Saturday, 22 November 2003

Wrote one scene. It wasn't the break-up scene I'd planned to write, but I think it set up that scene better than what I'd had before. So, there's still that scene to write. I've got 3000 words now, so that's 200 new words. There's probably another 200 words to add.

I think I did a good job with description in the new scene. I need to go through what's written and do the same thing with the rest of it: make things more concrete. More than most, this story wants vividness and immediacy in every scene. I've been doing okay as I write it, but it needs very close attention to every line if it's going to be as good as it can be.

I have a pretty good title for this story already, something that's rare for me. I find titles are like that, though. Either I think of a good title while I'm writing it, in which case it's easy, or I don't, in which case it's almost impossible.

I got my contributor's copies of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet! And my check! It's a really handsome issue, perfect bound with a color cover. I started, of course, with the excellent stories by my Clarion classmates, and had time to read one other. There's still a lot to read--it's a long issue.

People sometimes ask what I'm going to do with the money I get for a story. Many people--most people, in fact--seem to treat money from an unusual source--money that they find or win or earn through a hobby--as if it were different from money that they earn at their regular job. This is false. Money is fungible. Once you've got it, it's your money, just like any other money you've got.

When people insist that I should do something special with the money I earn from writing, though, I say that I invest it in a fund to support us when I quit my day job to write full time. That's true, in the sense that all our savings is earmarked for that.

Another busy day. We went to the Farmer's Market (now moved indoors and continuing until Christmas). We had lunch at Strawberry Fields, which turns out to have live music for lunch on Saturdays. A nice celtic-influenced trio. Then we went to the Urbana Craft League's show and sale.

In the late afternoon and evening, I went to the company picnic. That was okay. The food was good, and it was good to see my coworkers in a social setting. They had a magic show for the kids. I slipped out early, though, when it appeared that they were about to play bingo.

I went for a run today. It turns out my regular run, which I thought was 2.5 miles, is actually more like 2.25 miles. I already suspected it was a bit short, but thought it was more like 2.4 miles.

If there's any nice weather, I'll get in a run tomorrow as well.