Seven things I loved about this weekend:

Thing One:
The words flowed like … like … a thing that flows. (See, I used them all up. I’m fresh out.) I got stuck on Chapter 17, and just decided, “I’m going to skip ahead!”

So I started writing the scenes leading up to the climax, and the climax itself. (Yes, it felt good.) The words poured out. It was thrilling! Word count for the past week: 8379. Who knows how many of them will survive the revision process? But the first draft is flowing.

Thank you, time change, for giving me an extra hour!

I’m going out of town next weekend, so I was extra-motivated to get a lot of writing done this week.

Thing Two:
My son was chained to the X-Box until his eyeballs bled enjoyed creative and enriching activities while I wrote. Seriously, the best part of the weekend was pounding away on my laptop and glancing over to see my son writing his “Scooby Doo Meets U2” saga. I watched him gaze off into the distance a few times, percolating plot in his head, just like a real writer!

Thing Three:
Lunch on Saturday. After running some errands with Young Son, I pulled into the drive-thru of Burger King went home to prepare a nutritious and healthful meal. His kids’ meal toy was a Wallace and Gromit toy - a little contraption that makes your voice echo when you speak into it. He loved it, proclaiming, “Now I can work on my ventriloq-wisdom.”

Thing Four:
Watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” with YS, cuddled up in one chair with a blanket, his head warm on my shoulder, easily accessible for kisses. I wonder how much longer we’ll be able to watch movies that way. He keeps growing … and will soon yank his head away from the kisses, no doubt.

Thing Five:
Over breakfast this morning, YS asked, “Isn’t it weird how people can be in love, and then break up a few days later?” (Uhhh ….?) (I did a quick mental scan of recently divorced friends … couldn’t think of any. Maybe he was talking about the little girl who keeps chasing him around on the playground.) “Who are thinking of?” I asked. “Sally and Linus.”





My smoke tree turning from purple to autumnal.

Thing Seven:



My son conquering the leaf pile.

Happy Writing, JoNoWriMo-ers!