Barrelling towards 30,000 words

Talked to more awesome crafters, and after copying and pasting integrating their quotes, I am very near my Dec. 1 goal of 20,000 words!

Current word count: 19,843 (out of 30,000)

My to-do list is still very long, but I feel positive about where the book’s going as the deadline creeps ever nearer. The manuscript is due Feb. 10, and ideally I’d like to be able to turn in something in really good shape, so maybe I’ll aim to hit 30,000 words by January 1 so I have a few weeks to revise and edit.

Probably the biggest thing on my list is contacting the organizers of major indie craft shows. I’d been waiting on that because craft show season is in full tilt right now. But if I wait too long, I’ll be hitting the holiday season when (presumably) people aren’t going to want to be doing interviews. Conundrum!

Rutu Modan, “Exit Wounds”

Koby, a young man in Tel Aviv, hears from a soldier who believes his estranged father—her lover—may have been a victim in a suicide bombing. Together, they try to track down his whereabouts.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2007, 174 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 11.10.08
Date finished: 11.11.08
What I liked: The drawings are simple but beautiful, with a good sense of color. The story is straightforward and heartfelt.
What I didn’t like: No real dislikes, though I wish the story would have dug a little deeper.
What I learned: A little about life in Israel.

Malcolm Gladwell, “Blink”

Malcolm Gladwell is a writer for the New Yorker, and he cracks me up.

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2005, 280 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 10.12.08
Date finished: 11.10.08
What I liked: The question he asks in this book is how do we know the things we know? Why are first impressions so often, and so immediately, accurate? He explores the concept of thin-slicing—picking out the details that matter from the chaff our senses generate. The examples come from everywhere—the music industry, law enforcement, psychology, art history. Totally fascinating.
What I didn’t like: No complaints!
Oh, also: Seriously, listen to this episode of This American Life.

Alan Corey, “A Million Bucks by 30″

Reminds me quite a bit of the dishwasher book and the red paperclip book in that it’s written by a dude with an amazing story who isn’t really much of a writer. See the last item for more…

THE LOWDOWN
Published: 2008, 224 pp.
Obtained via: Library
Date started: 11.2.08
Date finished: 11.2.08
What I liked: This guy, broke and straight out of college, decides he’s gonna make a million bucks by the time he’s 30. He’s got some good tips on being really frugal. And I read the whole thing in a day.
What I didn’t like: He went into real estate to make his money. Boring!
Oh, also: He relies really heavily on two jokes: “Jesus H. [random word]!” and “What the [celebrity's name that starts with F]?” This gets old real fast.

my book has a title!

Crafty Superstar: Turn Your Crafts into Extra Cash, Keep Your Day Job, and Basically Have It All will be released in November 2009! And I have even more exciting news:

Current word count: 14,953 (out of 30,000)

I powered through today, integrating tons of quotes from interviews to try to hit my goal of 15,000 this weekend, and it worked! After hitting the halfway point, I just have to write about 5,000 words in November, December and January to hit my manuscript deadline (with a week or two for revisions in there, too).

I’ve been talking to so many amazing people for this book, and my list of crafters I want to talk to still keeps growing! If you happen to know a biz-savvy part-time crafter, let me know. :)