I wrote quite a bit at the library this afternoon. They did the startling intercom message that it was time to go, but that didn't stop me from hurriedly typing up two more paragraphs, to finish the story. It's not DONE, exactly, but I'd say it's 93 or 94 percent. Got 1040 words today. And I'll take it.
Even so, I have the distinct impression that the story isn't very good--or the ending isn't, anyway. I knew what I was building to, almost since I began writing it, and when I reached that point tonight . . . I figured, "Okay, story's over, have a nice night everybody." Then I just tacked on a couple of paragraphs, and called the story finished.
I guess what I need is either a) to grab the story and throw it as hard as I can against the wall, then stomp on the pieces cursing in both Spanish and English all the while; or b) somebody who I can metaphorically bounce the story off of, talking about what happens and other ways that it might end.
If you know me at all, you can guess which option I'll probably choose.
Perhaps I'll think about it during my run tonight.
Exercise: Yes (7--wow, seven days in a row!)
10-8
Today was a hard day. I went to the cabin to help my brother cut down trees and stack the logs. He's like me in that, when he goes to the cabin, he means to do work there.* But unlike me, his work is physical, sweaty work, even though it's much cooler up there than down below. He had his chainsaw, and we cut down five trees in total, including two that were tall enough, he tied a rope around them, looped it around a bigger tree, and tied the rope to his truck, which I was in charge of driving backwards, so the tree would fall in the direction we wanted it to.
One of those times, the tree fell wrong, and narrowly missed hitting the solar panels he installed, but I'd like to think that it WOULD'VE hit the panels had I not been yanking on the rope with the truck at the time. The trees made a tremendous crashing sound as they come down, and there's something fun about that. Less fun was stacking all the logs as he cut them into burnable slices.
Two of the trees didn't require a rope to direct them, but instead, he had me lift a metal ladder up to push the tree in the direction we wanted it to fall. And by the end of the day, with that fifth tree, I could barely get my arms to raise above my head, from all the lifting and stacking. It was grueling labor, but the kind where you feel good about yourself when it's done.
Even so, I still went on my full run tonight, partly because I didn't know if my legs would take me all the way around. They did, though. Guess that must mean this exercise is paying off, at least a little.
Exercise: Yes (8)
*There were almost as many flies in the house on Saturday as there had been on Tuesday, and my brother said that this happens when the weather starts getting cold outside, but warm inside, and that there must be a way they're getting into the cabin. I told him about last week, when the inner edge of the back door was black with flies, and we discovered that there was a small, centimeter-wide gap between the doorframe and the door. So he got his caulking gun out, and sealed up the gap. I felt useful twice during that long day.
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