Brutal Weather Makes Writing Happen
17/12/09 14:54 Filed in: Writing
The weather these days in Fredericton is brutal.
B-R-U-T-A-L. It's now coming up on 3 p.m. and the
temperature outside is still hovering at about minus
15 Centrigrade. Add in an unrelenting wind from the
west at 50 km/h and you've got absolutely disgusting
weather. Wind chill factor of minus 30 or lower.
I've taken Marlee Marie out for two walks today. Both times I've been dressed in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, snowboarder's coat complete with hood, knit hat, heavy gloves and winter boots to my knees and I'm still cold! Even Marlee, with her natural protection, doesn't want to go outside except with good reason. Usually, we have a hard time getting her to come in.
Still, brutality like this gives me good reason to stay inside and write. And that's exactly what I've been doing.
I've written almost 20 pages in the last two days. The Silent Goodbye, first draft, is rapidly reaching its climax. It's very exciting for me, quite frankly. This will be my third completed Phillip Gold novel and by far the longest and most complex. It may never sell but it has made me proud.
My plan at this point is to finish the draft, then put it aside for a while. Maybe use that time to complete the Phillip Gold concordance, a compilation of descriptions of recurring characters and settings so that I can make sure I'm consistent throughout the entire collection of Gold stories and novels.
That will lead to a review and revision of each
piece to correct inconsistencies, a process that will
also allow me to address some of the other failings
of the earlier works. It will be a big job but I hope
to have it done by next summer.
I will, of course, try to find a publisher once again but, failing that, I think I will try to find a way to create readable hard copies for myself, my family and friends. Not quite self-publishing but close. I think the stories are pretty good, perhaps not publishable quality but not bad. I'd like to be able to look over at my bookshelf and see them, sitting neatly beside my text books, short stories and poems. Sounds like a nice idea to me.
In the meantime, I've inserted into this blog a photograph of yours truly from when I was maybe one year old or so. My sister digitised it and sent it to me. I have always thought of this photo as my seminal baby picture. I'm glad to have it to share with you.
I've taken Marlee Marie out for two walks today. Both times I've been dressed in a t-shirt, sweatshirt, snowboarder's coat complete with hood, knit hat, heavy gloves and winter boots to my knees and I'm still cold! Even Marlee, with her natural protection, doesn't want to go outside except with good reason. Usually, we have a hard time getting her to come in.
Still, brutality like this gives me good reason to stay inside and write. And that's exactly what I've been doing.
I've written almost 20 pages in the last two days. The Silent Goodbye, first draft, is rapidly reaching its climax. It's very exciting for me, quite frankly. This will be my third completed Phillip Gold novel and by far the longest and most complex. It may never sell but it has made me proud.
My plan at this point is to finish the draft, then put it aside for a while. Maybe use that time to complete the Phillip Gold concordance, a compilation of descriptions of recurring characters and settings so that I can make sure I'm consistent throughout the entire collection of Gold stories and novels.
I will, of course, try to find a publisher once again but, failing that, I think I will try to find a way to create readable hard copies for myself, my family and friends. Not quite self-publishing but close. I think the stories are pretty good, perhaps not publishable quality but not bad. I'd like to be able to look over at my bookshelf and see them, sitting neatly beside my text books, short stories and poems. Sounds like a nice idea to me.
In the meantime, I've inserted into this blog a photograph of yours truly from when I was maybe one year old or so. My sister digitised it and sent it to me. I have always thought of this photo as my seminal baby picture. I'm glad to have it to share with you.