Right now the novel stands at almost 47,800 words, with eleven and a half chapters left to write. It's 9 a.m., and I plan on writing a good 5-7,000 of those words today, getting from chapter 11 (with the team in Cuba over New Year's, 1917) to chapter 12 (up and down the West Coast, where they play an all-Japanese team and then the all-Jewish House of David team, finishing up with the US entrance into World War I on April 16th). I should be hitting that by about 3 p.m. this afternoon.

Chapter 13 starts the third and final part of the novel, as the draft for the war begins to pull the team, and the nation, apart. That chapter contains -- along with the upcoming war draft -- a trip to Niagara Falls, the failing eyesight of their Native American catcher, a zeppelin sighting, and some Santeria voodoo from the team's new Cuban players.

Yeah, I'm excited about the novel again, can you tell?

I hope to be close to halfway through the 13th chapter by 5 p.m., when I want to quit and hang out with my very understanding wife, who's "making herself scarce" while I slog out the wordage. We plan on checking out the "Bourne Supremacy" tonight, and maybe do a little shopping for young mister Drew at the mall.

And then, tomorrow, I plan on doing another good eight hours of work on the novel as well, pulling me to as close to 60,000 words as I can get, to chapter 15 or so (out of 22 total chapters).

I'll keep ya posted on the word count here today as I make progress -- wish me luck, wouldja? :)

UPDATE THE FIRST: 10:36 a.m. Just finished up a nifty scene set in a hotel in Havana, as my 64-year-old protag, the coach of the All Nations Team, gets hit on by the Cuban mother of one of his recruis. Saucy! 49,100 words...

UPDATE THE SECOND: 12:10 p.m. Still working on the scene with George and his woman, a week later celebrating New Year's together. This chapter has gotten WAY long. Still have one last game in Cuba before the team returns. Fun fun fun! 50,800 words.

UPDATE THE THIRD: 2:12 p.m. Finally got the team out of Cuba! Man, that took a while (about 3 weeks of real time!), but it's some good stuff. We just arrived on the Havana Steamer at Key West, where a group of black and white players are waiting to catch the steamer back to Cuba. Players includ Rube Foster, John Henry Lloyd, and some fella named Ty Cobb and some big dude named Babe who pitches for the Red Sox (but not for long!). The All Nations are gonna ask 'em to play a quick game. 52,000 words.

UPDATE THE FOURTH: 3:32 p.m. Getting tired, one-third of the way through chapter 12. There's a game between an all-Japanese team in San Francisco scheduled, then the House of David team in Michigan. Whew. Getting tired, but feeling good about what I've gotten drafted. 53,000 words.

UPDATE THE FIFTH: 5:00 p.m. Just set up a scene between the coach and his mostly-blind Native American catcher in a hotel room between games, as the coach checks the catcher's failing vision, and that's all -- I'm spent. Not a bad day, writing from more or less 9 to 5. Got about 30 pages written (give or take) and almost 7,000 words Not bad! I'm right at 54,500 words. More tomorrow... Later!