Sunday, 30 December 2001

One of the instructors at Clarion kept talking about how great it was: Great that we were all there, great that we were writers, great that we could do our art, get better at it, make a living at it.

I was also saying the same thing myself. I was doing just exactly what I wanted to do. I couldn't think of any way life could have been any better.

Then I heard one of my classmates say, "If that's really true, why do you need to keep saying it?"

That shut me up for a little while. Was I just saying that, in an effort to convince myself that things were wonderful?

I thought about for a while, and then decided that it really was a sincere expression of joy. I wasn't trying to convince myself or anybody else that I was happy or that they ought to be. I really was so happy I couldn't shut up about it.

Looking back at it, I haven't changed my mind about that.

I finished my rewrite of the mummy story, only to realize that I'd done exactly the same thing with this story that I'd done with the other one: I'd written it so that the climax of the story as at the darkest point, so that it ends in abject failure for the hero. How depressing!

I was discouraged for several minutes, but then I realized how to fix it. It's actually a minor change. I get to lose the last scene, move a bit of explanation from what used to be the penultimate scene a bit earlier, and set up the solution. With a little luck, I'll be able to finish it tomorrow.

It's at 5600 words. The new ending will add some, but I'll also be able to trim a bit. I doubt if the net increase will be more than a couple hundred words.

I also worked a bit on an article about Clarion, aimed at people who are going or thinking about going. I don't have a lot to say, but there are a few things. I'll put it up here and post a link, once it's done.