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Updates

November Update #1

Nov 13th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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A lot happened this week! After finishing the fifth excerpt from the book manuscript last week, I finally took some time to cut the third excerpt down to a shorter version for Reality Sandwich (2,800 words, instead of 5,900). I sent it to RS this week, and they already published it! You can find it under the title “Kerouac: A Psychonaut in Denial.”

If you missed the longer version (“Death Within a Chrysalis”) in Beatdom issue 9, it’s now online at their website. The print and PDF versions of issue 9 are still available on the Beatdom Books page. (more…)

October Update #2

Oct 28th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I’m happy to present the first real update in a few months. I’m still not fully recovered from my illness, but I’m definitely on the path back to regular health. This is the first time since July that I have progress charts to show!

I’m currently working on the fifth excerpt from my book — a preview of my chapter 8. The focus this time is on religion, spirituality, creeds, etc. I’m just over half done with this piece. Once it’s finished, all my energy will go into finishing part two of the manuscript. The total word count is now around 106,000, which I still expect to be in the 70-75 percent range. (more…)

October Update #1

Oct 1st, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I returned to the Caribbean a week ago. I’ve now been ill for four months — four very, very long months. I feel some gradual improvement, especially in my mental clarity. But I’m still very limited in terms of what work I can do.

However, I do intend to write another preview/excerpt for Beatdom’s tenth issue, which will have the theme of “religion.” If you didn’t see my excerpt in issue nine, you can download the free PDF here or purchase the print magazine at the Beatdom Books page. (more…)

Excerpt Updates

Aug 19th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I made it back to the U.S. in early August to begin treating my illness. Now I’m taking it easy and savoring the less humid late-summer Midwest weather. I also got a new round of used books, so I’ve enjoyed skimming through those.

The PDF version of Beatdom issue nine became available for FREE download on August 18. And also, I had the price of the print magazine wrong before (I amended the previous post). It’s $9.99 USD, plus $2 for US shipping or $6 for international shipping. You can get either the print or PDF magazine at the Beatdom Books web page. (more…)

Late Summer Hiatus

Aug 6th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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Due to unforeseen circumstances (health issues), I haven’t been able to work on the book nearly as much as I had hoped this summer. I’ll be returning to the U.S. next week to take care of that.

However, in the stretches of normal awareness this summer, I was able to write a third excerpt of an upcoming chapter (so technically more of a preview or outline) and cut a fourth excerpt, this time from my chapter six. The third excerpt was published in issue 9 of Beatdom Magazine. The print magazine is available for $11.99, shipped anywhere in the world–and it will soon be offered for digital purchase as a PDF (Update 8/19/2011: The print magazine is $9.99 USD, plus $2.00 for US shipping or $6 for international shipping). I posted the start of the essay on my main website. (more…)

July Update #1

Jul 8th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I’m having a pretty rough summer. I’ve been sick for 5 or 6 weeks now. It comes and goes — some weird tropical illness. Actually probably dengue fever followed by a bacterial infection. Earlier this week I thought it was over, but since Wednesday night I’ve felt just as gross.

Since I don’t have enough energy to work on actual writing, I’ve been reading through my early chapters, making minor edits, and creating new outlines for reference. I’m also happy to announce that a third excerpt — this time from part 2 of my book — will appear in a literary magazine sometime this month. Stay tuned for more info about that. (more…)

June Update #2

Jun 19th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I just hit 100,000 words! Finally!!! Actually I wasn’t too far off in my initial projection. I expected to reach this point by June 1. Of course, I thought that would be closer to the end of the book. But I’m not concerned about the length anymore. It’ll be over when it’s over.

This week I finished the excerpt from my chapter 9 and submitted it to the literary magazine where I hope to publish it. I’ll report on that when I hear some news. (more…)

June Update #1

Jun 11th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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Well, as you can see from the graphs below, I’m slowly inching my way toward the 100,000-word mark. It’s pretty clear that I underestimated the size of the task still ahead when I started the second part of the book (or “phase 3,” if you go by the breaks I’ve taken from work). The last couple of weeks have consisted more of research and collecting my thoughts than of any actual writing.

But things have been made more difficult by what seems to be dengue fever. On the one hand it’s not much different than getting a standard cold or flu back at home. Yet on the other hand it feels a little like being hungover for two weeks straight. I’m slowly recovering, at least. (more…)

Minas Morgul

Jun 1st, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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This is about where I am at right now. “They’re calling me.”

(more…)

Starting Phase Three

May 14th, 2011
by Nick Meador.
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I got bored of naming the posts so generically. Plus, I haven’t posted every single week since I began this project, so it didn’t make very much since to keep referring to them as weekly updates.

I’m digging back into the book after two weeks of “vacation,” visiting family and friends in the U.S. I use quotes because I didn’t stop working altogether. I went to a library and checked out eight books to skim through and photocopy. So I was reading a lot, and taking plenty of notes. It was great to be in Illinois and Michigan in early spring. I really got my winter fix in the cold weather–even if everyone around me was so weather-worn that a freak snowstorm might have driven them totally insane. (more…)

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