Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm.
— Robert Louis Stevenson
A Coconut Cake and a Cottontail Thief
In July I…
- Celebrated my twenty-eighth anniversary.
- Critiqued two picture books and one chapter book.
- Read through The Burning Season a couple of times in preparation for edits. This ended up being a 21+ hour endeavor that showed me a lot of areas where the manuscript is lacking. I tossed and rewrote sections fully knowing they might end up gone in some future version. But writing is always a learning experience and no effort is ever wasted.
- Made Emily Dickinson’s coconut cake, which was very tasty but a little dry. (If I make it again, I’ll soak the coconut in water first.)
- Thinned the apple trees (probably later than I should have, but apple trees are new to me).
- Chased deer from my backyard dozens of times. (They’re fond of the apple trees. Above is one of the crew heading to my backyard.)
- Played plenty of Scrabble.
- Watched plenty of Yellowstone.
- Sent Song of the Raven to my critique partners. Cut out the aimless “to-ing and fro-ing” and the cogitating that slowed the last third down. Sent it on to my agent — fingers crossed!
- Made a compost bin out of a storage tub.
- Covered my garden after discovering eggplants and tomatoes missing.
- Spotted this dastardly thief.
- Read some books like John Adams and The Five Impossible Tasks of Eden Smith (more on both at a later date).
- Weathered the weather, like the rest of you!
Virtue in Rest
There is virtue in work and there is virtue in rest. Use both and overlook neither.
― Alan Cohen
Yesterday I finished the first draft of my someday verse novel, SONG OF THE RAVEN. Soaring!
I’ve plowed to the end of one row to turn around and work on another. Next week I’ll receive edits for my next verse novel, THE BURNING SEASON, my New Mexico book set in a fire tower. 🔥 While I wait I’m looking forward to some baking and garden puttering.
My heart is happy. My plate is full.
It’s time for me to step aside here. See you again in August. Have a wonderful month, friends!