Highlights
- I broke through the Novel 2 wall of despair that I recounted in my latest Dead Darlings post. I needed to go through my whinycrankybabybitchypants phase of the process. And I got a blog post out of it, so all is well. But I’m relieved that I figured out a way forward. Everything I write may end up on the cutting room floor, but I don’t mind that. I only mind not writing and quitting. Coach Taylor would never, ever quit. And neither will I.
- I’ve been running since August after years of not being able to run for various reasons. I have a blog post about that. I need to revise it first. #alwaysrevising
- Finished Columbine, which I highly recommend. I’m fascinated by the news cycle and media misinformation that’s relayed to the public. We watch a lot of documentaries in our household: Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart, The Central Park Five, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, etc. CNN has a pretty good series called “Crimes of the Century” that delves into the crimes themselves, but also the media hype surrounding the crimes (pretty good, not great, because they do that annoying “coming up” and recap shit that some shows like to do that eats up valuable information dissemination time. They also use these really weird sound and visual effects during the interviews. Anyway…) Like many people, according to the book, I don’t know the full story of what happened that day at the high school. I only know what the media and law enforcement gave us before the news cycle shifted to tornadoes in Oklahoma. So much misinformation was spread, such as their connection with the so-called Trench Coat Mafia, the jocks vs. goths, etc. etc. Fascinating stuff. Also, Columbine was unexpectedly helpful to Novel 3, which is nearing completion. I said in a recent post that I am slow as fuck. I suppose that’s a lie.
- Began reading A Little Life for our Novel Incubator alumni book club. I’ve never been to a book club meeting, so I’m a little nervous even though I know everyone there. It’s my classroom PTSD. I’ve gotten better over time. But it’s still a problem… Though the beginning was interesting enough to keep me turning pages, it wasn’t until I hit around page 70 or so (out of 700+, so really, I’m still in reading infancy here) that I became engaged with the story and characters. Now, I’m effectively hooked. Much of this is due to the Jude section, beginning with “The Postman.” His perspective and thoughts on an atypical childhood are a kind of salve for me, which possibly doesn’t make sense to those from loving two-parent homes where parents were around on a regular basis. Who knows. But I’m drawn to Jude in a way I have not been drawn to a character in a while. I can’t wait to get back to it tonight.
- I feel like I’m finally “getting” a non-writing project that I’m working on, which is a relief. There for a while, I was worried that I’d have to go back to my chiropractor for some serious adjustment.
Lowlights
- I still have some flash fiction hanging out there somewhere in submission boxes. Not really a lowlight. More of an “any day, you could get rejected, stay strong” reminder.
Image credit: “TV Focus”
by Guillaume LORAIN