Entry 264: Evening Motorcycle Rides

I’ve never been good at 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 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 this post Entry 264: Evening Motorcycle Rides.

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 264: Evening Motorcycle Rides

I moved through my morning chapters of Amazing Buchanan and the Beast. There were a few issues I managed to clean up. I know I am sounding repetitious at this point. There are three days until the middle of the month. I will consider my edits on this book finished at that point. It is time for me to move on to my next project. My mind is focused on the book I will write for NaNoWriMo. I’m already familiar with the characters. A few more will appear for the first time. I can’t wait to get started in November. NaNoWriMo taught me so much about getting the words on the paper. After finishing, I set the work aside for a long time and work on something else. When I return to it, I discover I can look at the words with fresh eyes.

Yesterday afternoon, I wrote several Golden Shovels. I plan to do the same thing today. That should bring me to the end of Amy Lowell’s The Blue Scarf. Rooster and I have been taking long motorcycle rides the past few days. That cuts my reading and writing time short. I haven’t discovered a way to do it from the back of a bike. That is a little bit too bad. I came up with some good stuff on one of these rides. There is something about the activity of moving down the road at a high rate of speed that has a way of clearing the mind once you get into the flow. It’s similar to flying. Birds must have very creative minds.

The book I am currently reading right now, and Entry 264: Evening Motorcycle Rides

I am still reading Eldora Welty’s Losing Battles. Jack drops the safe he took from Curly’s store several times before he gets home. He still can’t find the ring. He asks his family to do their search. Nobody can find the family heirloom. He carried the safe back to the store. He has to return to the school to deliver the kids at the end of the day. Gloria, the school teacher, recruits Jack’s best friend to drive. She is an orphan who wants to make a career out of school teaching. It turns out Curly might have a thing for her.

What I’m listening to right now and Entry 264: Evening Motorcycle Rides

I felt nostalgic today, so I put the Platters on the stereo. I remember hearing these songs over my father’s car stereo. The few memories I have of him involve cars and the songs on the radio. He left when I was five and didn’t reappear until I was thirty. It was too late for us to have a relationship.

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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