April 9

Chapter 9 is finally written! Progress on Book Four, “The Unwept Tear,” followed a veggie burger lunch at Mud Street Cafe, a visit to my new doctor’s office and then viewing the 98.8% totality eclipse in his parking lot with his employees.

Then I wrote at home, because the Café closes at 3:00.

This is turning out to be a longer story, much like how Book Two had to be split into Books Two and Three. But I’m going to try to keep the pace punchy and the length relatively short. That’s difficult — as it was in Book One — for such a long timespan!

April 12 – Afternoon

Happy wryter here after a little setback. I hadn’t finished the difficult chapter nine for very long before I realized that some of the events at the end of it would make the story flow better if they were at the end of chapter ten.

So, over a lunch of chicken salad salad (I always feel like I’m stuttering when I order it) at Mud Street Cafe, I started writing that chapter ten material as the end of chapter nine, and bumped up the old ending of chapter nine to chapter ten.

Of course, explaining that is more confusing than doing it, but it’s all for the best.

Trust me.

April 12 – Evening

Update on “The Unwept Tear,” 6:30 p.m.

Chapter Nine’s new ending is finished now; just as grueling and rewarding to write as the original; and now Chapter 10 is finished too, though shorter in length.

I couldn’t have finished them at Mud Street Cafe; I don’t like to weep in public.

82 pages; 38,986 words. About 2/3 finished, I hope; and 4-5 chapters to go.