I’ve never been good about keeping a journal. It all boils down to consistency. There are days when I skip making an entry. Life can crowd out the time I need to write down my thoughts about a day’s events. I’ve also been reluctant to pose as an expert on the writing process. If I knew anything of value about writing, my work would already be in print. I went out on a skinny limb of a tall in 2022 when I shared my 365 days of thankfulness. The exercise forced me to put myself out there with my soft belly exposed. Thank you for joining me on my journey in the written word. Therefore, I plan to keep a journal in 2023 to document my progress. I will call Entry 19: Another Day in Paradise.
Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.
The project I worked on before writing entry 19: Another Day in Paradise.
I finished chapter 6 this morning. When I go back and do the cleanup on these pages, I hope I don’t feel like what I wrote for the past two days doesn’t amount to a huge pile of dumb information. Will asked his head of security to do a deep dive into Amazing Buchanan’s background. The information contradicts everything they have uncovered about the girl so far. My goal was to create enough contradictory facts to create a mystery about the woman. I will know when I go back to the front of the book and search for errors.
There are many mysteries to creating the right combinations of elements to draw a reader into a story. I don’t believe I have mastered the technique yet. Writing has a big learning curve. I tried to take every class on creative writing offered in college. The University I attended offered one every five years.
The semester I took the class became difficult because it was the last one the professor would teach before retirement. The student who took the class were all education majors who felt like the prof sho did a poor job teaching them to write because he said the best way for them to learn the craft was by sitting their asses in a chair and doing the work. They formally complained about this tenured professor’s lack of teaching skills, which was bogus based on their shared work. I loved the class. I walked away, determined to teach myself how to write by putting my asses in the chair.
The book I am currently reading before entry 19: Another Day in Paradise.
I started reading Alexander McCall Smith’s The Uncommon Appeal of Clouds. It isn’t the next book in the series. I found it on the shelf of a local bookstore along with three others in The Isabel Dalhousie Series. Each of the books can be read as a stand-alone. I always tell myself I won’t get involved in reading another series, but I am committed to the adventure again.
The book starts with a conversation between Isabel and her husband, Jamie, about Mozart. They feel like their son Charlie might be a mathematical prodigy and wonder what their role as parents of a gifted person should be. Isabel runs into a socially inept friend who asks her to help a man who has a valuable painting stolen. Jamie worries she will get herself into a dangerous situation.
What I’m listening to today while writing entry 19: Another Day in Paradise.
put Steppenwolf’s Greatest hits on the stereo and plugged into my best biker vibe. Born to be Wild and Magic Carpet ride top the list of all-time favorite biker songs. I attended a wedding years ago where the bride walked down the aisle to Magic Carpet Ride. The ceremony was very interesting. Amazing Buchanan comes from a rugged biker background, and it’s an environment I know well.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
I am thankful to be living in paradise this morning. My definition of that state of mind is doing what I want to do in a state of creative bliss. I love to be in that zone where everything clicks while I write. Revisiting Amazing Buchanan and the Beast has my creative juices flowing.
This old lady says
It’s important to do the things you love to do. You can create a form of paradise anywhere if you approach life with thankfulness and creative hunger. You might not know what the thing is that sparks your creative quest. Try out a few things, and you might hit on the right one. I have a granddaughter going through that process right now. Her life will be richer for taking the time to make the journey. Explore your world, and you might uncover a new treasure.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
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