Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
7 February 8 February 9 February 10 February	First draft of “Golden Hour”.	Seven manuscript pages.	PenBBS 487 Parker 45 Moonman M2 Pelikan P1	TWSBI Royal Purple Montblanc Royal Blue Diamine Writer’s Blood Pelikan blue-black

Advertisement

Water Tiger

I was looking as someone’s lunar astrology prognostication for the upcoming year, and in explaining the cycle of elements the signs pass through, they mentioned that putting “water” and “cat” together strikes some as unlikely.

Nope.

Today’s pen: Parker 45
Today’s ink: Montblanc Royal Blue

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
24 January 25 January 26 January 27 January	A story outline for an anthology for which I was invited† to contribute. Collecting my van from its alternator surgery. “The cats are out of food.” The barest beginning on “Golden Hour”, the story mentioned above.	(What I think was†) an extremely persuasive 500 words or so. $600. Sigh. Three ravenous moggies.‡ Two manuscript pages	Pelikan M30  Parker 45 Moonman M2  Lamy 2000	Diamine Honey Burst Montblanc Royal Blue Diamine Writer’s Blood Edelstein Topaz

† Yes, I’m very excited about this. Also, the editor I sent the outline to seemed very enthusiastic about it, so my self-assessment may be accurate.

‡ The smallest of our cats is large. The biggest encroaches upon Maine Coon dimensions. It’s really in our own best interests to keep them in food.

“People are made of… it starts with an M… rhymes with ‘eat’?”

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
24 August 25 August 26 August 27 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”.	656 words typed.	TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Lamy 2000 Parker 45 Pelikan M30	Pelikan Violet Diamine Evergreen Quink Turquoise (vintage) TWSBI Blue-black

I think another problem I’m having, vis a vis output, is that I’m not doing my usual first draft routine of long-handing it. The difference in which parts of the brain are engaged in the physical act of scribbling versus key-tapping does seem to incline toward the former for an easy flow of creativity. At least for me.

What makes this worrisome is that I’ve just got news of an anthology opening for submissions that this story would rest in very nicely. I must, to slightly bowdlerize Chuck Wendig, art harder.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
17 August 18 August 19 August 20 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”.	731 words typed.	Pelikan M30 Parker 45 Sheaffer “TM” Triumph Lamy 2000	TWSBI Blue-black Quink Turquoise (vintage) Montblanc Racing Green† Diamine Evergreen†

Not huge accomplishment, but a flow. I’m starting to wonder if shaving my beard off (in the interests of better mask/head interface) has mystically affected my writing powers.

†It hadn’t occurred to me that I was putting these inks into the same rotation when I filled the Lamy. Having now written some things beside stuff from yesterday, I’m more convinced than ever that people who are lamenting Montblanc’s discontinuation of that ink should take comfort from the Diamine offering. At least in fine points, it’s difficult to tell the difference until your nose is on the paper.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
10 August 11 August 12 August 13 August	First draft of “Hobb’s Landing”. Yesterday’s entry	1128 words typed. Go see for yourself.	Pelikan M600 Sheaffer “TM” Triumph TWSBI Diamond 580 ALR Parker 45	TWSBI Blue-black Montblanc Racing Green Pelikan Violet Quink Turquoise (vintage)

 

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
18 July 19 July 20 July 21 July	Second draft of “Until Regrets Take the Place of Dreams”	2,826 words typed, and that’s done.	TWSBI Classic Faber-Castell e-motion Pelikan New Classic Parker 45	Diamine Marine Blue Herbin Pousièrre de Lune Pelikan Black Montblanc Royal Blue

Also, just a small note which I want to leave a future me in case he’s feeling blue– I got a rejection today which, while still a rejection, contained an expression of interest in other stories; it was simply the tone/specific theme of the story that drew the rejection, while the writing was good enough to intrigue. It’s a small thing, but it’s buoyant and worth clinging to.

Day	What	How Much	Duration	Pen	Ink
24 October 25 October 26 October 27 October	First draft of “Discoveries in the Wake of the Last Crusade.” I can see the end, but can’t quite reach it… First draft of “Discoveries” concludes, followed by some prep for next month. Second draft commences.	Six manuscript pages. Six pages. Three pages. 935 words typed	45 min. 40 min. 25 min. 50 min.	Pilot Vanishing Point Sheaffer J5-30SC Parker 45 Pelikan P488	Pelikan Royal Blue Herbin Vert Empire Noodler’s Dumas Tulipe Noire Waterman Florida Blue

I had been having some trouble settling on the ending for the current project, having three viable but mutually incompatible possibilities.  Happily, I remembered over the weekend that in this brave new technological age of ours, one can have a story with different endings.  That “Choose Your Own Unspeakable Fate” thing I was working on last year (and am slowly putting into second draft, honest) is essentially just a bigger and more complex manifestation of the thing, but I even have a subscription to Sub-Q, a forum specifically intended for “interactive” texts.  Thus, when “Discoveries…” is ready to roll, I know exactly where I’ll be submitting it first.

The Mezzotint

No, not really, although watching today’s film may put you in mind of that M.R. James story.

Coincidentally, it’s one of those days when “hollow” is rather how I’d prefer my skull.  Wretched migraine!

Today’s pen: Parker 45
Today’s ink: Noodler’s Dumas Tulipe Noire

Day	What	How Much	Duration	Pen	Ink
10 October 11 October 12 October 13 October	Flan de Café for Thanksgiving* at the wife’s parents. Second draft of “Tale of the One-Handed Engineer.” The exciting climax of “One-Handed Engineer.” And the conclusion.  Done!	One recipe makes eight serving 921 words typed. 601 words. Somewhat above 700 words, for a total of 3,240.	All day, if one includes presentation 45 min. 40 min. 50 min.	Pilot Vanishing Point Parker 45 Parker Vacumatic ** Pelikan P488	Pelikan Royal Blue Noodler’s Dumas Tulipe Noire Waterman blue-black Waterman Florida Blue

* Yes, we celebrate that in early October here.  Remember that it’s a harvest festival, not a saint’s day.

** The reason we use pens before selling them on– this one has needed several little tweaks to get the tine alignment just so, which little bits of scribbling hadn’t revealed.  Prolonged writing, however… well, I’d have been embarrassed to have sold it earlier.