I’m in between drafts. I might have mentioned this before. I admit to thinking about the book all the time, how Dee and Crystal might be, but I know I’m supposed to give them a break. We need the space. It’s supposed to further our relationship. And so the question now is what to do. I’ve started James Jones ‘leaner’ opus Some Came Running; I only have another 950 pages to go with that, but my mind wanders, sometimes back to the Blackjack table…but mostly to My Bad Side. Luckily, I was distracted this weekend by manual labor; I had some wood to split.

Wood splitting is a full-on experience. It takes a lot of back, shoulders and knees, and it’s a long way from working on imagery and story arc. Weirdly though, it’s not as different as one might think. It’s hard work and the feeling of finally getting through, the wood splitting and flying apart…That’s very much like figuring something out, almost like editing, getting rid of the big weird pieces and making something workable…It’s converting the morass into usable bits of fuel. It’s exciting…until it’s too much.  After all It’s completely literal. My knees really do begin to hurt. That’s when it’s wise to stop, gather the bits up and enjoy the results.Time to read more of the leaner opus…and maybe even think a little about what Dee might be up to.