Me Versus Impending Deadlines
July 13th, 2008 by --KALEB NATION--
Yoiks, it’s been over a week since I have posted an update, and loads of stuff has been happening. To start off, I just landed an interview with a very famous author, who happens to own the number 1 spot on the New York Times, and has owned it for nearly a year. I asked half of my questions about the books and the other half about tips for writers. So, look forward to some really cool answers given by my mysterious interview shortly.
In other news, many of you probably know me by now as The TwilightGuy, thanks to Stephenie Meyer and her glorious millions of fans and readers (I think my Official Fan ID Number is #4,546,768– I got in on it late). Well, after three months of painstakingly slow reading, with my TwilightGuy.com commentary on each chapter, I’ve finished the first book in the series, and I’m now moving on to the sequel, New Moon, as evidenced in the following photos:
My professional portrait photographer, who only appears to be a broken lamp-pole converted into a tripod and a self-timing camera, posed a nearby gnome with my newly-purchased book:
The TwilightGuy website has been an enormous success so far, thanks to all the loyal readers and everyone who gave me a chance when I was just starting out. It’s passed 750,000 hits in just 3 short months, with emails in the hundreds and comments in the thousands. And to think the day I bought the site, I thought I was wasting my time.
As for me, I have a new alibi for becoming an increasingly-invisible blogger over here. My new excuse is that I have a deadline for my revisions that is impending. If you don’t know what impending means, think of a steam train rapidly approaching around the bend, while your car is stuck between the crossing guards (people who have read my book snicker here).
In the above example, the train is impending. My deadline is approaching in a similar fashion, except instead of being brought with steam and locomotion, my deadline is surrounded by the awful, wretched, pounding, abysmal, never-ending beat of the music from the apartment nearby (see, Trolls). Word from someone else on campus is that our resident trolls converted a car stereo into a home sound system. My poor head. Their poor eardrums.
Between beats of their bass box, I have managed to get a lot of revisions done either here or at the cafe. And it is in that I have a confession to make. I, unfortunately, was forced to axe a character.
Oh the woe: this character who was formerly in a scene and now is not. What makes it worse, though, is that I chopped her entire scene clean out. So not only is the character gone, but her car as well- and her sister garbed in purple furs, her sister’s car, and Sewey’s sandwich, and Ben’s sandwich, and Trolan’s sandwich, and the dust bunny Sewey found under the chair and threw at Trolan. All of it is gone, like a bunch of ghosts who will now wander somewhere in the space-time continuum, that were there one second and now suddenly are not. None of you have any clue at all who she is, or rather who she was: but from now until eternity I will be haunted by her ghost when I read the place where she formerly was: Fool! You dare to remove me from the story? Have you no mercy? Feel my wrath!
Luckily, she was an unpleasant character. And, my consolation is that she actually does appear in the second book (if I don’t axe her from that as well), which makes it not like turning her into a ghost, but more like tossing her into jail for a short amount of time: right next to the dozens of other characters I’ve edited from the story over the years. Sometimes, everyone simply does not fit. Chop chop! No character is safe when my editing axe is sharp.
You should be hearing from me again soon, when I get that interview finished. I’m really excited about it.
Posted in Bran Hambric, Stephenie Meyer, TwilightGuy, Writing
July 13th, 2008 at 1:28 am
[...] I don’t exactly know what my expression in the photo on the right is saying. One second I look like I’m stunned because someone sees me reading New Moon; the next second I look rather annoyed and about to whack somebody with a club. If you want to see the rest of the photos, look in this direction. [...]
July 13th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I see your getting hard back now… is it because you actually like the book and want to keep it? or is it because you don’t want to get strangled again. (Remeber the Nuse?)
July 13th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Um…. you do know that the paragraph which states: “Oh the woe: this character who was formerly in a scene and now is not. What makes it worse, though, is that I chopped her entire scene clean out. So not only is the character gone, but her car as well- and her sister garbed in purple furs, her sister’s car, and Sewey’s sandwich, and Ben’s sandwich, and Trolan’s sandwich, and the dust bunny Sewey found under the chair and threw at Trolan. All of it is gone, like a bunch of ghosts who will now wander somewhere in the space-time continuum, that were there one second and now suddenly are not.”
July 13th, 2008 at 1:37 am
*inhale* i didn’t finish… anyway, it doesn’t make any sense to me because i have never read the book and the book isn’t even out yet…. Your book isn’t out yet and im confused and all i understood was that you killed someone… *exhale*
July 13th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Apparently i have NO LIFE
sorry
July 13th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Who’s the interview with??
July 13th, 2008 at 3:08 am
omg! Finally you’re going to read New Moon! read fast man..aug 2…breaking dawn!
July 13th, 2008 at 4:40 am
The interview… Is it with the person I think it is? *short before hyperventilating*
Well, maybe I got it wrong but.. “a very famous author, who happens to own the number 1 spot on the New York Times, and has owned it for nearly a year”
What else could I think?
July 13th, 2008 at 6:39 am
okay, i’ve been wondering this for a long time…
what’s w/ you and gnomes???
July 13th, 2008 at 9:18 am
Do you take those pictures yourself and is there a setting on your camera so it comes out only showing the red?
July 13th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Kaleb,
those pictures are priceless… I feel the need to emulate those pictures and create an amazing collage… hmmm
Happy Reading!
July 13th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Now you can get your nerdy hair cut! I look forward to seeing it. I’m getting a non-nerdy haircut on monday. We should be haircut buddies. XD
July 13th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
oh goodness!
I’m so obsessed with Twilight that my friend said she was worried about me! haha
We’re all gonna need therapy after this!
I can’t wait for the interview!It’s gonna be great!
July 13th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Congratulations for finishing Twilight. I enjoyed reading your comments everyday. I’m looking forward to that interview with the ‘famous’ person. Also, looking forward with you reading New Moon which you will difinitely enjoy like everyone did. Love your pictures.
July 13th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
[...] I don’t exactly know what my expression in this photo (<—) is saying. One second I look like I’m stunned because someone sees me reading New Moon; the next second I look rather annoyed and about to whack somebody with a club. If you want to see the rest of the photos, look in this direction. [...]
July 13th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Hi Gnomes!!
=]
July 13th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Lucky! I’ve been at camp for the past week, so I’ve missed a lot of reading that you’ve done. I’m trying to catch up with it all in between sleep and taking care of my new puppy. Speak of the devil… The potty training frenzy has just begun.
I really hope we all get the chance to read that part that you had to take out! It sounds very interesting. haha A dust bunny? And throwing it? My kind of fun. For the Trolls, I’d say those massive ear phones that are supposed to block out sound. Wow, that would be a really funny picture! haha
Before I go, I have to say that I LOVE Isabelle! She is so cute.
July 13th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Okay, what is with you and the trolls? I don’t think I’ve been around here long enough to know!
Egads! I can’t wait for you to read New Moon and to hear your thoughts on it!
July 13th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Oh, yeah, *her*…! I didn’t like her much, so I’m fine with that.
July 13th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
Poor Kaleb,
I understand what it feels like to go through characters, character names, settings ect. like blank pieces of paper that were just begging for me to write on. Have no fear…the characters will eventually show you mercy, and may even grant you the happiness of their presence in later books (as you have mentioned). For now may they rest in peace. RIP characters!
July 13th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
How many words are you aiming for in your editing? What was your original wordcount?
July 13th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
Your pics are awesome! Can’t wait to hear what you have to say about New Moon!
July 13th, 2008 at 11:05 pm
Hope your interview goes well! I will be looking forward to seeing it here soon.
Congratulations on finishing Twilight. And you didn’t jump on the Twi-Train too late… I still have a couple friends who have just started reading the series.
Sucks about you having to cut out a character. Maybe after your book comes out, you can pull a Stephanie Meyer and post some of the deleted scenes online
Happy editing!
July 14th, 2008 at 12:05 am
[...] think I was forming a new habit, an expectation I would never be able to keep up with thanks to my impending deadline and already up-till-3AM days. However, the pull of New Moon was much to strong: and thus I embark [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 4:31 am
[...] think I was forming a new habit, an expectation I would never be able to keep up with thanks to my impending deadline and already up-till-3AM days. However, the pull of New Moon was much to strong: and thus I embark [...]
July 14th, 2008 at 11:51 pm
This is just proof that Stephenie Meyer is so talented she can appeal to gnomes. Gotta love the lil creatures =)
July 15th, 2008 at 1:29 am
I can’t wait to read your book! It sounds *awesome*.
July 16th, 2008 at 3:51 am
You and Gnomes are like me and penguins…
the penguins suport your quest in getting your book published and hope to read it. Then I will have to steal it from them whilst they sleap becuase they cook anything and everything into stew.
read like the wind man!
you should consider reading Host also…is good
July 16th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
Kaleb! I know I could have said something earlier, but I was out of town and therefore could not access your website at the time I wanted to.
However, I do mourn for your character[s]. But I do hope they appear in your sequel, which I shall buy for sure!
But Kaleb! At the Food Lion in Gloucester, Virginia, they had a gnome for sale and it even looked a little bit like that one… but it made me think of you so I took a couple of pictures of it. I’m going to spam you with the links once I get them on facebook. yay!
July 16th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I fail. I accidentally hit send.
Anyways, I hope you finish your stuff before your deadline!
And, I think you should listen to Charlotte Sometimes. Just saying. :]
Corinne!
July 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Holy Crap! I’m reading Looking for Alaska as well, haha. How’s it coming along for you? (this is a bit random and not really about your post, apologies)
July 18th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Oh my God.
Man! You got rid of Madame Mobicci!
NOOOOO!!!!!
I feel like I should cry. She was the only thing that made your book worth reading!
- Jaden
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:59 pm
twilight is awsome. end of story.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
I think I know who your interview is withhhhh