Got going around 1 p.m. and by 2 p.m. I was headed for the snail mail, then to the WMG Publishing offices after stopping to grab some lunch at a deli.

I worked there on the two covers, plus some workshop stuff. Then I headed out to the banks, then to the WMG store. Then back to the WMG offices.

I was working there when two professional writers stopped by and we talked for an hour or so. Then I headed home to feed the cats and do e-mail. Got that done, then went to take a nap and watch some news.

I made it back in here around 9 p.m. to finish up workshop stuff. Got it all done and moved to the writing computer at 11 p.m. That’s early for me. Yeah!

So I looked at my half-title sheets again and spotted the phrase “Roses Around.” from an old 1940s Ellery Queen Magazine. Then I spotted another clause from a 2000s Ellery Queen Magazine story. “The Moment.”

So I smashed the two together for the title “Roses Around the Moment” and started typing.

The first sentence that came out was... “Eve Bryson died so fast, she didn’t even realize she was dead for a few minutes.”

I had a hunch which series this was going to fit into with that sentence, but I had never written a short story in the Ghost of a Chance series. Only novels. So I kept writing, seeing what was going to happen and about four hundred words into the story I went back to the title and added the subtitle “A Ghost of a Chance Story.”

I got 950 words done by midnight, took a break to go watch news and ended up falling asleep with Sir Duke on my lap.

Made it back in here by 1 a.m. and got another 1,200 words done by 2 a.m.

Short break, then another 1,300 words by 3 a.m.

Very short break, another 1,100 words by slightly before 4 a.m. to finish the story at 4,550 words.

 

Update on yesterday’s story

 

Kris is traveling and will read all the stories when she returns.

 

TOPIC OF THE NIGHT: Important Attitude

 

Felt great to actually get most of the work done for the day fairly early. I got up at 1 p.m. and made it to the computer to write 10 hours later. Pretty good for me.

And I do this seven days a week. If I am only working at other stuff for ten hours a day, it feels like a free day.

So how can I do all this? Well, the words I used above to describe my day are sort of misleading. Sure, I do lots of stuff, but I very seldom do things I don’t want to do. So by the classic definition, I am not working.

I have never been one to work jobs for very long that I didn’t want to do and that I didn’t flat enjoy. And the actual writing of new stories is a joy. It is the place I can really go play. Even when tired.

So I don’t make these stories something “I have to do.” They are something I look forward to getting to and have fun with.

Very different attitude.

And attitude is everything with writing. If you let all the training from people who can’t tell stories leak in, then you find yourself making stories important, and when doing something important, you have to take your time and focus on the fear of failing because it’s “important.”

And so on.

But that “important” aspect can sneak into writing in very nasty ways. For example, if you have a family and a real work job that chews up your brain and you manage to carve out an hour of writing time, it is very, very tempting to you and everyone around you to make that writing “important.”

Writing death awaits down that path.

Solution: Make the carving of the time the important aspect. Make everyone around you know that your writing for that hour is critical.

But when you sit down for that hour, you are there to play, to have fun, to do what you want without caring. You still do the best you can, but doing the best you can and not be sloppy can be done and also have fun in the process.

So the writing time is important. But don’t allow that attitude of importance to transfer into your actual storytelling.

(I have to say it... I’m sorry...) And that’s important.