Saturday, June 24, 2000

Day Fourteen
Disposable Children's first draft is finished at 2,600 words and when I woke up this morning, I changed the ending. I didn't want to write this particular ending but it makes a better story and keeps the character IN characer. I had to walk away at least twice while writing it and this is one with a very complex villain. She is doing incredibly horrific things -- and yet her inner image is undoubtedly that of a good person. It was an interesting challenge to write this one.

Our cat, Sable, has a stay of execution. There's hope. Greg called the vet prepared to tell Sable goodbye and they asked him to wait. When they called back they said he had perked up considerably overnight and although he's over the age limit to recover from this, there is a chance and thus we're waiting until Monday. The vet will call if things change. While no one wants to drag this out, no one wants to end a life when there is hope of recovery.

I went out to breakfast with the other members sending Sean off. We thought perhaps we should buy his breakfast but before we got to the bill, he paid for everyone. Wow! He said we should actually thank his wife and he considered this experience -- I forget his exact words but he felt positive about teaching here. Back in the dorm, I fell asleep again and didn't wake until 1400 hrs. I don't feel productive today. I feel stir-crazy. I started two stories and on the first, I suddenly realized I was basically retelling a horse story that I read at least 40 years ago. The second one is pure weirdness. It's an attempt at second person, present tense. Weird style but so is the idea -- Barbie dolls for voodoo, etc. The only way to finish it properly was to make it a short-short and oddly enough, I think I know a market for this one. I'm not at all certain I should cout it as a story, though. I mean... it's only 700 words. The exercise I wrote for Suzy is longer than this. I still added it to the table of stories written, though. I think it will be interesting later to look back and see what happens to these Clarion-written stories.

Linda

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