writer
Downbeat day. But why? Big progress revising “The Jesus Brand,” and some solid research on the new healthcare project.
Looked into putting together a new collection of stories. Think I have enough material to enter a contest or two. Deadlines looming, however. Will need to push hard to make it happen.
Taking off for Albuquerque tomorrow. Spend a few days with the old folks. Been on the road a lot lately, but I don’t mind. The drive is worth it.
Up early Saturday. A little writing, a small birthday celebration for young J, then off to Santa Fe for a bit of shopping. Picked up a set of 100 year old doors, which we hope to make a gate of on the side yard. Quiet trip home on Sunday through Taos, San Luis, Fort Gardner, etc.
This morning, to the gym before seven, then off to the office to write a radio spot and take care of some housekeeping. Home by early afternoon. Long walk, short nap, and a bit of catching up on FB.
Heading for bed now, to read a little.
Progress! “A Convergence of Interests” is out the door. Also got a nice rejection from the folks at Sententia Books regarding “Occurrence at the Night Owl Liquor Store,” calling it “very accomplished.” Which is progress, too, in that most pubs—from what I’m able to gather—seem to view it as a vaguely racist piece of work, judging from the reception its gotten. So much for an honest exploration of one man’s misanthropic attitude toward vagrants and street people.
Doc appointment checked out in the plus column, and the rest of the day moved along nicely. Got in a long walk downtown—had a chance to listen to a bluegrass/jug band play a couple of numbers on the street corner—then walked home, took care of a few domestic matters, and headed to the office.
Enjoying the longer days and cool weather. Big birthday bash for J. tomorrow, and after that a quick jog to Santa Fe in search of old doors. Looking to spend the night there in a casita, and head back early on Sunday. Spaghetti tonight. And wine. Going to savor every minute. Try and act like a big boy and stay up past ten o’clock for a change.
Long day that got colder as it trudged toward afternoon. Spitting rain. Mountains wreathed in clouds. Wouldn't be surprised to see snow on the grass tomorrow.
Revisions on "Convergence" finished. Story goes out the door tomorrow. Early doc appointment. We'll have to wait to see what else the day brings.
Up early to do a bit of writing, then off to meet a new client. Home for a quick lunch. Mowed the lawn, hit the gym, then drove to the office to put a few more revisions in place.
Looking to push “A Convergence of Interests” out the door before the weekend. Other stories coming along, too.
Read with skeptical interest a piece online two days ago. Part of the Kenyon review’s “Why We Chose it” series. The writer suggested, without buttressing the observation in any useful way, that the most difficult stories to write were those whose word count was over 2500 words but under 3500. I wonder if it occurred to her that those are the word limits to which most pubs adhere, and by extension, the stories she sees most often. I mean, if most of the pieces you publish come in at 3000 words, the law of averages says you’re going to run into a fair number of clinkers, right?
Why do I waste my time reading that sort of anecdotal nonsense? The only secret to better writing is hard work and study. Enough griping. Lord Jim is calling from my nightstand.
Out of the bed, to the keyboard this morning. Notes and revisions. Then off to the office. Came home to help with little things, then off to the gym. Need to make a quick trip to city hall in a bit and drop off my ballot. Stir fry tonight.
Late morning meeting tomorrow. Good to have a little more biz coming through the door. Haven’t made a decent entry in days, but hope to rectify that bit of business before the week is out. Weather is beautiful. Wish I could feel the same about my writing!
Writing, yard work, a stretch at the gym, and New York strips for dinner.
Played the layabout this morning. Stayed in bed till almost nine. Had a couple of cups of coffee then went to work on a bit of research. Put in some small revisions on an old story, “A Convergence of Interests” just before noon, then went off to the gym for an hour or so. Beautiful, sunny day. Cool, but nice.
Spent the better part of the afternoon window shopping for things around the yard. Got in a little reading, too. A FB friend, Mark Krieger, suggested I look up Tennessee Williams short story, “ The Resemblance Between a Violin Case and a Coffin,” and I did, and was quite charmed by the piece. It had that southern nobility of language. The sort you know would never make it into three quarters of today’s lit journals.
Easter Sunday tomorrow. No big plans except to keep the cars where they are or risk losing a parking space within a mile of the house. That and get in some writing. Should have a few spare moments to work on manuscripts next week, but taking nothing for granted. Happy about the way the new schedule is working, though it still suffers from a few clinks. The morning workouts are good. Energizing. Now if the harebrained clients would only cooperate by keeping to their schedules.
Cool weather blowing in.
Got to the gym early. Come and go day with many, many distractions and very little writing. Stumbled across a copy of the Old Man and the Sea while running errands and managed to find the time to read the first forty pages. I remember now why it’s a book I’ve always returned to when my own writing seems to get mired. What a beautiful, simple, gently-told tale.
Missed the rain and snow the forecasts have threatened. Maybe it’ll come tonight. Looking forward to a little more moisture so the new growth in the lawn doesn’t die back.
Good day. Up early to the gym, out early to the office. Made a few last revisions to “The Catch,” and mailed out mss to a few different pubs. Wish I’d been able to put the story into play much sooner, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Anyway, it’s out. Which means I can put my eyes on other pieces.
Had a nice walk this afternoon. The neighborhood is starting to bud. I was told the forecast holds rain and snow toward the end of the week, so maybe I’ll fertilize and seed the lawn in advance of the moisture. Most of what was destroyed last spring has come back, although how long it lasts is dependent on the new trees, which were banged up in last spring’s big hailstorm. Fingers crossed, as always.
Up a little later than usual. Greeted by a clear cool spring morning. Got some good writing in, then put on the glad rags and ventured off to the back yard to trim the vines and put the patio in order. Still a lot of cleanup to do, but it’s only March.
This evening, dropped in on the Theatreworks salon to listen to critics Ben Brantley, Matt Wolf, and Lisa Kennedy speak. Nice gathering. Enjoyed fish and chips and a good pale ale. Walked home, then fetched the keys and drove the truck to the shop for some minor repairs.
Quiet Saturday. Wrote early, dressed, and gave the lawn its first mowing of the season. After, brought the mower in for an oil change and blade sharpening. Met with Vern the bricklayer about having a fireplace built on the back patio, then went off to Walgreens to get a shingles shot. Quiet afternoon, putting the last edits to “The Catch.” Cleaned up the office, came home and read a little from Lord Jim. Salad tonight. And wine. Feel like sitting on the porch swing and watching the sun go down. Beautiful day. Tomorrow’s supposed to be just as good.
Back from NM yesterday. Early up, day spent organizing. Where did the time go?
Leaving for Albuquerque tomorrow. D's fortieth. Put in revisions on "The Catch." Deadlines looming at end of month.
Up early, a little writing and research, then off to clean the garage. Made progress, but not enough to finish the job. Quit a little after 6:00 pm, then went off to score a pizza. Happy tired.
Up early, long morning of notes and revisions. Drove across town to the Bookman store later in the afternoon and picked up ten books (Lord Jim. The Golden Bowl. Stories of John Cheever. The Virginian. A collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oats, and a couple of Philip Roth novels. Been trying to replace the paperback titles in the library with cloth bound copies. That and preserve the clothbound editions that have been flatsigned.
Beautiful day, 60s. Sky a piercing blue. The peak looks magnificent as it always does this time of year. Fierce, snowcapped, jagged. Glad to get out for a short walk. Hoping to spend some time in the yard tomorrow, maybe cleaning the garage. Have wanted to clean the garage since the construction began on the kitchen last spring.
Finished the O’Nan book last night. Don’t know exactly why, but it really got to me. It wasn’t the writing, which was fine and serviceable, as much as it was imagining the demise of a man who still had so much to give. As soon as I finished it, I was determined to pick his short stories off the shelf downstairs and leap into them, headlong. Too many books, as they say, and too little time.
Hamburgers for dinner tonight, hot off the grill. Beer and chips with family. Splendid Saturday, just splendid.
St. Patrick's Day. Read "Leda and the Swan" today while eating a corned beef sandwich. Going downstairs now to drink my last Guinness. If luck holds, John Huston's movie version of The Dead will be on television tonight. Here's to my people, alive and otherwise. Erin go bragh!
Summer came on in a big way today. High seventies. But the sky was blue—that deep, beautiful Colorado blue, and that made everything all right. Rain tomorrow. And the day after. Temps are supposed to get no higher than the twenties, but that’s hard to imagine after today.
Didn’t get much work done at the office. Too many interruptions. Got in a nice walk this afternoon, though, and was able to do a little reading later.
Tired. Hope to manage a good night’s sleep and wake early. Get some revisions in place and a new manuscript in the mail. Till then.
Dinner tonight with family. An early St. Patrick’s day soiree. Corned beef, boiled potatoes, cabbage, and soda bread. Harp and Guinness to wash it down. Splendid company, splendid time.
Beautiful, sunny day today. Cloudless blue sky, temps in the 60s. More of the same tomorrow. Got a bit of fiction writing done this morning, then turned the pen to my Amazon review of James Hanna’s new story collection, Call Me Pomeroy.
Read a few more pages of West of Sunset this afternoon before lying down with the boys and taking a short nap. Will delve in further this evening when it’s time for bed.
Spoke to the folks for about an hour last night. Good to hear their voices. Looking forward to catching up with them in person next week.
Long day, short entry.
Commercial work at the office, a bit of reading and research at home. Weather cooled, predictions of rain tonight and tomorrow.
Looking forward to getting a some writing time this weekend. Need to step things up.
A quarter of the way into S. O'Nan's West of Sunset. Not what I expected, but enjoyable nonetheless.
