Well, dear readers, I am sitting here like so much fish, not listening to music, and just writing these here notes in silence. In fact, much of the day and some of the evening was spent writing in silence, as I must have silence when writing. And with very few distractions, I wrote eleven new pages. The main distraction was she of the Evil Eye and having to be out of the home environment until eleven-thirty. This I did by breakfasting at Hugo’s with Robert Yacko, then visiting the mail place for the first time in over a week, only to find junk and one residual for thirty bucks. And as these things go, a little package arrived AFTER I left. Go know. Then I did a quick Gelson’s run and got some chicken, mushrooms, rice, and an onion to make sauteed chicken bits with mushrooms and onions over rice, then came home. I did just a bit of futzing and finessing, then got right into the new pages and wrote six to start. Then I took a ninety-minute snooze break, since I’d only gotten five hours of sleep, then the phone rang and it was Muse Margaret, who’d finished her 100 pages. Getting the first call is a time of trepidation for me because I know that if she doesn’t like something or it’s not working for her, she’ll be completely honest. It’s never been an overall thing, but there have been occasions where she’s had real issues with certain parts of the first batch of pages. But the first words out of her mouth were, and I quote, “You are a great writer.” I cannot tell you how big the sigh of relief was. She loved the characters, the writing, the plot, the way it moves, all of it. She had just a couple of questions but even as she asked them she realized they’re answered in the book. Because I wrote these pages at a much slower pace – not because I didn’t know what I was doing or because I was struggling – that was never an issue – but solely because getting the play ready was mentally and physically taxing for me, I was overtired, and I just didn’t want to write when I was that tired, so it was always three pages here or four pages here, and the occasional seven page day. Now that we’re open, my mind is free and clear and I’m getting back in the pace I like, where things just flow much more easily. I never rush – never have, never will – I go at a pace that works for me, I futz and finesse like crazy as I go, and I don’t really plan much – I just get ideas on where to go as I’m writing – that’s the natural way for me. No blinders on enables me to be completely free to go wherever my mind takes me, which is sometimes to an unusual place I never would have thought of had I had an outline. I do know WHERE the story is going and how it ends, and that’s good at this point. And it’s always fun to tackle a plot device that you’ve been fascinated by for decades – the same was true with GEE. With that one, I’d always believed in and been fascinated with that book’s plot device (those who’ve read it know whereof I speak, those who haven’t read it SHOULD – I don’t get much better than that book). Anyway, it was a great telephonic call, and I immediately wrote another five pages. I may even try for another couple after I post these here notes. Other than the writing, I took an evening break to watch some wacky YouTube videos (and doze off, of course). Oh, and the chicken bits over rice was not bad – a little boring ultimately and a few too many shrooms. All pills were taken and here we are.

Today, I’ll try to be up by ten, I’ll futz and finesse, write new pages, eat, do a quick trip to the mail place to gather up the little package, I have an Amazon Same Day delivery at some point, but mostly I’ll be writing. In fact, the hope is that by the end of the evening I’ll be over halfway through the book. I’ll have a few breaks in between new pages, and then I might try to watch, listen, and relax.

Tomorrow is more of the same, day and night. Friday is a birthday lunch with the Pearls to celebrate Cindy Pearl’s birthday, then we resume performances that night. Not sure if I’m attending all three shows – I know I’ll be there Sunday for the talkback – but it will all depend on where I am in the book because if I’m heading to the end, I tend to not want to do anything BUT that so that my concentration doesn’t split. We shall see.

Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, try to be up by ten, futz and finesse, write new pages, eat, do a quick trip to the mail place, have an Amazon Same Day delivery, write more pages, take breaks, and then maybe watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear reader any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely questions and loads of lovely answers and loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happier than happy to have gotten the first Muse Margaret call.