ROW80: Sunday Check-in from Philadelphia

Tolstoy wrote in Anna Karenina, "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." Sometimes we delve into these kinds of issues in our writing. Sometimes we live through them with our families. 

This week, we said goodbye to a generous, stubborn matriarch of our family. At 96, she influenced generations of kids, grandkids, and great-grands. She knew about each one and cared about their interests, whether soccer or stamp-collecting. She cooked family dinners of five courses, pulling gourmet soups and entrees out of her freezer at the last moment. She stopped driving 6 months ago, following years of protests. Now, she remains with us in memory.

So, not much writing got done this week. We're in Philadelphia for another week. I can only report the outlining for Section 03 is complete. Despite having added about 1,500 words last week, the coming week looks sparse, for I'm now working on the last minor edits for Section 03 (20 chapters). This outlining process showed me more clearly where plot/conflict lines need strengthening and where minor characters can be clarified and/or combined.

It's been a long week. 

One very nice aspect of writing on the road is that all seems simplified, reduced to essentials. The laptop. A card table. An empty apartment. A lovely winter view of the woods. And so I will work in the quiet mornings. May your own writing go well.

Joshua Tree National Park (January 2017)