Weekend Update, Part the First…and the State of the Novel

Midday/Early Afternoon, Sunday, October 6, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire

Well, it’s 12:04 PM in Madison’s Eidelweiss District as I begin this, the 1,706^th post in A Certain Point of View, Too on a sunny, beautiful, but cold Sunday morning in early October 2024. And yes, I woke up just under three hours ago, so half of the day is, as they say, in the rearview mirror of life.

I had initially set aside time after my midday break yesterday to make progress on Reunion: Coda, Chapter 20. However, I chose to unwind and savor the weekend instead. At this point, I lack concrete ideas for even a basic outline. While I have a hazy vision of the initial scene’s requirement, I must flesh out the characters and situations further. Achieving this requires a tranquil mind, yet the looming stress of relocating to Miami and online banking hassles has left my thoughts anything but serene.

The State of the Novel

For those keeping tabs on my journey, you might recall my fervent goal of having the novel finished and primed for a holiday release. That dream was born in spring, fresh after I’d tackled getting a New Hampshire state ID and applied for public assistance. Late March saw me tentatively hopeful—despite the lingering snowfall, I was ready to brave the cold, get along with the fellow tenant, and find some semblance of permanence here.

Yet, events this summer tossed that plan out the window. Though I’ve grown accustomed to the chill and share a peaceful rapport with Other Tenant,  I won’t be putting down roots here. Despite a faint glimmer of hope for a December release of the novel, my optimism from seven months ago has noticeably dimmed.

Despite the occasional waves of “writer’s block,” I’m proud to have completed 19 chapters and stand ready to embark on the 20th – fingers crossed, tomorrow, if luck is on my side – before I pause for my move back to my hometown.

Here is where I stand with Reunion: Coda, statistically speaking:

• Number of Pages: 450
• Number of Words: 111,925
• Number of Completed Chapters (Including the Prologue): 19

Weekend Update, Part the First: My Saturday

After deciding to relax and enjoy what was left of the day after a late lunch, I spent my Saturday like I usually do when I’m not inspired to work on the novel. I lurked on social media, went out for a walk on Huttwill Drive, listened to music on my Amazon Music app, and played a single skirmish in my current favorite computer game, Regiments.

Later, I went to bed but couldn’t sleep, spending the night on Amazon Prime Video. My room was cold since I avoided using the heater this early in the fall. Trying to ease my worries about moving back to Florida, I watched documentaries on Napoleon Bonaparte and the events in September 1939 that caused Britain to declare war on Nazi Germany.

I eventually turned on the heater and fell asleep sometime after 3 this morning, and I woke up six and a half hours later.

That’s how I spent one of my final Saturdays in New England.