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Finally, something more than just a drive-by fic rec. Cuts to spare the flist.
First Cut - Family activity
I’ve been back in mid-state for the last several days, again visiting with my son and ex-wife. Saturday Susan and I went to see “Casino Royale” together; Sunday my son and I went to see “Stranger Than Fiction”. Wednesday I’ll take him upstate with me, and we’ll spend Thanksgiving with my stepsister. (Susan is working Thanksgiving Day, so it was her idea that we take this time together.)
She and I went to the rectory Friday to follow up our initial interview with the priest; this next step was a preliminary survey of our attitudes that a counselor will use to decide what approach will best serve us. Clearly we’re trending in the direction of remarriage, but we continue to move carefully. I told her today that, though it’s important, whether or not we remarry isn’t the most important thing between us. The fact that we can even consider such a step shows that the miracle has already happened: the awful wounds between us have healed, and we can once again relate as two people who love each other, even if we ultimately decide to remain separate.
Close First Cut
Second Cut - Pride in my daughter
My daughter (sroni2004) picked up a fanfic challenge from bastardsnow: Give me two characters from a fandom I know of (or two different fandoms, that would be fun), and I will tell you how their first kiss was. bastardsnow gave her a pairing - which she’s done - and I named two pairings, of which she’s done one (see her work at this link). I thought she carried off the first one competently enough, but the second surprised me with the power and accuracy of the imagery. I showed it to Susan, and she was stunned: “Our daughter did this?” I was dubious about the drama ministry she chose to enter, and frankly opposed her decision to stay with it for as long as she has … but there’s no mistaking that she has grown tremendously during that time, as a person and as a writer.
Close Second Cut
Third Cut - Ficwriting report
I was taken aback to discover that, with one thing and another, I had actually gone two weeks without working on the “God Save the Queen” revision. I broke it out today and did some work, but it wasn’t moving smoothly at all. I’ll take another try tomorrow. I’ve felt so many things singing through my head lately, I’m feeling more and more that writing might actually be an achievable life ambition for me rather than just a cherished recreation. Doing the work is necessary for both, but more so for the former than for the latter. So, I’m making an explicit commitment here: I’ll finish “God Save the Queen” this month (ten days left, in the month wherein I shrugged off NaNoWriMo without turning out a single NNWM-dedicated word), and then finish my rewrite of the sequel - “Queen’s Gambit” - before the end of December.
I did that much and more during each of the ten months I spent in Afghanistan. And enjoyed it. No reason I shouldn’t be able to do likewise now.
Close Third Cut
Fourth Cut - A victory for decency
I just saw it announced that Fox Broadcasting is dropping the O.J. Simpson book and TV special, “If I Did It”, in response to resounding public protest and disgust. Heartening, but not especially remarkable, the same thing has happened in the past (most memorably when CBS abandoned “The Reagans”). No, the really noteworthy part of the whole business is that several of the prominent people in FoxNews led the protests. If anything could prove the independence of FoxNews, this would be it: its people protested against their own parent corporation, and were allowed to do so. Biased toward the right wing, maybe; corporate stooges, demonstrably not.
Plus, I’m all for anything that denies O.J. Simpson further fame or profit.
Close Fourth Cut
Bedtime. More as it occurs.
Finally, something more than just a drive-by fic rec. Cuts to spare the flist.
First Cut - Family activity
I’ve been back in mid-state for the last several days, again visiting with my son and ex-wife. Saturday Susan and I went to see “Casino Royale” together; Sunday my son and I went to see “Stranger Than Fiction”. Wednesday I’ll take him upstate with me, and we’ll spend Thanksgiving with my stepsister. (Susan is working Thanksgiving Day, so it was her idea that we take this time together.)
She and I went to the rectory Friday to follow up our initial interview with the priest; this next step was a preliminary survey of our attitudes that a counselor will use to decide what approach will best serve us. Clearly we’re trending in the direction of remarriage, but we continue to move carefully. I told her today that, though it’s important, whether or not we remarry isn’t the most important thing between us. The fact that we can even consider such a step shows that the miracle has already happened: the awful wounds between us have healed, and we can once again relate as two people who love each other, even if we ultimately decide to remain separate.
Close First Cut
Second Cut - Pride in my daughter
My daughter (sroni2004) picked up a fanfic challenge from bastardsnow: Give me two characters from a fandom I know of (or two different fandoms, that would be fun), and I will tell you how their first kiss was. bastardsnow gave her a pairing - which she’s done - and I named two pairings, of which she’s done one (see her work at this link). I thought she carried off the first one competently enough, but the second surprised me with the power and accuracy of the imagery. I showed it to Susan, and she was stunned: “Our daughter did this?” I was dubious about the drama ministry she chose to enter, and frankly opposed her decision to stay with it for as long as she has … but there’s no mistaking that she has grown tremendously during that time, as a person and as a writer.
Close Second Cut
Third Cut - Ficwriting report
I was taken aback to discover that, with one thing and another, I had actually gone two weeks without working on the “God Save the Queen” revision. I broke it out today and did some work, but it wasn’t moving smoothly at all. I’ll take another try tomorrow. I’ve felt so many things singing through my head lately, I’m feeling more and more that writing might actually be an achievable life ambition for me rather than just a cherished recreation. Doing the work is necessary for both, but more so for the former than for the latter. So, I’m making an explicit commitment here: I’ll finish “God Save the Queen” this month (ten days left, in the month wherein I shrugged off NaNoWriMo without turning out a single NNWM-dedicated word), and then finish my rewrite of the sequel - “Queen’s Gambit” - before the end of December.
I did that much and more during each of the ten months I spent in Afghanistan. And enjoyed it. No reason I shouldn’t be able to do likewise now.
Close Third Cut
Fourth Cut - A victory for decency
I just saw it announced that Fox Broadcasting is dropping the O.J. Simpson book and TV special, “If I Did It”, in response to resounding public protest and disgust. Heartening, but not especially remarkable, the same thing has happened in the past (most memorably when CBS abandoned “The Reagans”). No, the really noteworthy part of the whole business is that several of the prominent people in FoxNews led the protests. If anything could prove the independence of FoxNews, this would be it: its people protested against their own parent corporation, and were allowed to do so. Biased toward the right wing, maybe; corporate stooges, demonstrably not.
Plus, I’m all for anything that denies O.J. Simpson further fame or profit.
Close Fourth Cut
Bedtime. More as it occurs.