Friday, July 26, 2002
Yesterday (Thursday) morning, I sat down to finish Chapter Eleven, and, after spending an hour on a paragraph, realized that the chapter had already been finished the day before. There was a very climactic scene thart I'd been writing the chapter towards, and then I discovered, suddenly, that the whole thing would work ever so much better if the events of the scene were more hinted at, implied, that shown in step-by-step detail. So, Chapter Eleven is done, but it left me off-balance for the rest of the day. I did write 557 wds. on "The Drowned Geologist," but it still felt like a strangely unproductive day.
The unexpected-finishing thing happens every now and then. It's always somewhat disarming. It often feels like cheating. It's one reason that my "outlines" and "synopses" are always rather pointless. And sometimes, like this instance with Chapter Eleven of Low Red Moon, there's a bit of disappointment attached. I actually wanted to write the scene that will not now be written. It was so clear in my head, and so filled with wonderful visuals. But that was one reason I decided to let it go, because I know I couldn't ever communicate those images from my head to the iBook to the reader as well as I need to, that they would not be true, and I'd only be horribly dissatisfied with the end result.
Perhaps I'll write the scene for the limited edition. We can call it something absurd like "the director's cut."
Still no rain in Birmingham. Not that I've seen. But I haven't left the apartment since Monday, so I might have missed something. But I doubt it. And today is promising to be very hot.
Anyway, now it's time to proof Chapter Eleven, then write as much as I can on "The Drowned Geologist," which I must finish by sometime tomorrow. Also, I expect to begin Chapter Twelve tomorrow, Sunday at the latest.
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