The 2nd Annual Self-Imposed SoCal Exile Daily Journal (Co-Starring My Father): Now Featuring Re-Writes!
Once again, I have abandoned the excessively cold, stagnant world of
my hometown and traveled across the country to my father's house on
the Left Coast in a self-imposed exile designed to shock my system
into productivity. And, like, get out of the cold for a little while.
The stakes are very high. I have to turn in a second re-write of my
completed thesis (novel) by Feb 25 so that my advisor can give
feedback and questions for the final re-write before I defend it to
the High Council of Thesis Readers and Champions of Knowledge at
Emerson College in the middle of April. Then I will release it to the
publishing world, like a flock of extinct but very promising carrier
pigeons.
Coming out here wasn't as simple as calling my dad (who, if you want a mental picture, shares an uncanny resemblance to former PGA tour pro Andy North). I also had to
try and convince him to purchase my airline ticket. The conversation
went something like this:
"Hey Dad."
"Yes?"
"What's going on? How is California?"
"You've been here before, you know what it's like."
"Yes, but I haven't been in so long, I seem to have forgotten. And I
miss you. I miss you father. We don't nearly get to tell each other
that enough."
".... What do you want?"
"Can I come out to your house to work on my book?"
"Again?"
"Yes."
"You're not done yet?"
"No."
"...Are you really going to work this time or are you going to sit in
the hot tub with your book all day drinking Negra Modelo's and
talking on your cell phone?"
"I was brainstorming!"
Nevertheless, through a combination of guilt and persistence, I
earned a trip out to SoCal. And so here I sit, writing or re-writing
between 2500-3000 words a day, locked away without the (consistent)
use of cell phone, internet, and/or DVR. But fear not, friends,
because--although the mountain is high and the journey appears long--
I am prepared this time. Maybe not mentally, or physically or even
emotionally, but I did bring snacks and my dad's pantry contains
plenty of water.
And in honor of my bravery in the face of Thesis, I will be keeping a
daily log of my troubles, triumphs and other non-t-word related
activities as I make this final push. So keep your family off the
phone line and your dial-up AOL account signed on all week as I bring
the Words.
