Shinerdrinker: Blog

Okay. Where have I been?

Right here, writing away. But this chapter kept changing as I tried explaining to someone a few weeks ago. While writing, it was starting to go off my outline. That's okay. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the story eventually returns to the outline.

But that was the problem. The stuff I was writing kept trying to take me onto a tangent that would speed up certain parts of the storyline and take us to somewhere the story might not be ready. I know I could probably fix it, but the trouble is I don't know if I would want to try and fix it.

It's happened to me before. I called it the only thing I could compare to... writer's block. I've always been able to sit at the keyboard and begin writing something. Now it's most likely shit, but it is something. Then again, I might think it's shit, but someone in Hollywood may think it the best idea to ever come across their desk. (By the way, Hollywood, if you're interested, call me.)

My version of writer's block was my thinking everything I've been writing is shit, but someone else reads it and thinks it's pretty good. You end up throwing away chapters of material, thinking it reeks, but you could have added that stuff into the story and kept the barbarians away from the gate.

So, I've written this chapter several times, then started a new one because I don't think it's any good after sleeping on it. I'm not an asshole. I save each version, but that does set up chapter 78, version Epsilon.

But just last night, I stayed up all night in my writing nook, and with the cat from hell safely out of my domain and the small refrigerator appropriately filled, I worked on it.

But it still isn't there.

So, I have to start over once again. But now I know exactly how to do it. And I know exactly how to keep on my outline. But damn, I'm sleepy and ready to jump into the bed. So when I wake up later, I start chapter 78, version Zeta.

But this time... a shitload of cutting and pasting. I have no idea how long it'll take, but I am working on it.

-- Shinerdrinker

I just came across something interesting while surfing through YouTube. It also happens to indirectly affect my story as it is a great way to show how vital High School Football in the state of Texas is.

Now, for those who can't grasp the importance, you can see many videos posted on the internet about the size of stadiums for individual schools with less than 2,500 students. Not to mention the indoor training facilities and the weightlifting rooms akin to colleges and universities built for high schools with less than 5,000 people living in the entire town.

Before an average meeting under the Friday Night Lights, I will show a glimpse into a pep rally.

https://youtube.com/shorts/V_riyeeRhsI?si=s2uwLXuuwSYER3zg

I hope the link works. And watch out for the volume; those kids get a bit loud!

If the link does not work, cut and paste into the YouTube and enjoy!

Sorry about the long wait, but real life jumped up and bit me in the butt-tocks (read Forrest Gump-style). So, I finally got around to correcting an egregious error pointed out to me by several readers that got through all of my editors and myself. My mistake. I took the idea and ran with it, but the rules say it's a no-go. So I've fixed it.

The kicking team cannot advance the ball on a kickoff.

You can't advance the ball on a recovered onside kick. I wrote the scene from memory I had saved on YouTube, and when I rechecked it, I remembered it incorrectly. In the football play I saved, the kicking team did not recover the onside kick. A player on the receiving team recognized it was coming, and when the ball bounced to the ten-yard active line, he ran under on the first bounce. He ran right by a kicking team member who was obviously concentrating on blowing somebody up with a mega-hit to collect the ball. He didn't react as the receiving team snatched the ball on the second hop and ran it in for a touchdown.

My bad.

I've fixed it. And I'm almost done with the next chapter and coming up with an important decision. I will let y'all know what it is when I post the next chapter. Don't worry. The story ain't stopping. I want to find out what happens just like you.

I just wanted to let you know I changed the last chapter a bit... not much. But it still works for me and the overall story.

I'll finish the next chapter now, especially before the NFL starts tomorrow. There's nothing quite like finding a deadline for the writing bug to catch on, huh?!

Tee Hee.

--Shinerdrinker

Okay, just letting y'all know that the next chapter of Mayhem in a Pill has been posted and is now available for your reading pleasure.

I apologize to those of you who don't like the descriptive parts of football in my story. It is necessary for the story, and it's my story so there. Tee Hee. Just kidding.

On the personal front, I'd like to thank a reader out there who has been going through the story since the beginning and has meticulously found a few mistakes in several chapters since the beginning. To that reader, I'll keep your name secret, (unless you tell me it's alright,) I thank you, and you should know I will now begin going through and making all of those corrections. Again, thanks.

-- Shinerdrinker

I asked that many times over the last month and a half. I apologize for the tardiness of this next chapter, but I did have a good reason. Believe it or not, I was writing too much.

I did 18 different versions of this freaking chapter. Eighteen! I've said it before, but my chapters are usually around 16 pages in LibreOffice. But I had versions of this chapter hitting 30 pages. Way too many.

So I had to cut them and edit them myself before sending them on to the editors simply out of not wanting to embarrass myself too much. I mean those guys have had to edit my unseen prose. That ain't easy, lemme tell you.

So long story short, I have sent chapter 77 to the editors, and hopefully, I'll be able to post this new chapter early next week. But it's up to them and how much red they leave on the page.

Tee hee.

-- Shinerdrinker