When the sun beats down upon your bald head and you’d rather stay in conditioned air, there’s no excuse not to write. So that is what I’ve been doing!
Some small progress on my novel, but I’ve been spending much more time with the Esquire 79-word contest. I’ve written three that are ‘finalized’ and six others that are in ‘draft’ mode. What is ‘draft’ mode? Essentially, they’re pieces I’ve written that do not yet meet the 79-word requirement. I imagine it’s much like sculpting, only instead of whittling the words down to match my vision I’m amputating whole sections in order to comply with the strict guidelines. Not always with a gentle hand, either. In the midst of this clumsy surgery I’ve come out with increasingly better work, so onward…
On the flip side, one of my close friends has actually written a 79-word ‘response’ to one of my finished pieces. Very exciting to read an alternate perspective on my story that adds to the world and its characters.
With just a month to go, I’m going to write as many more as I can before the 15th of August, then choose one and attempt to get it into fighting shape. Thanks to a few of you, I’ve been able to strengthen one or two of the pieces I’ve completed. A bit more massaging and I should be ready to enter the contest.
In the meantime, within the confines of my brain – and now written in the notes section of my software – I’ve discovered a way to connect two scenes I was having trouble with in my novel. Breakthroughs like that can knock down the blocks before a writer, and one finds the words begin to flow again.
smith.ink 
For inspiration watch the Olympics!
So glad you are doing some writing again Kevin. You are so really good at it,just when I read your own comments , they seem to be a story in themselves…..is that correct grammer??/eeek..xox mom
Yesss! I made the blog!