Musings & Thoughts for Thursday, October 26, 2023, or: Memories of Octobers Past…and Finding My ‘Epistolary’ Voice in Chapter 12

Late Morning, Thursday, October 26, 2023, Lithia, Florida

Hi, there, folks.

Well, here we are on a somewhat sunny and cool (78°F/26°C) – for the subtropical zone, at least – October morning in the Tampa Bay area. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day; the forecast calls for mostly sunny skies and a high of 84°F/29°C. There’s only a 2% chance of rain, so if I don’t get too wrapped up in my novel-writing endeavors, I might go out for a walk in the early evening hours.

Memories of Octobers Past

It’s hard to believe that 35 years ago today, I was 4,373 miles across the Atlantic Ocean and in the city of Sevilla (Seville), Spain. I was there as one of the 42 American students who participated in the International College of Seville’s Semester in Spain program in the fall term of the 1988-89 academic year.

As I recall, it was around this time in 1988 when the temperature started to get chilly and a bit rainy/windy. (Today’s forecast for the area calls for scattered showers and a high of 74°F/23°C, so I think my memories about that particular period of time is fairly accurate.) I had read the documentation on what the weather would look like between late September and mid-December in southern Spain, so I had a nice mix of clothing fit for either warm or cold temperatures in my apartment.

It’s strange, but it’s on days like this when my mind tends to conjure up flashbacks of other places, other times, where and when the weather was similar to what I’m experiencing now. And since Miami is only 190 miles away as the crow flies (254 or so miles by car), I also remember my first two or three fall/winter seasons in my hometown after moving back to the States in 1972. I vividly recall the odd mix of sunny and sometimes warm days and nights which grew both longer and chillier after sunset. (Today’s forecast low will be 68°F/20°C.)

On Writing and Storytelling: Action This Day

Today’s a working day for me, so obviously my plan for the day after my midday rest period is to continue working on the epistolary chapter that I almost abandoned before I even started it. Telling part of Jim and Maddie’s story solely through emails they exchange between New York City and London is challenging, but if I exercise due diligence and put the necessary effort into it, I think Chapter 12 will come out okay. I can’t promise it will be as good as Matt Beaumont’s e: A Novel, but I’ll do my best to make it a fun and entertaining reading experience.

As of today, The Big Smoke and the Big Apple: An Epistolary Chapter of Love and Music – March 2000 consists of seven emails exchanged between Jim in New York and Maddie, who is on a working trip in London, on Saturday, March 4, 2000. I’m content with the wording of six of the seven messages, but there’s one that’s “iffy.” I’ll look at it after the break, and if I still have a “meh” feeling about it – it’s fine as far as the mechanics of writing are concerned, but it just doesn’t ring true – I’ll spend some time editing it before I go ahead with the emails for Sunday, March 5.  

And, so, that’s the plan for this, the last Thursday in October 2023.  

I don’t have anything to add to this entry, so I’ll close for now. Until next time, stay safe, stay healthy, and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.