The Journal, Sunday, November 11

Hey Folks,

Happy Veterans’ Day. Or as we in the Corps used to call it, Marine Corps Hangover Day. (grin)

In truth, this is also (and was first) Armistice Day. It commemorates the end of the war to end all wars. Which later became known as World War I. The Armistice was signed officially at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Maybe that’s one reason Ambrose Bierce, in his The Devil’s Dictionary, defines November as “the eleventh twelfth of a weariness.”
***

As a personal aside — and I’m speaking here only for myself, not for any other veterans or for anyone else — I don’t look forward to the inevitable “thank yous” I receive on this day for simply being a veteran.

Why? Because personal responsibility is all-important to me.

The thing is, during my time in the Marine Corps, I was thanked adequately every two weeks with a paycheck. Had it not been adequate, I had the opportunity every few years to go elsewhere and do something else with my life.

In other words, I lived (and am living) a unique, authentic life that I chose of my own free will. I am blessed.

That being said, I am personally grateful to other veterans for several things:

Veterans enabled me (and all of us) to choose the course of our own life.

Veterans embued me with a sense of personal integrity and personal responsibility.

Veterans taught me that the survival of this nation and our Constitution far outweighs the personal concerns of any one person. Even me.

Finally, veterans gave me a recurring gift: Once every two years, like all citizens of this nation, I have the opportunity to show my gratitude to those veterans for this nation and her Consitution at the ballot box.

Who could ask for more than that?
***

To the Hovel at 3:30. I wrote the stuff above, visited the Internet for items of interest, and thought a lot about things that are not writing related.

To the house later to let out the pup, and finally to the novel a little after 6. Added a few hundred words while cycling and updating the reverse outline. Then a break for breakfast and a few chores.

Back to the Hovel at a little after 8. Really, I’m not much in the mood to write today. But the story’s moving along well, and if I can finish this one in an uninterrupted “streak” of writing every day, I think it will be a first for me, for a novel.

Today is Sunday, and tomorrow I’ll be back on a regular full-day schedule. So I called it early today at 9 a.m. after a good session.

Talk with you again soon.

Of Interest

See “Anthology Workshop” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/anthology-workshop/. If you enjoy reading and writing short fiction, I recommend this. I wish so much I could attend.

See “Writing About Experiences You’ve Never Had” at https://killzoneblog.com/2018/11/writing-about-experiences-youve-never-had.html.

See “The Run Went Well Until It Didn’t” at https://www.deanwesleysmith.com/the-run-went-well-until-it-didnt/. Whew! For a minute there I thought he meant his challenge. (grin) Anyway, there are pics.

Fiction Words: 1253
Nonfiction Words: 520 (Journal)
So total words for the day: 1773

Writing of Consequences (Nick 4)
Brought forward………………………………………… 37446

Day 11… 1253 words. Total words to date…… 36193

Total fiction words for the month……… 37446
Total fiction words for the year………… 415976
Total nonfiction words for the month… 6560
Total nonfiction words for the year…… 157666
Total words for the year (fiction and this blog)…… 573392

Calendar Year 2018 Novels to Date………………………… 8
Calenday Year 2018 Novellas to Date…………………… 3
Calendar Year 2018 Short Stories to Date……… 11
Novels (since Oct 19, 2014)………………………………………… 34
Novellas (since Nov 1, 2015)……………………………………… 7
Short stories (since Apr 15, 2014)……………………… 193
Short story collections…………………………………………………… 31