Update on my #WIP and #Research

I have been a Bad Writer of late, and an even worse blogger. Life is hectic, it happens.

Two weeks ago, I was unable to spend my days off writing because I fucked up my back, and the only way I was not in pain was to lie down. Last week, my wife and I had to take one of our dogs to vet. She’d gone into labor, and there were complications. Ultimately, she gave birth to six puppies (one of whom we lost a few days ago).

It is this last paragraph I am going to focus on for a bit because I am a Proud Grampa. Of the six puppies, only two were male. My wife and I had already decided to keep two (a boy and a girl). Save for one, none of them have a final name—and this guy only has a final name because he’s ours (we haven’t decided which of the other dogs we’re keeping).

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This guy is one of the two we’re keeping. Say hello to Grant.

His full name is Ulysses Sirius Grant, and, believe it or not, he was not named for the 18th President. Instead, his name started out as a joke. The mama, Hippolyta (we call her Hippie), loves to dig. I suggested we name whichever boy dog we keep be named “Grant” because of her love of digging.

From there, we worked backwards. “Sirius” is the name of the papa (who, incidentally, turns eleven tomorrow), and “Ulysses” is in honor the first dog my wife and I had together: Odysseus. So, by sheer dumb luck, who my grandpuppy is named for a move line, his father, and uncle is also named for one of the greatest Generals in American History.

And with that, we shall segue in into an update on writing of my co-venture.

As I wrote on my author’s page on FB, I have not been doing research for the last month. My brain hit a wall with research. I had a moment where I fully understood Kelly Bundy in the below video.

My brain was screaming at me for relief from the inundation of more Civil War and Reconstruction era information, so I took a month off to focus on just fun stuff. I read His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (amazing trilogy), as well as a shit-ton of comic books. But recently, I’ve returned to pouring over research. I’ve recently purchased Barracoon by Zora Neal Hurston, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, and After Lincoln by A.J. Lannguth. My brain has resisted the last, but it has welcomed the first two–soaking up the information with glee.

I am also plowing ahead with another Work in Progress. I have just over 70 pages of written material. I’m being much more methodical with the writing of this book than I have been with any of my previous manuscripts. Each chapter has a designated word count (usually decided when I begin the chapter) so that I can slowly build everything. Otherwise, I tend to rush into the point of the chapter just to get through. Forcing myself to slow down, while it means I am not as productive, also is making me take a step back to edit each day before I begin writing. But it’s a good thing because, while it is not perfect, and the book will still need major revisions when it is completed, I am happy with how this book is turning out.

Until next time.