Thanksgiving, but no reason to slack off. There was a mix of work on projects today. Worked on the index for the CIA Quote Book, sorting quotes from pages 71 (Forgiveness) to 90 (Legacy). Added 506 words in footnotes to The Secret of Chimneys including a reference to Jewish financiers and the invisibility of servants. Edited the essays about Abney Hall (where Christie visited and was the model for the country homes in her books) and Hatfield (where Chimneys was filmed).
In other projects, I added a new word to the Writer’s Compendium (“COGS”), filed notes on a series set in Hollywood of the 1920s and finally started work again on “Man Out of Time” novella. Following the advice of the Self-Publishing Formula’s course on revision, I created a one-page summary, which pointed out missed opportunities in the story logic. Next comes the “inside outline,” which looks at the scenes and what each one does to the narrative.
It seems like a lot, but at the same time it doesn’t. Maybe that’s what this writing diary will show.
I did notice one thing while indexing the quote book. Teresa was sitting with me at the dining room table, reading a book while I was working. The CD player was on, playing soothing music (from Downton Abbey), and I realized that this was my dream made true. This is the writing life. It’s not writing on the beach, nor writing the next scene in a novel. This is kind of donkey work, indexing a book of quotations, many of them never seen before, and all of them which resonate with me. And I have my companion with me, we’re in good health, the tea is delicious and the music soothing. This is what I wanted to do, and I’m doing it.
I can’t think of a better recipe for happiness.