Late Morning, Saturday, May 11, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire
Hi, everyone. It’s a sunny – but, for this Florida transplant, chilly – spring day here in my corner of New England. Currently, the temperature is 53°F (11°C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 61% and the wind blowing from the east-northeast at 4 MPH (6 Km/H), the feels-like temperature is 68°F (20°C). Today’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 57°F (14°C). Tonight, we can expect partly cloudy skies. The low will be 36°F (2°C).
On Writing & Storytelling: Taking Stock of the Novel’s Chapter 16
Whenever I finish writing a chapter in Reunion: Coda, I switch to “Editing Mode” even though I’d rather continue with the next chapter and move the novel closer to its end. When I began this writer’s journey, I wanted to adopt Stephen King’s advice – from his book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft – to write the first draft fast (King says his first drafts usually take three months to complete).
Unfortunately, I’m not wired like Steve-O or have a professional editor to help me overcome my flaws as a writer and storyteller. I edit as I write, which (hopefully) will make Reunion: Coda (especially compared to Reunion: A Story) have fewer errors before publication. That’s the advantage of my method, but it also slows me down a lot.
As soon as I concluded yesterday that the fourth scene was the last one needed for “The Breathless Hush of Evening”, I naturally changed my mindset from “Write Fresh Copy” mode to “Edit and Revise.” This required, of course, reviewing all four scenes in the new chapter and the final two of the previous chapter and making sure that everything fits well.
All four scenes in Chapter 16 are mostly smooth and well-organized. I like the emotional mix in the story; I like how humor and sensuality blend in the romantic scenes with Jim and Maddie, as Microsoft’s Copilot AI chatbot also said in its review of the “Afterwards” scene:
What stands out most is the authenticity of the characters’ interactions. The small, personal details, such as the playful concern about a neighbor’s poodle or the single white follicle in Jim’s chest hair, add depth and realism to the narrative. These elements serve to draw the reader closer to the characters, making their experiences feel genuine and relatable.
This is my current status (Saturday, May 11, 2024) as a writer who is working on my first novel:
- Chapters Completed (Including the Prologue): 16
- Number of Pages (Based on a Paper Setting of 6” X 9”): 377
- Number of Words: 95,264 (including the title, epigraph, and opening quote)
What stands out most is the authenticity of the characters’ interactions. The small, personal details, such as the playful concern about a neighbor’s poodle or the single white follicle in Jim’s chest hair, add depth and realism to the narrative. These elements serve to draw the reader closer to the characters, making their experiences feel genuine and relatable.
Microsoft Copilot’s review of the “Afterwards” scene
A Break From Writing Novels
Since today is Saturday, I will take a break from writing novels unless I really want to work on Reunion: Coda. That’s one of the tips from Stephen King’s On Writing that I follow. I’m not as young as I used to be – I’m 61 since two months ago – and sitting at my desk to write for too long tires me out physically and mentally. Living in a rural area far from everything makes it worse because I have almost no social life, so I spend more time at my desk “socializing” online and playing games (especially Regiments, Leap of Faith, and Fresh Women, Season 1). It’s good for my sanity, but by the time I leave my office and try to watch something on the TV in my bedroom, I feel worn out. I don’t know when was the last time I watched anything – a movie or a TV episode – after 9 PM without dozing off before it was over.
Anyway, even if I didn’t normally take weekends off from novel writing, I do have chores to do, including my least favorite – doing my laundry. (I don’t hate doing that, but it’s not one of my favorite activities, either.) I was going to do it last weekend, but I – admittedly – got lazy and postponed Washing Day for a week. As a result, I’ll be lugging my laundry basket and its contents to the utility room and take care of that as soon as I post this on A Certain Point of View, Too.
So, that’s how I’m spending my Saturday – doing laundry, relaxing, and maybe writing a bit more of Reunion: Coda. I hope you have a better and more exciting weekend than I do. And if you’re looking for something to read, why not check out Reunion: A Story, the first book in the Reunion Duology? It’s a blend of romance, coming of age angst, and the different ways we see life as teens and then thirtysomething adults. You can find it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Online, and other online booksellers. You can also read a free sample of the Kindle edition at the end of this post. Thanks for reading, and stay safe!
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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