Entry 29: Snow Day

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 29: Snow Day.

Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.

My morning writing before I started entry 29: Snow Day

Rooster and I woke up this morning to find ourselves snowed in. There is so much snow on the ground that we decided to declare a snow day. We plan to stay inside and mind our business as the snow continues. We aren’t even going to attempt to go to the gym, and there is enough food in the house that could last for weeks. The world can pass us by because we’re having a perfect snow day.

I rewrote chapters 14 and 15 of Amazing Buchanan and the Beast this morning. The plot is the same, but the story has taken some darker turns. I’m uncertain how dark I want to take the story from here. I need to add more heartache into the mix for this one to fit into the series. Will and Masie only occasionally appear in the other books I plan to write. They won’t play lead roles. The hazy characters I wrote during NaNoWriMo are taking on a more formed shape. This book is their time to shine. I’m moving along so fast that I wonder when I’ll hit the next speed bump.

The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 29: Snow Day

I plan to start Alexander McCall Smith’s The Novel Habits of Happiness this evening. It is the third book I found about one month ago at a used bookstore. I told myself I’d never start reading a series again, and here I am, getting sucked into the void again. Why do I do these things to myself? Reading these stories becomes an obsession after you spend so much time with the characters you discover in one of these series. I am so deep into the Scotland that belongs to Isabel Dalhousie.

What I’m listening to while thinking about entry 29: Snow Day

I decided to have a Counting Crows festival here at my desk while I watch the snow fly. First, I put August and Everything after on the stereo, followed by This Desert Life. I brought home with the Counting Crows New Amsterdam, but I can’t explain why I made that choice in music today. I guess I’m in a funky sort of mood.

The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.

I am for the perfect snow day. I just glanced outside, and the snow had ended. The plows will start rolling now, and I am grateful I can stay out of their way. The furnace just kicked on, and I am safe and warm. I don’t have anywhere I need to be. I can stay inside and play with words.

This old lady says

There is something special about a snow day. They weren’t created for children who are happy to stay home from school. We all need a break. Maybe the snow is how nature tells us we need to slow down and take a moment to be thankful for the intermission in the theatre of life.

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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