Second revision draft is now on chapter 22. This book, thanks to the years of not writing and brain foggy stuff, may take more than one run through the “Construction Phase” to get things right, but every thing so far is willing to be nudged in the right direction. My metaphors for the problems are Read More…
Category: life beyond writing
First Revision Draft
Done. But not dusted. The miserable tooth abscess slowed me down and tomorrow will be all dental work with two different dentists. It’s complicated. You do not want to hear about it. The book however runs like a fox across country…and surprised ME with its ending, which is logical, crisp, definite, and yet…makes it clear Read More…
150,000+ And Fireworks
This afternoon, a particular sentence pushed the NewBook length to the approximate, estimated length for a Paksworld book, and I went seriously giddy, made a pan of brownies, and asked R- to go get us fried chicken for supper, and ice cream to go with the brownies. Snippet here: ……………………………………………………………………………………………… “By dark, he had achieved, Read More…
The End’s In Sight: 141,000
NewBook is still accelerating, or rather trying to, since I just cannot type any faster any longer without the machine (the one that’s living on dark chocolate and junk food on top of a healthy diet just to keep the fires going) breaking down. It’s *almost* like being 30 years or more younger and able Read More…
A Family Note: overlapping memories
In 1944, during WWII, when I was conceived around the time of the D-Day invasion, both my parents worked in defense industries near or in Chicago. Both were engineers, and I believe (not for sure in my father’s case) they were both liaison engineers for the Army Air Corps in aircraft factories. They had been Read More…
J6 Committee Hearing: Day Three
Anyone remotely interested in US politics, government, governance, etc. should be following–watching if possible–the broadcasts of the House Select Committee Investigation into the January 6, 2021 insurrection. (If you’re not, and you’re actually a US citizen, boo-hissy at you, because it is that important. The rest of you, not citizens here, have no responsibility to Read More…
Travel In The Dry
Last week’s trip to Uvalde County in Texas has proved (after our house guest left) to be…a very strange trip indeed, in light of the school shooting in Uvalde. We were in the northern bit of the county, where the Texas Hill Country begins, staying between Leakey (Real County) and Concan (Uvalde Co.) , and Read More…
Real History: A Personal Story About Reproduction
This is a true story, not fiction. It happened to my mother and to me. I’m putting it here because it’s a story with multiple characters and a complicated plot and I can’t fit it neatly into Twitter. Also it’s after 11 pm and I’m tired. But here goes. On June 6, 1944, D-Day, my Read More…
Online Advice, Take Two
Firefox has a first page feature called Pocket that offers a bunch of different possibilities to snare the procrastinating internet user. Most of those (over the long haul) involve advice: clothes, home decorating, cooking foods/diet, fitness, health, etc. Many of these Pocket advice articles start with or include a number: the five best (vacation spots, Read More…
Online Advice
Online advice is everywhere, and I do realize that as someone posting online, and sometimes giving advice, I’m part of the trend I’m about to complain of. Naturally, I don’t think I’m the kind of problem others are, but equally naturally if I’m staring at myself in a mirror…that’s not really what I look like Read More…