Monday, October 6, 2008

Weekend Challenge: Kudos to Uppington

When uppington created a weekend challenge this last Friday, I tucked the thought away into a corner of my brain: good idea, for sure, and yes, I wanted to participate, but actually set a word count goal? After all, it wasn't like I had just blogged on list-making, goal-setting, and focusing on where you want to be, or anything... Ahem. Anyway, I typed up a nifty little comment on her blog and hit Submit. The computer froze or the Internet belched or Fate intervened. Regardless, the comment didn't save, and I was left thinking, "Coincidence?"

I spent Friday night perfecting those articles I talked about earlier. Saturday morning I jumped up to get cracking away on them again and discovered that I had saved none of my changes. For being an old hat at tech stuff, this was startling. mortifying. and, of course, depressing. Coincidence?

There was nothing left to do: I brought out my assorted thoughts and notes on "The Last Marine" and started typing. Oddly, the story stands complete in my head -- has for over a year -- but thus far resists a capture in print. I didn't dare look at the several false starts that litter my notebooks; I simply started in the middle of a scene and let the moment carry. I set no goals beyond "butt in chair, hands on keyboard." Oh, and uppington? I finished the weekend with over 3,000 words and a clear sense of where I'm headed next. Coincidence? I think not.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yay!!! 3000 words is awesome. I am sorry about the "lost material" though - that is so depressing.

Lucas Darr said...

The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.

But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another.

"Semper Fidelis"

General Louis H. Wilson
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978

Alex Moore said...

@uppington: the horrible thing is that these changes were the "full circle" tweaks that helped everything feel finished and theme-based and ... well, done!! oh well. onward & upward.

@anthony: well, said. now how am i going to finagle that into the story?!

Anonymous said...

I grieve for your loss. A moment of silence will be observed. And then - yep! Onward, and upward, with the belief that somehow it will be better this way.