Tilt: The Peter Principle In Action.

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

My novella is now 85 pages and at the limit of my brain capacity. My goal is 100 pages and likely doable but I'm outta my depth as to brain storage. If memory and word count were the same I'm a 1980 TRS80 with 16K of RAM or 50 pages of 300 word print.

And maybe that's good enough. Fifty pages oughta be enough when a writer sticks to the plot and removes all the bull shit about AA meetings and other filler material. If the plot is good 50 pages is doable in one evening. Pack 3 of them in a book for the business traveler and vacationer.

 

[lovecraft68]

I'm doing one that involves an AA meeting. Its the main characters 10th anniversary.

Brought back memories of being dragged to those when I was a kid with my father because my mother was working nights.

Every time I think of those meetings I think of the smell of coffee, cigarettes and the most nervous people you will ever meet (the newly sober)

I used to sit in the kitchen behind the meeting and play games, a couple of my old man's friends taught me poker and black jack, good games for a seven year old

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I'm doing one that involves an AA meeting. Its the main characters 10th anniversary.

Brought back memories of being dragged to those when I was a kid with my father because my mother was working nights.

Every time I think of those meetings I think of the smell of coffee, cigarettes and the most nervous people you will ever meet (the newly sober)

I used to sit in the kitchen behind the meeting and play games, a couple of my old man's friends taught me poker and black jack, good games for a seven year old

I've been drunk like once in my life. I like Sangria and Southern Comfort and San Miguel beer but rarely drink either...I cant recall the last time its so infrequent. That said my mother's sister rode my ass for years to join AA because I got drunk when I was 18. In the military I usta trade all my liquor tickets for favors.

 

[lovecraft68]

I've been drunk like once in my life. I like Sangria and Southern Comfort and San Miguel beer but rarely drink either...I cant recall the last time its so infrequent. That said my mother's sister rode my ass for years to join AA because I got drunk when I was 18. In the military I usta trade all my liquor tickets for favors.

When I was a teen I was afraid to drink having come from three generations of hard core alcoholics I thought it might be genetic.

But aroun 18 I finally said, well never going to know til I try...

Me and Jack D. have been best friends ever since, but I drink socially or when I write I sip at it, I have no issues with it and can go months without a drink.

 

[49greg]

I've been drunk like once in my life. I like Sangria and Southern Comfort and San Miguel beer but rarely drink either...I cant recall the last time its so infrequent. That said my mother's sister rode my ass for years to join AA because I got drunk when I was 18. In the military I usta trade all my liquor tickets for favors.

I don't like being drunk, but have to admit to the occasional drink after dinner. As for my army ration ticket when I was in Germany, I usually sold all the cigarette rations and nearly all of my booze rations. The smokers flocked to us non-smokers. A guy in our platoon worked part time as a bouncer in a bar and paid twice what the class six store charged for gallon jugs of bacardi or anything else we bought. He claimed that he sold it at the bar for twice what he paid.

In another twist on the liquor trade, our supply sergeant kept several gallons in a locked cabinet, he used them for bribes to the Brigade facilities bunch for repairs and work that needed to be done. They always had a backlog, and the companies that bribed them got to the top of the list.

 

[slyc_willie]

My novella is now 85 pages and at the limit of my brain capacity. My goal is 100 pages and likely doable but I'm outta my depth as to brain storage. If memory and word count were the same I'm a 1980 TRS80 with 16K of RAM or 50 pages of 300 word print.

And maybe that's good enough. Fifty pages oughta be enough when a writer sticks to the plot and removes all the bull shit about AA meetings and other filler material. If the plot is good 50 pages is doable in one evening. Pack 3 of them in a book for the business traveler and vacationer.

You need a jump drive, Jim.

I have a feeling that what you consider bullshit I would consider "character." I like to include a certain amount of things like AA meetings, phone calls to the wayward daughter, commiserations about the failed marriage and so on, so long as it pertains to explaining something intricate and necessary about the character. It also makes for good "down time" filler between intense scenes.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

You need a jump drive, Jim.

I have a feeling that what you consider bullshit I would consider "character." I like to include a certain amount of things like AA meetings, phone calls to the wayward daughter, commiserations about the failed marriage and so on, so long as it pertains to explaining something intricate and necessary about the character. It also makes for good "down time" filler between intense scenes.

Plenty agree with you. One of my writer friends who's trying to master screen plays says I'm a born screen play writer but clueless of novels. I blame my psychotherapist training...we don't wanna know youre fuggin life story, we wanna know whazz up wif you right now.

 

[slyc_willie]

Plenty agree with you. One of my writer friends who's trying to master screen plays says I'm a born screen play writer but clueless of novels. I blame my psychotherapist training...we don't wanna know youre fuggin life story, we wanna know whazz up wif you right now.

I've tried my hand at screenwriting. I can't do it. I always want to put more information into the script than is needed.

You might want to Google for some of Shane Black's screenplays. He's the guy who wrote Predator, Lethal Weapon, The Last Boyscout and a bunch of other Hollywood shoot-em-ups. They're actually pretty funny with all the extraneous side notes he includes in the margins.