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 280: Coming up With Another Short Story.
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 280: Coming up With Another Short Story
I started another short story to add to Tecumseh Street Stories. That means I will almost have reached my goal. I want this small collection to have at least 50,000 words by the time I finish. The problem I am having right now is that I have my character in a situation, and I don’t know how to bring it to an end. Editing this book is a great way to fill my time until I start my NaNoWriMo project. After I retired, I decided to edit all the projects I had stored on a flash drive. The short story project evolved into two separate books. I had 80,000 words before the end of November back in 2014. Here in 2023, the collection has evolved. I wrote Amazing Buchanan and the Beast as one of these books years ago. It is almost unrecognizable from that early effort now.
I am having computer issues. My Word program freezes. It won’t allow me to do anything, including exiting the program. I had it worked on yesterday, but it did it again this morning. Yuck. I lose much of what I’ve written and must go over the same territory again. It looks like I might have to purchase a new machine. I hate changing technology. It is so time-consuming. I also lose a lot of data when I change technology.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 280: Coming up With Another Short Story
I am still reading Eldora Welty’s The Ponder Heart. Grandpa Pounder died when he returned from the asylum and confronted Uncle Daniel about marrying Bonnie Dee. She informed him it was a trial marriage, and he dropped dead. That’s the way those family issues often end. It appears Uncle Daniel was generous with everyone except his new life. He left her alone most of the time and went into town to brag about how life was good with his new wife. The marriage lasted for five years. Bonnie Dee went out to the road and flagged down a bus.
What I’m listening to right now and Entry 280: Coming up With Another Short Story
I listened to Phil Colins’ Both Sides this morning. He created a very comfortable atmosphere while I dealt with the stress of word locking up on me every five minutes.
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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