Monday, Payday

At least it's sunny. I can endure almost anything if it's sunny, even work. And it's Martin Luther King Jr. day for those of you lucky enough to have the day off, like the postal workers who will have twice the mail to carry tomorrow. I'll bet they think of these days as both bad and good.

I had my first online Revision class yesterday. She went over the syllabus and then gave us tips on what to look for during our whole-manuscript read through this week. We're not supposed to edit or rewrite, just identify what she calls anchor scenes and turning points. I'm going to print out my manuscript at work today (I'm taking my own paper, I have some scruples) because I find it much easier to read on paper than on screen. It'll be easier to flag places I need to fix or enhance or tuck more scenes into on paper too.

January 18--St. Peter's Catholic Church, the Big Island, Hawaii. Marian was glad she had let Bob talk her into renting the cottage. She had imagined being in a fancy resort on their trip to Hawaii but he had insisted that they could stay longer and enjoy it more if they had their own place. What sealed the deal for her was when Bob said he'd do all the grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning up if she'd do all the driving. After thirty years of planning the menus and all the rest that went into feeding a family, doing the driving sounded like a real vacation to her. It was dark when they arrived at the tiny cottage and she wasn't thrilled with how rough the area and the place seemed but daylight showed her the charm of the rustic house in its lush garden, the view of the ocean from the back porch was breathtaking, and the sounds of the congregation singing in the tiny church down the path sealed it. She smelled coffee and smiled to see Bob walking toward her with a tray. "Breakfast," he said. Toast with cheese or guava jelly tasted like heaven with the salty breeze cooling her face. This was going to be a vacation to remember, she was sure of it.

I'd like to be right there on this cold day, wouldn't you? Time to go to work.
--Barbara