02 May Kicking April to the Curb
Week seven of social isolation over and a lovely weekend ahead to reward us as we round into May. Twenty degrees C. and sun today – wahoo.
There are ups and downs to this isolation. The days are gliding by and it’s no surprise when people forget what day it is or to change out of their pyjamas. I’ve found that it helps to have some anchors: planning what to make for supper, going for a walk, exercising, writing, ordering stuff online and waiting for it to arrive. I now have a fully stocked wine fridge thanks to Creekside Winery in Niagara, which delivers for free if you order a minimum of six bottles. I believe a lot of the wineries also ship for free and they sure do appreciate the business since they haven’t been able to host visitors. I’ve also discovered that Terra 20 delivers as does our local butcher, Wellington Butchery. Every week is a new discovery!
This was the first week I actually set foot in a grocery store since our kids and their friends have been shopping for us. It was so invigorating to do something that used to be a normal, everyday event. I’m quite excited to find that garden nurseries will be open Monday for curbside pick up. If we’re going to be spending a lot of the summer at home, it’ll be good to get some flowers planted.
It’s been a productive writing week. I added about 4000 words so that I’m now over 19000 words in total. The story is unfolding nicely and keeping my interest — hurdle number one. Tension is starting to ratchet up and my protagonist is about to realize that she’s in a lot of danger. Wa ha ha. (tweaking my long black moustache). I’m glad this is called living vicariously.
As I still wait for my book order to arrive, I reread a book that was released in 1995, written by Joy Fielding called Don’t Cry Now. Definitely a lesson in thriller-writing with the action and stakes raised with every chapter and a few twists thrown in toward the end. I met Joy last September in Picton at the Women Killing It festival and really enjoyed our conversations. Sadly, the festival is cancelled this year because of the virus.
With Joy Fielding chatting before our panel in the little church in the Picton graveyard
Thank you to those of you who sent personal messages about Closing Time. Consensus seems to be that you’re sad to see the series end and have become attached to the characters. You can’t know how good this makes me feel! The goal of a writer is to make people feel and to become engaged in the story and characters. I’m thinking it’s better to leave the series off on a high note rather than have my characters overstay their welcome. I’ve also seen a number of pictures taken by readers of Closing Time in various settings on social media and hope you can add to the gallery. Creativity encouraged. Here’s one sent to me yesterday with the caption: Life could be worse!
