Today I rewrote the pitch for Cracked, based off the feedback I got from their writing workshop. (It boiled down to “don’t be so obvious” and “get better sources”.) I’m much happier with the pitch now.

If you have any interest in writing humorous material, I would strongly recommend that you try pitching to them a few times – they are fair, honest and uncompromising, which is what you want in feedback.

Today’s scribbling is another set of summaries of books destined for the charity shop. Only five this time, but you do get SCIENCE, plus a brief insight into the radical revolution of my childhood when the microwave brought SCIENCE into the kitchen. Future cooking!

Today was most of the last two-thirds of chapter 14 – not difficult, it was already pretty solid. I didn’t finish it though, as the end of it leads into the start of chapter 15, which I do need to rewrite extensively because it is boring. But that is Monday’s worry, as the weekend will be original stuff – probably another Books I Am Giving To Charity, and a rewrite of my Cracked pitch based on their feedback.

Not a huge amount, but enough to keep the streak going. Into a bit that doesn’t need much work next, before hitting a chapter that does seem to need quite a bit of reconstructing. Might be time to liven some of the sub-plots up a bit.

It’s oddly reassuring to look at a bit of writing and think “no, that’s crap” as at least it means that rewriting it will be easy. Chop chop, and the clumsy writing is gone!

No actual progress today, instead I decided to go back over the first third and try to give the characters a slightly more consistent voice, add some actual description of the characters before chapter 8, and set up a running gag that I can pay off next chapter.

Muddying the waters. Weaving distractions for the detectives. Fun!

Chapter 13, unlucky for some. Meant to do some actual content today but the day got away from me, sorry.

Finished another chapter, hurrah!
Also worked on my Cracked pitch – as they pointed out, the first one was a tad obvious, which probably explains why I was having such trouble making it funny. Might be time to re-read Scott Adams’ writing on how to create humour.

Not  a huge amount of writing today, since Django Unchained ate most of my evening – but it’s February, and I’m still going. Hurrah!