Derry, Northern Ireland

Derry, Northern Ireland
A book I'm working on is set in this town.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

I must have slipped into workaholicism...

Because I intended to spend today catching up with the piddly stuff as I did my laundry and contemplated a road trip to big-bad Toronto -- but as I sifted through my pile of paperwork I found a note to myself about a story and before I knew it, I'd written 2000 words for a short story, using my one year of hell in El Paso, Texas (I was 13/14) as its foundation. It's sloppy and WAY too wordy, right now, but I have the opening section and the closing section done and have only to connect them with the other four sections I've determined will build the story, then hone it down.

So...my trip went out the window as did my special dinner. Instead, I had a half rack of the BBQ ribs at a Chili's not far from me and there was no big deal about that. Maybe I'll wait till I get the proof copy back and see how much work needs to be done on RIHC6v2 before I celebrate. Or I'll have a fine meal in Paris on my own dollar...or Euro. We'll see. Maybe this was my characters' way of warning me not to get too cocky, yet. I dunno. I'm not irritated by it or upset or even let down; I'm in this weird space where I'm thinking, "Good, I did something solid, today," and the rest is yet to come.

There's a mall near that Chili's and it has a Penney's so I dropped in to pay my bill and actually wandered through the mall to see what it's like. And it felt small and tight. Low ceilings. Odd entrances to major stores (Penney's is at the end of a hallway but to the side instead being the anchor of the area.) There are two A&Fs, 2 Express, 2 Macy's (one's the Men's store), no book stores, one music and movie store and a food court that is almost sad in its offerings. It was packed with people and cute guys worked the kiosks for Auntie Mame's Bagels and Sprint...but overall this is NOT a place I'd make my destination in the future.

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