I spent most of the day at the computer instead of knitting. As my friend Janine reminds me, I can knit at the book signings. This stuff isn’t going to write itself. The rough draft is just that. A rough presentation of ALL the ideas and stories. But, unless I’m planning to publish a tome the size of War & Peace, a lot has to be trimmed. So much of my story and the things I have gone through involve other people. People I love and respect. People whose friendships I treasure. I simply cannot write a story that might, even inadvertently, cast a disparaging view on those I care about.
I wrote the story as it happened, but that version will likely never see the light of day. That was for my own catharsis. And it has been therapeutic to get the words down where I could actually sit and read the whole story. As I was going over the rough draft, I saw several directions different segments of what I’d written could go. So that was what I worked on yesterday. Trimming, cutting and pasting, putting things in some semblance of order to achieve the primary goal of the book. I have learned to consider myself and my gut instincts, but I trust God and His direction.
I found a great program for word processing, created BY a writer FOR writers. It’s called Atticus and I’m telling you, it’s wonderful. It’s so easy and creates your outline for you as you write. It’s intuitive and easy to pick up from the get go. I think it will make this job a lot easier.
One of the reasons I drag my feet when it’s time to work on this is the feelings that come along with it. Just because ten years have passed doesn’t mean the story doesn’t still affect me. It’s hard to go back and face what it was really like to go through the acute stages of profound grief. Knowing I can do in with kindness and respect makes the job easier for me.
Mr. FixIt did some outside chores in the afternoon. He had a large canopy set up in the driveway so he could store things under it while he replaced the garage door that was destroyed late this summer. Everything got put away except for the metal frame of the structure so that came down yesterday. He also went out to the creek to dig out the drainage ditch to keep water away from our foundation.There is always something to do around here.
I think I told you in yesterday’s post that I heard a tree crashing in the woods across the road from the near field. Well, Saturday night when I was going to bed, I heard another one crash down. This one was even bigger. Last evening I drove over to our little village to the Piggly Wiggly to get a few basics. As I put the groceries in the truck, I heard yet ANOTHER tree fall. This time it was somewhere behind the Pig. It wasn’t really windy when any of these trees fell. I don’t know what could be behind it, but I do keep a watchful eye when I’m around trees.
We’re making our holiday plans. We’ve decided to have the family Thanksgiving Dinner at the former Mrs. FixIt’s house and Christmas Dinner at ours this year. Then, we can either switch next year, or just keep it that way. When there is a blended family involved, it benefits the kids and grandkids to not feel obligated to go to so many dinners at so many places. Of course, this only works if you can be in the same room with your ex’s family. I know there are some who simply cannot do this. I am incredibly blessed to have fostered a loving and kind relationship with the Former Mrs. FixIt and with the rest of the West Virginia family and I’m really looking forward to all the fun we’re going to have this holiday season!
Looking over the calendar for the week, I see that the knitting group I want to join is meeting this morning at 9:00. Which, to my body, is 10:00 till it gets acclimated to the time change. Which also means, I’m going to want to fall asleep at O-Dark:30! Ugh. I don’t like the time change and I wish they’d make up their mind already and just keep it Daylight Savings Time. We have a list of things to do this week that would choke a horse. Best o just take one bite at a time of this apple and get it done!
🍁
“Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!”
Luke 12:24 ESV
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Merry Christmas! I love this cheery Red and White ornament! It reminds me of Scandinavian sweaters. How pretty for a tree or for someone on your gift list.
