I sent off the first draft

For those of you who are devoted followers of my blog (Hi Mom!) you know that I was supposed to be done with my first draft of my next manuscript by the end of August. It's still August, right?

Well, okay, the end of August was always a long shot. I'm simply not one of those authors who can write a book in two weeks or a month. I never even try during National Write a Book in a Month. (Who are these people and do they ever shower?)

Anyway, after four months of not cooking dinner and wholing up in my room during every free moment, I'm finally done with the first draft.

Hurray!

I lovingly patted it's pages (well, electronically anyway)and sent it off to the bow-tied one last night. I'm sure he will slaughter it with post haste and send me back the bleeding entrails to fix.

When we last talked on the phone about it, one of the first things he asked me was whether it was going to make him cry. I keep telling him that I write romantic comedies and people aren't supposed to cry during those, but he doesn't buy it. Since I wrote Just One Wish for him, he wants tears.

Actually, I'm sure it will make him cry--although maybe just because it wasn't what he wanted after all and he had to wait four months for it.

We'll see.

What would you call it? The working title

The bow-tied one has asked me on several occasions what I'm calling my new manuscript. (Which still isn't done--but I have written 54,000 words. Of course of those 54,000 words, approximately 3 will remain standing by the time revisions are done, so I don't even feel close to done at this point.)

Apparently editors like to know title information so they can put it in contracts and use it when talking to the other people at the publishing company. I usually have some sort of title. I mean, I've got to call the manuscript something so I can find it again on my computer after Vista tries to bury it in the bowels of some obscure file where I will never be able to retrieve it. Vista is just like that.

So the name I'm using on my computer is: New, new, new, novel for Tim. Really. It started out as novel for Tim but then got 'new's added every time I completely scrapped the thing and started over. Yeah, this hasn't been my easiest novel to write.

Anyway, despite the fact that he should be honored that I put his name in the title, the bow-tied one has not taken to the title: New, New, New Novel for Tim. He wants me to come up with something else.

I am really drawing a blank. I thought maybe I could do a take off on The Prince and the Pauper, and call my book: The Prince and the Pop star, but I'm sort of afraid that no one would make the connection and they'd just think it was a book about royalty, which it's not. (The prince would be referring to the hot guy lead who is also a rock star and is thus the Prince of Rock.)

It's a book about a girl who, in her quest to meet her father, impersonates a famous teen rock star. And yes, she does fall in love with rock star guy who doesn't know who she really is.

Since you guys did such a great job with producing song lyrics, I'm confident someone out there will come up with a brilliant title. Or at least a really bad title so I can laugh about it.

Suggestions anyone?

If you come up with the title that the all-powerful marketing department actually likes, I'll send you a free copy of the book when it comes out.

Stupid song lyrics

In my current work in progress (I'm at 50,000 words but I still have a few scenes to write and then the whole thing to revise. Thankfully, the bow-tied one is being patient.) the main characters are teen pop stars. At one point I have the guy write a song for the girl called: Give First Impressions a Second Chance.

I keep thinking that I should put in a few lyrics because after all he does sing it to her. But here's the thing. I'm lousy with song lyrics. I had to put in song lyrics in Revenge of the Cheerleaders and no matter how long I worked on them they always sounded stupid. (They were supposed to be a little cheesy, but still.)

The thing is, most song lyrics sound stupid without the music. Really. Here are a few song lyrics from popular songs of the past that I'm pulling off of the top of my head (because I'm too lazy to google them).

She loves you, yeah,yeah, yeah. She loves you, yeah yeah yeah.

Hey Mickey you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, hey Mickey.

I believe in miracles. Where did you come from, you sexy thing?

And the possible all time stupidest song lyrics: Some one left the cake out in the rain, and I don't know if I can take it, cause it took so long to bake it, and I'll never have the recipe again!

I'm not totally mocking stupid song lyrics. I mean, I just bought a song from Itunes which starts out: Uga chacka uga uga uga chacka. Uga uga uga chacka, Really, it does that for ten seconds before normal lyrics start. And it's a great song. Check out Hooked on a Feeling, if you've never heard it.

But the point is, I'm clearly not equipped to write song lyrics if even popular song writers frequently come up with stupid ones.

If anyone out there is a budding lyricist (is that a word?) feel free to send me some good ones about how if you judge people by first appearances you're likely to miss out on love. This song should be a duo. Nothing sappy.

Otherwise I may have to revert to stealing the Uga chacka lyrics.

I always suspected as much

I have often asserted that anything would taste good if it was dipped in chocolate first. Really, you could take a pair of old shoelaces, cover them in peanuts and carmel with a dark chocolate coating and instant: Mmmmmmm.

I have a Russian friend who came to visit me not long ago. She knew I loved chocolate and knew I had five children so she bought me all sorts of Russian candy. We had no idea what any of it was, but ate it most willingly anyway.

This one was a particular favorite. It turns out that it's chocolate covered prunes. Yeah, prunes, those things my kids refuse to touch. They went pretty fast once they were covered in chocolate.