Life in Miami: Balmy Mornings and Creative Reflections

Late Morning, Saturday, November 9, 2024, Miami, Florida

Hi there, Constant Readers.

It’s a hot, muggy Saturday morning in South Florida as the second weekend of November 2024 rolls in. The temperature is a toasty 83°F (28°C) under mostly sunny skies. With humidity at 68% and the wind blowing from the east-northeast at 13 MPH (21 Km/H), the heat index is making it feel like a balmy 89°F (31°C). After spending 10 months in rural New Hampshire where the temperature is now a brisk 43°F (6°C), this feels more like summer than late fall. But hey, that’s how we roll in the subtropical zone—endless summer vibes and all.

I’ve been awake since 5:30 AM, so it has been a long, quiet, and uneventful morning. I wish I’d slept another couple of hours; I’m still a bit sleepy and sluggish even though I had breakfast not too long ago. Consequently, I plan to take it easy for a while. It’s Saturday and one of the two days when I don’t usually work on Reunion: Coda, yet since I lost so many working days during the road trip from Madison to Miami, I might at least look over my novel later this afternoon.

That’s what I did yesterday, as a matter of fact. Every time I finish a chapter, I don’t immediately start writing the next one. Instead, I take several days to re-read Reunion: Coda – sometimes it’s the entire manuscript, sometimes it’s just a section, usually the last three chapters I’ve written – to ensure the tone, style, dialogue, and plot are consistent and pleasing to the eye.

To make sure it all sounds right, I listen to my manuscript using the Read Aloud feature in Microsoft Word. This is crucial because it allows me to catch awkward phrasing, clunky dialogue, and any other little gremlins that might have slipped through the cracks. Hearing the words brings a different perspective, helping to ensure that the rhythm and flow of the narrative are just right. Plus, it’s an entertaining way to experience my own writing, almost as if I’m hearing it for the first time. And who doesn’t love a good story, especially one you’ve created yourself?

I’m tempted to spend some time writing at least an outline for Chapter 21’s opening scene, but I’m sure that I’ll dismiss that notion later. For one, I’m tired. Waking up at 5:30 AM and not falling asleep again is never ideal unless you need to do it, and today I didn’t need to. Instead, I’ll heed Stephen King’s advice from his classic nonfiction book On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and enjoy my weekend. After all, Monday is just around the corner; the novel can wait till then!

Besides, if I’ve learned anything from writing, it’s that procrastination is just another word for “creative incubation.”  So, I think I’ll indulge in some more of that ”productive” downtime today. Perhaps I’ll even get inspired by the warm Miami sun, or more likely, I’ll end up reading a good book instead.