Weird Research is All in Day's Work

So, research for Sentinel's Run means that I've had tabs up in google all the time on heavy machinery, and I've been watching videos on equipment too. (Right now, I've got a Wikipedia article on backhoe loaders up.) I also spent quite some time today trying to figure out whether I wanted to spell it "plow" vs. "plough."

Being a writer is all about exciting research like this.

I spent an hour yesterday calculating the possibly velocities of all heavy machinery Mori and Coby might come across in a future world where technology might have improved, but also while relying primarily on solar power. (There's an unladen swallow joke in there somewhere.)

I can't imagine writing during a time when I'd have to go to the library for all this research--the librarians would have thought I was a total freak. Really.

Wendy: "I'd like a book on mean heavy machinery."

Librarian: "You mean ON heavy machinery."

W: "No, my heavy machinery has to attack people. I'll need something with grabbing capability... Oh! Oh! Maybe something that stabs... can you think of something that might stab a person? That'd be awesome!"

L: "Uhh. Are you the person who was asking about sleeping chickens a few months back? And whether you could kill a large amount of chickens without being caught?"

W: "Err... possibly."

L: "That's what I thought."

Writers are such freaks.

On the other hand, I'm really on the home-stretch for Sentinel's Run. I'm to 57K out of the projected 60K... but I think it'll be closer to 65K in the end... maybe. So, I should finish it sometime this weekend. Then, I'll do a revision run-through of it. I've got some squirrelly little continuity errors that I need to fix, but I don't want to ruin my momentum by dealing with them on this draft. After a revision run-through where I also work on the voice a little more... I'll do a Kindle read-through. So, I should have it to betas by next weekend... I think. I hope.

I'm not sure what to do with it after that. That's one thing about having an agent. We're focusing on Secrets of Skin and Stone and Curse Me A Story, so all my other little projects... I don't know why I'm working on them... other than my brain won't hush up AND it is good practice. I don't know.

I guess if Sarah wants to see anything else of mine... she can just ask.

Anyway, back to writing... it's time to kill a few more machines.