Mid-Morning, Thursday, March 20, 2025, Miami, Florida

Good morning! It’s a refreshing spring day here in Miami. The clock reads 6:47 AM, and while the sun is still shy, waiting to make its appearance at 7:25, there’s a peaceful calm in the air. The current temperature is a cool 61°F (16°C), which feels quite brisk for Miami. Even though the humidity is at 97% and a gentle westerly breeze is blowing at 1 MPH (2 Km/H), it feels slightly warmer at 62°F (17°C).

Don’t worry—the day promises to warm up beautifully. We’re expecting sunny skies and a high of 83°F (23°C), perfect for enjoying the outdoors. So, take a moment to savor the tranquility of the morning and prepare for a delightful day ahead.

Reunion Coda in 2025: Getting Closer to Completion – Scene by Scene

Yesterday turned out to be a surprisingly productive writing day, even though it started a bit slower than I had hoped. My delay in posting Wednesday’s blog post contributed to that; I finally published it at 1:22 PM, which is typically when my midday break begins to wind down. Nevertheless, I needed to take some time to refuel and relax before diving into the manuscript for Reunion: Coda. At 62, skipping lunch and jumping straight back into work without a break isn’t as easy as it used to be. So, I took a moment for myself, enjoyed a light meal, and indulged in a good book. After that, I returned feeling refreshed and ready to engage with my writing once more. It was just after 3 PM when I settled back at my desk, prepared to make progress on the novel.

I usually find that beginning the novel-writing process after 2 PM can be a bit of a challenge. Depending on my mood, energy levels, or even the weather, my productivity tends to be unpredictable the later I start.

If I’m going to be late, I’d prefer to start writing at 2:30 PM rather than 3, as that extra half-hour can make a significant difference in my focus and enthusiasm. After 3 PM, my stamina and creativity begin to wane, unless I’m already immersed in the flow of writing, feeling inspired as if channeling the great Stephen King himself.

Fortunately, I had the outline for Chapter 29, Scene 1 that I had crafted on Monday. With this solid foundation and a spark of creativity still within me, I was able to dive into writing a short scene for the denouement of Reunion: Coda, even though I was off to a late start.

Here’s a partial look at the outline:

Outline for Chapter 29 Scene 1

Date: Saturday, March 25, 2000

Setting

• Location: Jim Garraty’s Apartment in New York City
• Neighborhood: Midtown Manhattan
• Building: Metropolis Arms Apartments, 33rd Floor
• Time: Late morning

Characters

• James Kevin Garraty, also known as Jim or Professor Garraty

Situation

• Jim is alone in the kitchen.
• He is brewing some Maxwell House Colombian Supreme coffee in his Mr. Coffee coffeemaker.
• He is heating a split Thomas’ English muffin in his Hamilton Beach toaster oven.
• On the small kitchen table in the corner lies a copy of the day’s New York Times, still unread.
• There is some unopened mail on the table, including bills, a rare snail mail letter from a fan of Jim’s books, and quite a bit of junk mail.

There’s more, of course, but if I spill all the beans now, you’ll miss out on the delightful twists and turns that lie ahead. Let’s just say the framework provided enough juicy details for me to craft a tantalizing 500-word scene to kick off Chapter 29. (Well, almost 500 words. The initial draft of Scene 1 clocked in at 474 words, but after several rewrites and a few creative epiphanies, I finally called it a day at 6 PM.)

As the sun rises on another productive day, I can’t help but feel a surge of excitement. I might just outline Scene 2 later today, inching ever closer to completing the novel I’ve passionately poured my heart into for the past two years.