last post, so here's a quick update.

• Insurance company is telling me my house is underinsured and so they aren't paying for all the repairs.  They are willing to write a check for ~$16K, but that leaves us ~$3K short on the cost of repairs.  We are shopping for competing bids, but may have to set up a payment plan, assuming the contractor will let us do so.  (Note: I'm insured for $163K, the price of the house - they say the cost to replace it is $260K.  Thanks Hurricane Ike for driving up construction costs.)
• I had jury duty for two days last week and it threw off my schedule for several things.  Plus, one of the other jurors shared a cold, so I was zonked for several days.  I stayed home from work one day, but had to go in to do crucial things the other two.  When I got home those days, I watched legend of Korra as that was the limit of my energy.  Good series though - greatly enjoyed it.
• This week's writing became an investigation of the Martian landscape.  I needed to actually place the Mars colony and lay it out as fighting happens there.  I stripped out the last scene as it was all "tell" and no "show", which is poor storytelling.  In order to improve it, I needed to work out the specifics of how the public colony connects with the four corporate enclaves.  That's done enough that I can resume writing...sometime next week.
• The Aldelle Group Pathfinder RPG game has had scheduling issues due to the DM's work schedule.  He's working two jobs, so we are adapting to his schedule.  The Pulp Hero game starts a new chapter this saturday and the following Saturday will be the second session of the Champions game.  I'm looking towards both.  They are once a month, all day games.

That's it for now.  More later.

So this is an excerpt from the email I sent to my family about the tree that fell on my garage last week.

Tuesday had several things go wrong.  North Houston had a strong thunderstorm blow through shortly after I got home.  The power went out about 4:45 pm and then the big oak tree in our back yard was blown down about 5:00, landing on our garage.  Phones and water were still working, but we were part of the 110,000 houses without power.  We got a call in to the insurance company almost immediately, but the power company's phones were jammed.  In the end, [my wife]'s folks were able to get a call in from Washington for us.

After the rain stopped (about 6:00 pm), we were able to force the garage doors open and get the cars out.  My car had drywall all over it, but that was about it (as far as the cars go).  The left railing for the garage door is bent and the door came partially off it when we lifted it.

At about 8:30 pm, the insurance company's tree cutters showed up and spent the next four hours with a chainsaw cutting away branches and eventually getting the tree off the garage.  (They were part of the emergency response from the insurance company and will bill them directly).  Once the tree was down on the ground, they put tarps on the garage roof and helped us pull the garage door back down.  They left between 12:30 am or 1:00 am, probably much to our neighbors satisfaction and relief.

Our power finally came back on at 2:41 am.  I happened to be awake after sleeping a couple hours as I was cold and contemplating pulling on a blanket.  I was out of it enough that I forgot to turn off my alarm clock and was awoken by it at 5:00 am and hit snooze 3 times before I awoke enough to remember I wasn't going in.  I got maybe another hour or so of sleep and then it was too bright to sleep any more, so I got up and showered.

I spent the morning in contact with work getting that squared away and doing some online training so I would not have to burn any vacation time waiting for the insurance adjuster and the contractor.  At 10:00 am a dumpster was dropped off for the tree cutters and they arrived at 11:00 am to start moving all the wood into the dumpster (we kept about a third of the tree as firewood).  They finished at 1:00 pm or so.  At about 2:00 pm the insurance guy arrived and did his thing.  At 3:00 pm the contractor showed and did his thing.  At 4:00 pm the contractors roof specialist showed and got specific counts of beam and brackets needed and then left.

All the electricity for the house runs from the back of the garage, through the damaged area, through the breezeway, and into the house.  Because of this, we are still waiting for the contractor's electrician to come by and see if they can do the work without cutting power to the house for a couple days or not.  Once he gets his stuff in to the contractor, the contractor and the insurance company will hash out the cost, the insurance company will cut a check for half to get work started (the rest after work is done and invoiced submitted), and repairs will finally start.  Our deductable is $1000.00, which we believe we will have, although timing might be tricky.  We'll see.

So, that's what's been going on in my life recently.

UPDATE: The electricia came by this past Monday (the 18th) while I was at Jury Duty and pointed out to my wife that, in addition to the power for the house running underneath where the tree fell, the gas line ALSO runs there.  We missed that originally - luckily, so did the tree.

Chapter 6: Call to Arms - Draft Complete!

Finally!  Wow, that chapter took forever to write.  Part of the time sink was the restructuring of the chapter and needing to create material from skimpy notes, sometimes as short as a single bullet point for an entire complex scene.  Nevertheless, I have completed the draft of that chapter.  I spent the day Saturday doing the writing to finish the chapter, packing in 3000 words.  Why so much in one day?  We'll I explain that in tomorrow's post.  The short version is that weather knocked out power and blew an oak tree down on my garage.  My joy knew definite bounds.

The notes for Chapter 7 look better organized, but I thought that about the last chapter as well.  I'll discover what land mines I set for myself as I get into the chapter.  There is a lot of war in Chapter 7, which will up the word count a lot and probably require more on-the-spot research.

Current word count: 49, 313 words

Oh, I'm writing this from the past, but when it appears (Monday the 18th), I'll be on my way downtown for jury duty.  Last time I got picked, but the case ended by 5:00 pm, so I didn't have to come back a second day.  Before that it was show up and read.  Go to the voir dire and wait for the jury to be selected from the people ahead of you.  Try not to fall asleep and drool.  Still, beats the alternative. 

Later!

Chapter 6: Call to Arms - Status Update 6

Chapter 6 is speeding up.  I'm writing one of the big "ah-ha!" moments.  After this scene, there are only three more in this chapter and we'll reach Chapter 7, when all hell breaks loose.  Chapter 7 will be long as there is a lot of action in it and the story starts resolving.  Chapter 8 is the aftermath and denouement and that will conclude the first draft of the novel.

I've made it back to sections I outlined early on, which is why things are speeding up.  That plus taking a day off for my birthday let me get some serious writing time in.  Well, that and a trip to the new LEGO store that opened nearby, the Apple store for some new ear buds, and the Godiva shop for a free key lime truffle (membership has its privileges).  By the time this posts, it will be my actual birthday and I'll be doing birthday things, followed by Tea things the next day (supporting the wife's activities - not politics, actual tea).  If I squeeze anymore writing in this weekend, I'll post an additional update Tuesday.  If not, it'll likely be Thursday before the next update.

Current word count: 46,038 words

That's it for now - Later!

Chapter 6: Call to Arms - Status Update 5

So, my back went out two Sundays ago and then I had family in from out of state.  I didn't get any writing while my back was out (hard to write if you have to hold your laptop above you while lying in bed).  I got in some writing time today, so this chapter is progressing again.  I'm past the scenes that were giving me a lot of static and my pace has picked up.  Family is still in town and tomorrow night is our weekly Pathfinder game, so Wednesday will be my next writing night.  Conveniently, this has become my regular writing night, so that will dove-tail nicely.

Current word count: 41,196 words

Chapter 6: Call to Arms - Status Update 4

Last week I was able to get another day of writing in and pushed into a set of scenes that is difficult to write for two reasons: 1) it wasn't part of the original outline so I have a one sentence bullet point to go off of and 2) people are going to die, several of whom happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.  That last point is as obstructive (I may have created a new word there) as the first point.  People dying is something that is happening in the story, but it's not what the story is about and I don't really want to go any deeper than I need to, but it needs to happen.  I think I'm going to wimp out and have the thing happen of stage between a shift in perspectives.  I may be just thinking out loud here at the moment.

This week, writing will be thin as my back went out this past Sunday and I've spent most of the week so far on my back.  By the time this posts, I'll be back at work for the first time this week and hope to make it the whole day without needing too much pain medicine.  I do have to drive 45 minutes there and back, so I'm sticking to the over the counter stuff.  It's been doing the job so far - as long as I work within my current health limits.  My mom is flying in next week for Memorial Day weekend and it has been nearly a year since last time I saw her.  I'd like to be as near to healthy then as I can get.

Current word count: 38,757 words

After the current scene, I have the beginnings of revelations on who is behind the uprisings.  Clues are discovered and links are made.  Chapter 7 will be the turning of the tide and things will start happening quick there.

I currently have one scene in my list of "Scenes I Need to Add After the First Draft Is Done".  I have no doubt there will be more, but I'm pushing on to complete the first draft before going back to insert new material.

That's it for now.  Later!

Chapter 6: Call to Arms - Status Update 3

On my lunch time, so I have to be quick.  Most of the way through a long military scene and my writing is picking up some steam.  This weekend is busy with two games and helping a friend pack his deceased mother's belongings.

Word Count: 37,497 words

How much detail should be in a scene where the nominal protagonists have to attack an enemy supply depot?  Should the killing happen off screen, on screen, or both?

I'm currently favoring off screen as the actual killing is not critical to the story itself.  I find using Tom Clancy's Red Storm Rising to be a good touchstone for things like this.  What are your thoughts?


Also, Happy Star Wars Day!