Had a good day writing. Checking the word count meter, the 85,000 word milestone beckons. A few times today I stopped and checked my index cards. Each one represents a scene. Ten left. Whether that translates into another 16,000 words is still tenuous. The mid 90’s seems more likley, and is way doable.
The Wife readied her pics from Honduras. Thursday I’ll post a sample. Many of the underwater shots are pretty fricking sweet. Especially the ones with sharks.
Since July 2005 I followed the Atkins Eating plan. This entry contains several observations and conclusions about the eating plan. Let me tackle the primary question first. Does Atkins work?
A few personal measurements say yes, yes it does:
1) Total pounds lost: 21
2) Percent of body fat lost: 3 percent
3) Omelets eaten: 109. Or, 436 eggs. Whoa.
Caliper measurements taken at the waist, thigh and upper arm show a clear decrease in body fat. Also, the most insulin resistant area of the body, my waist, shrunk so markedly that every pair of jeans slides off without a belt. In fact, most belts are now too large. That’s a good problem. I hate clothes shopping, though.
Another benefit, meal portions are smaller and less frequent. This underscores a key Atkins tenet. In sufficient quantities fat suppresses food cravings. The more time on the plan, the less time I spend thinking about eating, period. My old nemesis, food coma – the sensation of feeling tired after a meal as glucose levels rise and crashes – has not knocked since the first week.
Yes, let’s talk about the first week. Actually, the first two weeks. The Induction process is a hellish signpost along the weight loss journey. Induction is the reason many abandon the diet before seeing results. Ratcheting down from 300 grams of carbohydrates a day to 20, hurts. In German, it sucks. In English, it sucks, too. Just a few of the side effects: headaches, disorientation, lack of energy, irritability, insomnia and constipation. Those are the pleasant ones. It can get uglier, but that was the worst of what I experienced.
Because the process is so difficult, so painful, I do not recommend Atkins for the casual dieter. Instead, consult a doctor and nutritionist for a workout/meal plan. Atkins is a brute force solution, one that works, but at a price. The discomfort of severe carbohydrate reduction rivals nicotine withdrawal. Trust me, I’ve walked both roads. If one does not anticipate serious pain the first four to five days, and deal with the symptoms, the risk of failure is enormous. Which is a shame, because the greatest fat loss occurs after Induction.
And that’s about my last word on the Atkins Diet Revolution.
Less secure men avoid chick-lit flicks like In Her Shoes. A word to the less secure dudes: films marketed at females draw them like sales. You sir, can be the only man in theater. Odds don’t get much better than that.
I’m a quasi-chick lit fan. Any genre that move books in big quantities is worth my consideration. This commitment has led me down roads both dark and terrible, such as the Vampire Chronicles.
In Her Shoes is the tale of two sisters, joined by love and hate. Basically, first they hate each other, then they love each other. Along the way they stop talking. Exciting? Not really. Gripping? Like the klemph. Believable? Yes. The credibility factor, combined with the performances, deliver this movie from the bargain bin. Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette seem like real sisters, one drama from a knife fight. Or a hug.
What works about this movie:
1) Performances. Toni Collette at a career best. Even better work than the creepy mom in Sixth Sense.
2) Plot. A few glitches here and there, but any oversights are forgiven.
3) Cast. The actors fit the characters.
4) Direction. The director nursed laughs at the right moments.
Verdict: Girls, test your man’s security and demand a date with this film. Guys, you’ve been warned. DVD purchase, or matinee ( for the Girls Club Squad ).
If every writing session went like yesterday, the book would write itself. A personal record of 1800 words. Output like that verges on Stephen King territory.
In keeping with submission guidelines mentioned on dozens of agent websites, the manuscript required some format adjustments. For those planning on submitting work to agents the near universally – because there is always an exception – accepted format standards are:
1) A 12 point font, usually Times New Roman.
2) 1 inch margins on all sides.
3) Double spaced text.
4) The title, author name and page number atop each page.
The manuscript covered items 2 through 4 but not 1.
My favorite font is Courier New 10 point. It’s proportional and supports roughly 350 words per page – at least within narrative tracts. Dialog snippets vary, as they involve more white space. Such word per page dimensions mirror those found in published fiction. Courier New 10 point gives a real-time estimate of the bound page count. All the more reason to use it, in my opinion.
Of the twenty agent sites checked, however, all said Times New Roman was the way. No mention of Courier New anywhere.
So long, Courier New. Hello, Times New Roman.
With the agents to contact list complete, and the synopsis up to date, the next stop is a query letter revisit.