The Season Changes and a New Story Waits in the Wings

Late Morning/Midday, Saturday, May 31, 2025, Miami, Florida

Today marks the end of meteorological spring, as opposed to traditional or astronomical spring, which ends on June 21 (the summer solstice) for us in the Northern Hemisphere. Regardless of which “spring” you prefer, it feels like high summer in my corner of South Florida. On this last day of May, the temperature is 91°F (33°C) under partly sunny skies. With the wind blowing from the west at 9 MPH (15 Km/H) and humidity at 56%, it feels like 98°F (37°C). We’re beginning the wet season as well; the forecast calls for scattered light rain showers throughout the day and a high of 92°F (33°C).

Yesterday wasn’t a super productive day for working on Comings and Goings, the new short story I’m working on. I’ve actually got a detailed outline this time, which is unusual for me, but all I managed to do was pick the epigraph, which also gave me the title—pretty cool coincidence, right?

Sadly, I only did that between 4 and 5:30 PM, and if you follow my writing updates, you know that’s not the best time for me to kick off a new project. Back in my 20s, 30s, and even 40s, I could dive into writing pretty much any time of day (well, maybe not after 10 PM). But I’ve learned, especially while working on Reunion: Coda, that starting anything after 3 PM just doesn’t work for me anymore. My energy drops, and it takes forever to find the right words.

I didn’t get as much done as I hoped on the last workday of the week and month. Comings and Goings can be a fun story to write if things go smoothly. I like the basic plot and the two main characters; they really help shape the story and spark the creative urge to write it.   

It’s no wonder I wasn’t motivated or inspired to come up with an opening line for Comings and Goings. After wrapping up Reunion: Coda on April 2 and publishing it three days later, I’ve been busy with Quality Assurance and self-promotion tasks. Jumping straight into a new project after finishing one that took two years was tough.

Luckily, there’s no rush for a new story, and it’s the weekend. I’ll dive into Comings and Goings on Monday. For now, I’m planning to kick back and relax.