Yup, it’s TSA time and I been planning away like a mad thing. Today has been mostly spent working out how The Stand Alone is going to work out from start to finish. Kinda like a crib sheet for the entire book. This isn’t something I normally do, but I wanted to give Agent Phil (mine’s a large one) a ‘pitch’ for the book, and according to them what’s in the know this includes some form of kick-ass synopsis / blurb and possibly a handful of pages as well. My target is the first three chapters. I figure that if I’m not having fun by that point there’s no point in sending any of it anywhere – I don’t bloody well want to write it anyway. Right now the whole thing exists as a conglomeration of mind-maps, scribbled diagrams, character studies and one dirty-big flowchart thing. All of which is supposed to make the writing easier (well, that’s a lie: it’s all designed to sell the idea of the book).
So the current plan is to finish the plan tomorrow, and maybe the first chapter as well. Then on Tuesday I can try for chapter number 2 on the train to Glasgow, and number 3 on the way back to Aberdeen. This way I’ll have the whole ‘three chapters and a synopsis’ malarkey under my belt by the time the launch party comes round on the 27th.
“BUT,” I hear you cry, “how come you is going to the Glasgow, Stuart?” Well, I’ll tell you: I’ve been invited to the BA Conference Gala Dinner, where I shall rub shoulders with the bigwigs of the publishing and retail industry. And a bit of rubbing against some other people who’re also going along as guests of HarperCollins. Now I assume that they’ll be putting ‘people they want to impress’ on the tables with the famous guys and galls, and bearded unknowns on that little table next to the toilets, where the wait-persons deposit cutlery that’s been dropped on the floor, and half-eaten chicken fricassee. But I suppose that’ll mean all the half-eaten chicken fricassee I can eat! Bwahahahahaha… The next day, after all the showbiz glitz and glamour’s worn off, I’m off to do my marathon signing session. And then it’s back on the train and homeward bound.
Mmm… home.