How many words did I add to my work in progress over the weekend, you ask? Or I suppose that should be works-in-progress, as I have a couple going on. Here’s the short version.

• My essay “The Learning Curve”: nothing done
• Headshots: approximately 150, or maybe as many as 200.
• Danny Tompkins short story: none.
• Carlyle encyclopedia articles book: none.
• The Gutter Chronicles, Volume 2: none.

In other words, not a lot of production to show for a quiet weekend at home, with my health good, chores at a relative minimum.

I actually accomplished a little more than that. I re-read chapters 1-6 of Headshots, and reacquainted myself with what I’d written. I brainstormed a few chapters of it as well. I’m currently writing chapter 8, and have it planned out through chapter 13. The word count stands at about 15,100, which is somewhere between 1/6 and 1/4 through it. I wish I was further.

I also proofread eight pages of the Carlyle encyclopedia articles book. I’m down to about 16 pages of text to proofread, plus the four page index from the regular encyclopedia. I’m not sure I’ll include the index in my book, as it’s sort of meaningless. This work isn’t scheduled for publication until next year, so working on it now might be foolish. I proofread a couple of pages a day because it’s easy work, something I can do with the TV on.

Yesterday I arrived in The Dungeon around 2:30 p.m., after church and some running around afterwards. I decided not to take a nap (as I wasn’t the least tired), and not to turn on the TV to have NFL football on, so as not to distract me. Having Saturday’s editing and brainstorming at hand, I put my keys on the keyboard and…nothing. I couldn’t apply my mind.

I reread chapter 8 as it stood, and sort of knew what I needed to do, but the words didn’t flow. It didn’t seem like writer’s block. It was more a case of “why bother?” Low book sales were weighing on my mind.

From a technical standpoint I was having trouble with how to proceed with chapter 8. This is Ronny Thompson in the hospital, working on recovery from his last operation and musing about his future: in baseball, with his girlfriend, with his parents. The next two parts of the chapter were determined based on my planning and brainstorming. As I sat there playing mindless computer games, I thought through the chapter and how to organize it to get the next two events in place. But I just didn’t feel like adding the words needed.

Eventually, once most of the afternoon was gone, I managed to get the 150-200 words in place. Tonight, if I can just concentrate, I can finish that chapter, maybe even get into the next one some. I need to have the characters quit talking and start acting. Maybe that transition is part of the trouble. Too much talk, not enough action, and making that transition in the text is part of what’s giving me fits. Once I get past that, maybe I’ll be okay.