I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same
And these children that you spit on
As they try to change their worlds
Are immune to your consultations
They're quite aware of what they're goin' through

Thursday, August 27, 2009

One leap forward, one leap back

Chapter 20 is done at 1672. But it does mean a new scene needs to be added to the beginning of 21. Or depending on how that scene plays out, 21 might move up to 22. There needs to be a transition of where 20 ends (felt natural there) and where 21 began. Right now I think I know how it will, and it might only be 400 words, but there's this voice saying, "Wait, there maybe more possibility there." And last night as I went to sleep I had begun to worry that at 34000 words approaching the final act that there wasn't enough "there" there. So that voice may just be the "you need to expand a little" gremlin creeping up.

Since I haven't done it for awhile, today's lunch writing gem.

The Old Man launched into another tirade which consisted of asking me if I understood the difference between dissimilar things and could find parts of my own anatomy unassisted. I fully expected the paint on the walls to have curled from the invectives. Mr. Hernandez could be creative in his own way. After only ten minutes that felt like a hundred years, he ran out of steam. I could thank Santana for wearing him down first. He sloughed into the couch, his hands half pulling his hair out, half keeping his head from exploding. "Get out of my sight," he said.


2 comments:

Jarrett Rush said...

Nice excerpt. The fact that you wrote that at lunch and, I'm assuming here, haven't tweaked it, makes me jealous. Wish my stuff was like that straight out of the gate.

Steve Buchheit said...

Jarrett, thanks. The only thing I corrected on this was changing a "form" to a "from." I did end up doing some quick editing later in the day while between things and came out to 1690 words.