writer
Where did last night's post go?
Technology, Christ.
Up later than usual. Coffee on the back patio, two hours of story revisions, a quixotic attempt at trellis building, then off to the gym.
Cooked up a pot of split pea soup, too, somewhere along the way.
Beautiful day, just beautiful. Hoping there'll be many more to come.
Fall doesn't look any prettier than today. Soft gold light, a small breeze, blue skies.
Had no obligations, no ambitions, and rode most of the afternoon out making small revisions on two stories. Picked up half a bushel of roasted peppers at the market to make green chili, stopped at the grocer after that, then came home and cut my lawn(s.)
Easy day. No complaints.
Couldn't ask for a better day.
Tired, but in a good way.
Many happenings, many doings, and a new reader draft complete.
What's better?
Good day.
Scripts out door. Quick revision of "Ocean's Apart." Close to a mail draft.
Got a nice email from the New Yorker this afternoon regarding "Rocky Mountain Sweetheart Murder Ballad." Not as nice as an acceptance, but not bad.
Talked to mom tonight. Sounded good. Think one of us is going be on the road to see the other before long.
Can't remember how the day started out, but happy with the way it finished. Meetings and other distractions kept some scripts from being finished, but they're close enough now I can see an end.
Quiet evening in the hood. Excitement earlier, trying to track down an escaped pet. Breakout ended quietly, said pet wandering home in search of food and drink. All's right with the world.
Dinner's on me tonight.
Still clocking along.
Improvising most of the day. Little things, big things, and everything in between. Came close to putting the finishing touches on the new scripts, but was waylaid by phone calls and other interruptions. Maybe tomorrow.
Overcast, cool and humid this morning. Sun on the drive home. Glad to see that.
Kinda wish I'd gone fishing last weekend. Need to remember that when the new one comes around. Not a whole lot of warm days left to squander.
Another long day. Gym early, office early. Finished one long script, got in a good draft of a second, then off to meetings. Somewhere in the midst of all this, an acceptance slip came in for "Beggar's Banquet" from HVTN, a lit journal out of the UK. Nice to see. Wasn't able to work on any fiction today, but that's the way it shakes down sometimes.
Quick note of introduction from new Assistant Ed at N. New stories to come along soon. Gonna be buried here, I think.
Long day, short entry.
Reader draft of "Man of Letters" in place. Good revises on new story, too. Have "Ocean's Apart," ready to send out.
Hit gym late morning, had a light workout, then off to office to work on video scripts. Still haven't gotten back to the Robert Coover story in the NYer, but figure to later this evening.
Dinner with kids.
Home now.
Looking to get a hard start in the morning and see if I can't tie together the loose ends. Could be a busy week.
Been thinking about my dad a lot, mistakenly believing I should call him.
Beautiful fall day. A little cool, but sunny, breezy, topped with blue sky full of wandering clouds.
Up later than usual, but made good edits on "Man of Letters." Small cuts here and there made all the difference. Very close to having a reader draft. Took a break, did a little shopping, came home and made a pot of cream of mushroom soup, then drove to the office put in some time on a video script.
No gym. No time. Will catch up tomorrow, most likely.
Started a Robert Coover story in the NYer, but had to abandon it. Need to go back. Coover's one of my all time favorites.
Crazy-ass day.
Meetings. Mid-day workout. Projects coming and going.
Met Jane Fonda.
Mic drop?
Yeah, probably.
Another day in the wild west.
Early to the gym, edits at home on "Ocean's Apart," an hour or three looking after little things, then away to the office.
Can tell it's getting close to the end of the week. Energy levels flagging. Big day tomorrow with early morning presentation, script writing, and a bit of ad work on a tight deadline.
Enjoyed the drive home tonight. Traffic was crazy, but the air was clear and cool, and the last bit of sun was a warm, happy gold.
Up later than usual. Into the office earlier than usual. Banged away at video scrips most of the afternoon, set up a meeting or two, then hit the gym late in the afternoon. Warm today. A clear bright autumn sun. Getting close to that time of year I love best.
Neighbor's brother? Cousin? back in town. Musician. Man plays a mean trumpet. Is playing a mean trumpet. Prelude to an orgiastic harmonica/trumpet duet later this evening, I'd wager. Fun to hear them. Nice people.
Close on drafts of both "Man of Letters" and "Ocean's Apart." Keep thinking they're there, but every time I re-read the drafts there's always something else. That feeling that one more edit will make it better. Sometimes it's a good feeling, sometimes its a feeling of despair. When it's good, it's best to hold on and wait for the words to come.
Debates tonight, I think. Something presidential. Or what one hopes will be presidential. Might tune in. At worst, it could be good for a few yucks.
Started out thinking I had something to say. Revisited the notion and decided otherwise. Why push it, right?
Scattered day. Again.
Up late--last lazy day of the holiday weekend--off to the keyboard, then to the gym. Another old folks class! No matter. Rode the bike, read more of the Comanche book, then home for a bit of letter writing and business correspondence.
Believe "Man of Letters" to be shaping up into a good story. Hope I'm right about this.
Off to the movies this afternoon. Saw "Hell or High Water" for the second time. Nice, nice story. Wish I'd written it. Particularly good dialogue about poverty being a disease, passed down from generation to generation.
Brief exchange with TJ at N. A gracious man and insightful teacher.
Can't seem to get it in gear. Doldrums. Must be the return of the hot weather.
Picked up some lumber and hardware for the back fence. Maybe frame it out tomorrow.
Unsuccessful in getting to the theatre. Or the restaurant. Mouth beat up. Bad.
Re-read Richard Bausch's "Hotel Macabre," which appeared this week in Narrative. Have an interesting anecdote about this story, but can't repeat it online without causing one of us a great deal of embarrassment.
Fire tonight?
Quiet day. Spent most of it resting, writing, reading. No gym, no yard work. Haven't had one like this in a long, long, long time and probably needed it. Revisions to "Man of Letters" went pretty well, and the story is near to being passable. For a first read. The other, the one I started a few days ago? Not so much. It needs a better open, and a better thread of dramatization. The possibilities are there, but the actualization isn't. Yet. Still, some fun stuff to work with.
Don't know what the hell's going on this year that correspondence from the journals is so slow. Maybe it's that I've submitted some of the pieces to contests, none of which appear to be in any hurry to respond? Should make a note of that in the future. Not all that practical to have your work tied up for nine months to a year, but also not very practical to shell out entry money then abandon it.
Notes in today from T&B re: RMSMB. Look forward hearing what they have to say. Meanwhile, press forward with the work at hand.
Weather improved. Felt like fall today, sunny and breezy. A touch humid. Maybe build a fire in the backyard tonight and enjoy the stars.
Day started out bleak, turned beautiful in the end.
Good work at the keyboard.
Not gonna push it. Think I'll ease into a drink, and call it day.
Dreary day. Overcast. Gray. Humid.
Office early, gym later. Remembered why the reverse is better. No old folk groups at 6:00 am. Made some nice revisions on two stories. Think one of them might make it as a reader draft soon. Got this checklist in my head that keeps growing. Ought to commit it to paper one of these days rather than relying on memory. Make for faster, more efficient editing.
K off to Florida. Booked out of here at 3:00 this afternoon. Should have some quiet time over the next couple of days. Be nice to finish the yard work, knock out a finished manuscript, and see a movie. Or two.
Comanche book is fine. Looking forward to a bit of reading time tonight.
Need to get a letter off to mom. Send along a copy of the Flint Hills Review.
Cheerful day. Lots of sun, high flying clouds, a good fall breeze. Out of the gym and into the office early. Worked out a new draft, best first shot in a long time. How many mss are sitting on my desk, days away from being finished? Must be five. Of more interest, why haven’t I been able to shove them out the door? A real head scratcher. Been in this place before. You wake up one morning, and suddenly the words all fall into place. Not gonna panic or try and hurry anything cause it wouldn’t do any good. Just gonna wait and see.
Nice meeting this afternoon. New TV script in the works. Got a nice walk through Old Colorado City. Could’ve used a Starbucks but settle for a house brew. Back at the office made a few more revisions.
K leaves for home tomorrow. Been a nice visit. Like to get at least one new ms out the door before the weekend’s out. Maybe it’ll happen, maybe not. But something to shoot for.
Closing the book on another one. Back and forth day. Read a little, wrote a little, looked after small things around the house.
Casting still in progress for Our Souls at Night. Extras won’t be called for another week and half. Meanwhile, scripts for at least two videos, a draft for a coffee table book, and scattered manuscripts staring me down.
Rain again, off an on.
Dinner guests coming. Gotta run.
