Flash in the Pan

He typed as quickly as he could, cursing under his breath when he had to backspace. Speed was not conducive to accuracy.

He twitched in his chair with a grin from ear to ear. Using one finger, he typed, “The End”.  He shot a look at the clock on the credenza. The clock stared back. 9:47. He popped open a calculator, thinking out loud and counting on his fingers.

“Whoa!” He slumped back in his chair. Two years, eight months, seventeen days, thirteen hours and six minutes. The book had taken longer than his marriage.

 

Welcome to “Flash in the Pan”

Against the upper word limit for November of 125 words, this one tips the scale at 94. The word for this week is book. Another week I chose noun over verb, in a subject we can all relate.

If you are playing along for Flash in the Pan, or would like to join for the first time, visit the Flash in the Pan page to learn how to be a part of the second edition of FTP. In the seventh week of the quarter, we are officially over the hump. Six more weeks for this edition.

Happy Flashing! Good luck if you are one of the thousands participating in NaNoWriMo or NaNoBloMo.

~~~~~~~~~~

How long did it take you to write your first book? Was the second one any easier? If you have written more than one, which one was the shortest? If you have not written one, how long do you think it would take you?

Any marriage suffers during the writing of a book? Or is his book about the mysterious end to his marriage?


(c) Red Dwyer 2012
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32 Comments

  1. I wish I could answer those book questions.
    Great flash. I need to get back into the flashing game. Well, you know what I mean.
    Lorre recently posted..Apple does or doesn’t fall far from the tree?My Profile

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  2. I wrote my first script in a couple of months. Every subsequent one took longer and longer and longer.
    Binky recently posted..Extra Large Pepperoni With MushroomsMy Profile

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    • I cannot say that. I have written two in less than a month each. The only reason my WIP are incomplete ATM is I am not writing…I am coding.

      Reply
  3. My first book took five years to write. It is a memoir, being published by Redmund Productions. It took five years because I needed the courage to write it, and only managed a chapter every three weeks. I am writing a second memoir, this one will be longer, but I am finding it easier with less pain and more craft. I am happier with it. Still, I am a slow writer. I don’t think all marriages suffer from the writing of books, just the ones that don’t respect each other’s needs and desires. I am not married, but I have full support from my love to write and write often and fully engross myself in my work, whatever it is. Choosing a partner is also about going in with your eyes wide open and not wishing to change the other.
    Gail Thornton recently posted..Poem – TransferenceMy Profile

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    • I think this one may be progressing differently as well because your confidence is up. You have been making major strides lately.

      As to partners, they must understand the core driving force behind their Mates. Otherwise you are trying to herd cats.

      Reply
  4. Good one Red. 🙂
    Wendy Reid recently posted..Le Circus Is In TownMy Profile

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  5. NanoWriNo,
    NoNoMeNo

    Thousands, indeed… they’re out there!!

    Red, you amaze me how you just keep on truckin’!! You’re so amazing…
    Noeleen recently posted..I don’t usually take so long … TRUE!My Profile

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    • You are doing a good impression of NaNoBloMo with your Wego Health blogging this month! Give yourself a bit of credit, Noeleen! <3

      Reply
  6. I haven’t written a book myself, so I can imagine the time he had spent.
    I love stories about author, lovely piece Red 🙂

    mine about book is set for this friday 🙂

    Reply
    • Awesome! I am looking forward to it. I am hoping the WP issue with the silly pingbacks is fixed by then. I will be looking for it anyway <3 Glad you like this one!

      Reply
  7. This one made me smile, broadly! Funny, you do funny so well especially with that bit of snark.
    Valentine Logar recently posted..Caught AgainMy Profile

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    • I have my days where I wonder if I getting it right or not. I do so love snark…it is my third language <3

      Reply
  8. I haven’t written a book before…it must take a very long time to get it right in order to capture the readers to want more.
    I like what you wrote up there. 🙂
    ♥ xxx
    Deb recently posted..Fraz to the RescueMy Profile

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    • You know, Deb, you have done enough painting to put together a book. Have you ever looked at it that way? <3 xxx Glad you like this one.

      Reply
  9. I rewrote all 4 of my “first book”s so many times I lost count. Two were total duds, one is still hugely disappointing, and the last became Book 1, Forty Grains of Black Powder.
    After book 3 of the saga, they got progressively easier, for I knew the characters even if I was always surprised at the plot turns.

    Reply
    • You know I find that entirely fascinating. On whose scale were they duds? Who decides that anyway? I realize I have unconventional standards, but I just have a hard time reconciling “RLB Hartmann” and “dud” in the same sentence.

      Reply
      • If you saw those efforts, you’d have no difficulty! Two were written while I was in high school, one began at that time, and all continued to bedevil me for years afterward. Thanks goodness the saga rescued me! I kept on with it because I HAD to find out what happened next.

        Reply
        • Since I know it is all part of the series, have you ever considered taking the premise and the core events of them and creating a prequel? I do not mean a rewrite in the traditional sense of editing what you have written (which is always far more tedious and painful than truly rewriting), but in starting with a blank page and the ideas in your head mingled with what you know about the characters now?

          Reply
  10. This is a great FTP Red but then all of your work is outstanding 🙂 As for your question on manuscripts, my first outing was back in 2005 on the subject of politics, yes a rather shocking revelation that I would imagine considering what I usually write.

    However the book is based loosely on real events and characters names have been changed slightly otherwise if successful in the publishing of then I think that I might be spending some time in a confined space, more than likely peering through iron bars 🙁 lol

    It is of course a slapstick approach to British politics and even though it was my first attempt at writing a book I certainly had a lot of fun with it 🙂

    Have a lovely rest of evening Red 🙂

    Andro xxx

    Reply

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