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 77: Can’t Stick to an Outline.
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 77: Can’t Stick to an Outline
I glided through my morning pages this morning. I didn’t stick to the outline I wrote last week. As a panster, I find following an outline tedious. Movements and events needed to change. Eli Buchanan gets a chapter I write in his voice. Why not? He will become important later in the series, so I might as well introduce the reader to him now. I am almost at the end of Amazing Buchanan and the Beast. Then, I will go for another read-through before I start on a rewrite of the next book in the series. It’s all good. Let the games begin.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 77: Can’t Stick to an Outline
I am still reading J.D. Salinger’s Franny and Zooey. Zooey wakes up Franny, who is asleep on the couch. The cat, Bloomberg, is cuddled up with her. Zooey tries to feed the fish in the tank, but Franny warns him they have already been fed. Zooey diagnosed their problem as a form of “Wise Child” syndrome. And he starts evaluating the recent scripts given to him, claiming he demoralized the writers and other people involved in the television industry. I am fascinated by this book. This description Salinger gave as a home movie story grabs a person’s attention.
What I’m listening to right now and Entry 77: Can’t Stick to an Outline
I decided to take Joni Mitchell out of my CD case this morning. I listen to Clouds and Ladies of the Canyon. A high school friend introduced me to the music of Joni Mitchell, and this blast from the past created the perfect mood. I am keeping track of my listening history because I wonder if what I listen to influences my writing. Right now, Rooster is listening to cool jazz on the radio. I have my headset off. Moving from Joni Mitchell to John Coltrane might have consequences I didn’t predict.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
I am thankful Rooster discovered our cell phone company took money out of our bank account two weeks early. This discovery meant we paid double for two weeks of cell phone coverage. When he called the billing number, he got a person who could not communicate with him because of a language problem. We will change our cell phone provider if we can’t get an answer.
This old lady says
A person has got to watch out for things in this world where everyone tries to rip you off. Companies claim to provide customer service, but that is all an illusion. Big business doesn’t want to take care of their customers. It’s all about the bottom line for them. Take the checkout line at the grocery store as an example. Remember back in the good old days when they had a clerk to scan the stuff you wanted to buy? If you were lucky, they even had a person bag your groceries.
Since the pandemic, you have to do the work yourself. The next stores will require you to stock the shelves next. To add insult to injury, some places stop you before you walk out to examine your receipt. They want to make certain you scanned everything right. I call that excellent customer service. It takes up time you could spend elsewhere and makes you feel like a thief. I think we all enjoy experiences like that.
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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