A Day Spent Cutting Words

A friend, AR, told me about a short story contest yesterday at the writers' picnic and suggested that I enter a scene from Better Than Mom's that I'd submitted for critique last year at The Clearing. I thought that was an excellent idea. There's just one thing--the word count limit is 2000 words and my scene is almost twice that long. That means editing. A lot. I started this morning with a 13-page manuscript of 3991 words, worked through four more passes with my red pen, and am at a 9-page manuscript of 2358 words. I'm going to let it simmer for a day or so and then dive back in to see if I can't excise those last 358 words before the deadline which is November 8. I've got time. Yikes!

I saw a streak of black and white stop at the tube feeder and glanced up to see this Downy Woodpecker trying to find seeds to peck. It was too late to go fill the feeder, I'd have just scared her away. She was persistent though.

 

When I did go out to fill the feeders later I scattered some peanuts on the grass and a couple Bluejays stopped by to nab some nuts. The squirrels got into the game too but I didn't take their pictures.

Today's daily art page had a bunch of stems printed on it and said to add flowers. So I did.

Then I pulled out Draw Like an Artist to find a Turkey. That was not an easy thing to draw. Turkeys are complicated birds. Lots of feathers.

After supper and my second-to-the-last editing of the day I finished up the Ara Cashmere Cap 2. I tried it on and realized that it's really a kid's size hat. I'll have to find someplace to donate it because I think it'd be too small for a seaman. I put the US 13 needle tips back on my cable so that the next cap will be more adult size. And there will be a next cap. I have yarn like this left, enough for probably 2 caps, but different colors.

I got yarn in the mail! My last spasm of sock yarn buying showed up today. The names of the colorways are Iron Pyrite, Kestrel, and Sockeye Salmon. Aren't they pretty?

When I went out to get the mail I couldn't help but admire the colors of the trees across the street. The bright reds of the leaves have faded and the yellows are shining out. We had a warm, 75 degree, sunny day. It was lovely and probably one of the last of the year.

I heard a thump on the front porch and went out to find an Amazon box filled with 20 copies of Horizon, copies that have chapters 20 and 21 in the correct order and also have a bit bigger type than the ones with the mistake. Now I can get busy getting my books in the local bookstores. Gives me butterflies just thinking about it.

--Barbara