I didn't make it to the library yesterday, because I was too busy, but I made sure to get here today, right before six. Hence, I am blogging instead of using the limited time I have to write. Unfortunately, my computer decided it was time for an update, and it wasted just as much time updating who knows what, and restarting, while I sat and checked my email.
Unfortunately, the document I had been pasting all my words in yesterday disappeared (along with the back-up I keep of the day before--always useful if I have to count words every day), so there's no way to get a wholly accurate count of what I did yesterday. I could spend ten minutes or so going through the paragraphs in my story and try to identify which bits were new and which were from the day before, but I'm not sure that's the best use of what little time remains.**
Here at the library, they have set up the lounge chairs where people can sit and read or study (or sleep, I assume), having had them all stacked up for the past year (when the library reopened on the first of June, they had gotten rid of the chairs to dissuade people from socializing or sitting close to each other)
Sit-ups Today: 100
Sit-ups In March: 1729
One of my goals in 2021 is to put out those two "lost" episodes of "Tales of eBay Horror" that I shot in 2019, but never released. I am nearly done with one of them (just need to watch it through and maybe stick in a couple of pictures to better hide jump-cuts), but I had a VERY minor ToeH today myself.
I got a box of figures out from the basement a couple of weeks ago, and picked out the ones that I deemed most worthless to take to the toy trade they do every month at the used toy store in the capital. I ended up trading not a single damned one, but on Sunday, I grabbed about twenty of them and took pictures, so I could put them up for sale throughout the week (five one day, seven the next, two the day after, etc.).
So, today I listed a 2004 Spider-man figure, one that I couldn't find many of on eBay, but had never been particularly valuable back in the day, and decided, because it included its stand, to list it for twenty-five bucks. Within seconds, I got two messages (from two different people) about it. The first one simply said, "What's wrong with it?"
The second one said, "This is a hundred doller figure you know." (sic)
But I had actually done my research before listing it--I'm not new to this: by looking at what the most recent ones had sold for, and that's how I got the $25 pricetag. Out of curiosity, I did look at the ones that were currently available, and there was one for $99 (without the stand) and one for $109.99 Buy It Now (with the stand). That seemed like a lot to me (I hope it does to you too), but I--
Wait a minute, where was mine? Why hadn't mine shown up?
Oh, somebody had scooped it up, within three minutes of me listing it, and it was a different person than the two who had emailed me. I guess it really was that valuable.
Like I said, hardly a Tale of eBay Horror, but still, a bit sad that I could've made a lot of money for a figure that is, frankly, not at all impressive (at least the stand is cool).
Push-ups Today: 66
Push-ups In March: 1717
Tonight, even though I wanted to watch "Modern Family," or just YouTube, I made myself sit down and record the next chapter in "Meet the New Clerk." This is the fourth one, where Meeshelle and Natalie get to know each other, and at the end, Meeshelle sees a figure standing at the top of the stairs leading up to the second floor.
And I gotta say . . . it really, really worked for me. My arm hairs did a little dance when she saw the ghost, and then, when she was afraid to leave the employee lounge, in case it was waiting for her on the other side of the door, I got a little burst of spooked energy. Now, I don't know that that bit will work for people reading/listening to the story, but if it made me jumpy--and I wrote it--then there's a good bet it will be effective for somebody else.
For years, I've wanted to have an intense argument in a move between a guy and a girl, all done in one take, and while they're having their little back and forth, a ghost (or zombie, or serial killer, or murderous child) appears in the distance behind them, and simply walks toward them, without being noticed or drawn attention to. In my mind, it's the kind of thing where . . . one or two audience members see it as it appears, but more and more people notice it as the scene continues, and if I've adequately shot the scene, the tension gets super racked up as our heroes are oblivious to what's right there behind them.
Not that this is the same thing, but in a way, it is, since there's this image in my head of the three characters, and if you can just translate that into actual visuals, it works. And same thing here, if the audience gets the same picture in their head as I've written it--or more importantly, narrated it.
Anyway, it garnered me a couple dozen more words, but also, was just as enjoyable as a "Modern Family" episode would've been.
Words Today: 816
Words In March: 13,836
*The dirty, dirty Irish.
**I was short on time yesterday, but I made myself sit and write at least four hundred words before I could go running or drink a soda or stick my feet in those torture devices with the wheels on them, and I remember passing up four hundred very easily, so it was around five hundred, I'd say.
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