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 96: Writing at a Slow Pace right now.
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 96: Writing at a Slow Pace right now.
I am still writing the final chapters of Amazing Buchanan and the Beast. Endings are always a slow process for me. These final chapters are particularly difficult because I must create a magical system to end the curse. The word count is soaring. It won’t matter if I self-publish, but it will if I decide to query for an agent. This project turned into a rewrite back in January. I like how the story evolved from the NaNoWriMo project I did two years ago. It holds together better. The idea of some guy turning into a wolf-like creature every night is farfetched, but the original draft began as a retelling of the classic fairytale Beauty and The Beast. I hope I did it justice this time around.
I am stuck in the mud on my poetry-writing adventure. My wheels keep spinning, but I am getting nowhere. Maybe I need to let the project rest for a while. It would be nice if Word Daddy would take the wheel and allow me to coast. He’s such a fickle muse.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 96: Writing at a Slow Pace right now.
I finished J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Holden’s second day away from Pencey Prep is filled with many misadventures. Holden checks his luggage at Grand Central and suffers through a horrible date with Sally Hayes. He goes to the Radio City Music Hall show, gets drunk, and goes to Central Park to find the ducks. Somehow the record he bought for Phoebe gets broken. Holden places the pieces in his pocket before he goes to visit her. His sister is asleep when he gets there.
The siblings have a deep conversation in which holden tells her he wants to be “the catcher in the rye” that saved children from falling over the edge of a cliff. His parents come home, and Holden leaves for Mr. Antolini’s apartment. He stays the night and feels Mr. Antolini patting him on the head. This gesture makes Holden feel uncomfortable. He thinks his favorite teacher is making a pass at him.
The new plan he develops is to hitchhike west and live as a deaf-mute, and he arranges for Phoebe to meet him so he can say goodbye. She wants to go with him, so he decides not to go. The story circles and ends with Holden in a sanitarium in California.
What I’m listening to now and Entry 96: Writing at a Slow Pace right now.
I listened to 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged this morning.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
I am thankful my reading moved in the direction of J.D. Salinger this year. I’ve enjoyed moving through his writing. The stories he wrote take on a new dimension when you read them together.
This old lady says
Sometimes it is nice to spend time with an old friend. Catching up can be so much fun.
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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