Hey Folks,
Enjoyed a brief conversation with a dear friend from Dallas this morning. That was a pleasant surprise. Thanks Robert.
Of course, in my current state I probably sounded grouchier than normal, though I don’t think I actually was.
Part of our discussion was about my current endeavor to leave cigars behind. And in that, I’ve had an even more recent epiphany.
If I had a cigar stashed away somewhere and happened across it, there’s a very good chance I would at least light it and take a couple of puffs before putting it out.
Of course, that would re-set my struggle and make my subconscious mind believe, erroneously, that I am not serious about quitting after all. So no, I don’t want to do that.
But that led me to think about when I stopped smoking cigarettes. It was the same sort of thing then.
And then I realized even if someone walked up and offered me a cigarette, I wouldn’t take it. Even as badly as I want a cigar, I have zero desire to smoke a cigarette. Isn’t that weird?
Both are nicotine delivery systems, and cigarettes actually deliver a lot more than that in the form of carcinogens.
But I don’t want one. At all.
And that gives me a great deal of hope.
My stopping smoking cigarettes all those years ago was so complete and so final that even now, when I’m going through withdrawals from cigars, I don’t want a cigarette.
So if I stick to my guns, there’s at least a good chance when all of this is over I won’t want a cigar anymore either. And that’s just a really cool motivator.
***
I actually wrote a little fiction today. I wrote the beginning of what I thought would be a short story (around 700 words), then realized I’d already told that story in “The End Game,” back in June 2016.
It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was the same idea, the same general events and probably a very similar outcome. So it was a different story, but similar enough that once I recognized it, it was too boring to write again. (grin)
I know that story isn’t going anywhere, so I’m not counting the words.
***
Re my WIP, I just don’t know. I really like the series character so I want to write this story. I might have to write yet another (a third) new opening and use the current secondary character elsewhere in the novel or not at all.
Or I might have to set the current WIP aside completely, write a new opening for a new story with the series character, and go from there. Then I can go back and finish the other WIP later, or not.
We’ll see.
Back tomorrow.
Of Interest
Via The Passive Voice, see “The History of the Ampersand” at https://medium.com/black-lion-banner/the-history-of-the-ampersand-c81839171940.
Dean’s Kickstarter campaign is finally over for the revival of Pulphouse Magazine. Maybe he’ll get back to writing now too.
Fiction Words: XXXX
Nonfiction Words: 510 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 510
Writing of Pulp Novel 5 (a Stern Richards novel)
Day 1…… 1080 words. Total words to date…… 1080
Day 2…… 2167 words. Total words to date…… 3247
Day 3…… 1370 words. Total words to date…… 4617
Day 4…… 1840 words. Total words to date…… 6457
Day 5…… 1193 words. Total words to date…… 7650
Day 6…… 1407 words. Total words to date…… 9057
Day 7…… 1180 words. Total words to date…… 10237
Day 8…… XXXX words. Total words to date…… XXXXX
Total fiction words for the month……… 12462
Total fiction words for the year………… 446608
Total nonfiction words for the month… 10090
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 162773
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 609381
The Daily Journal blog streak……………………………………… 689 days
Calendar Year 2017 Novels to Date………………………… 9
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 27
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 4
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………………… 182