I knew my stint in this desert paradise was coming to an end as I was sitting in the living room yesterday evening and Marie started to go over my speaking and flight schedule for the next three months. Phoenix to Portland. Portland to Reno. Reno to Portland. Portland to Baltimore. Baltimore to Portland. Portland to Boise. Boise to Portland. Portland to Kansas City… All in about two weeks time. And it will be this way through June. Writing on the road once again. (I am not complaining. Everyone should have this kind of problem). But I will miss these long dry sunny days in my T-shirts and Birkenstocks scribbling and tapping in bright sunlight.
Yesterday was not the best day of writing, and I mention this to let you know that this happens sometimes, actually quite often. It’s as much a part of writing a book as anything else. It goes with the occupation. This is where some people hang it up and say: “This is too hard!” “This is impossible!” “I’m no good.” Forgetting the fact that everyday is different, which is what makes writing a novel interesting. A bad writing day does not mean you’ll have a bad day the next. Two good writing days in a row does not mean the third day will be good. Today was a better writing day, but I had to stay up late before it got better.
The difference between writers that succeed and those who don’t is that they show up to write everyday regardless of how the previous day went. They know that yesterday has no baring on what might happen today.
Up at 6 after a good sleep. Another beautiful day down here, with a sympathetic nod to you up north shoveling snow. I heard it was snowing in 49 states yesterday! Good grief. What happened to global warming? Don’t worry I’ll be back up in a few days dealing weather delays whining about it in this journal.
Aside from working on IQ 2 today my only other task (a pleasant one) is to take Marie and her mother downtown to Marie’s favorite silver shop to see if there is anything to their liking for Valentine’s Day. And if I can talk them into it, I will take Marie and her mother out to dinner tonight at a restaurant called “George’s” which is the second to last restaurant on my “to eat at” list before we leave here. And since Marie is cleaning the patio floor with a toothbrush and Shop-Vac (I’m not kidding) she certainly deserves some jewelry and a nice dinner.
A couple of days ago I wrote about carrying a camera in my pocket 24/7 and how
important it was to do so, but I forgot to tell you about the “missed” photo. It happened early during our stay in Mexico. I was out for a walk and came across a vulture perched on the very top of a huge cactus with his black wings spread just like the arms of the cactus he was perched on. (I believe they do this to cool off when they get hot. They also puke on you when they get upset, but that’s another story). Back to the missed photo… The light was perfect. The bird was calm. I reached for my camera and discovered that I had left it in the pocket of my other jeans! Needless to say the camera has been with me ever since, along with a notebook and pen in case I think of something for the story I’m working on. Carry these with you always. They are more important than you wallet. Money and credit cards can be replaced. Ideas
And speaking of Valentine’s Day… My little sis had a short story published in the Oregonian newspaper for the holiday she writes fantasy and romance novels. Check it out: A Valentine on Mount Hood.