Day 23

What a gorgeous autumn day it is today. Yes, I just said "autumn." Is it wrong? I simply don't mind autumn to arrive sooner. It's a gorgeous season. The weather is incredible. So why not? Haven't we had enough of summer already? What's wrong with two and half months of Fall?

Absolutely nothing.

Between now and the end of October is what I would call, at least in this part of the world, the magic season. The Goldilocks season: not too hot, not too cold, not to sunny, not too cloudy. Just right. And there's something marvelous about the crisp air and vibrant fall colors that begin to sweep from the north to the south starting about now. Simply magical.

So here I am, sitting by a large window looking out at the trees and their shadows, and I'm writing. Yes, I'm still writing. I've been working on these "homecoming" scenes for a couple of days now, and that's some emotional stuff. Here I am, sitting at a Starbucks and I'm getting misty eyes, and I need to compose myself so I won't look like a fool with all these strangers around me. These are important, powerful scenes, and I want to do them justice. I don't want some trite, contrived, cliched scenarios but at the same time, I want them to be real. So what is it like to be gone to war and have spent four years in prison camps and then gone home to discover everything is gone? That's the kind of stuff I'm working on this week.

Good stuff. Scary stuff. Wonderful stuff. Nerve-racking stuff.

500 word, 9500 words total
342 days and 176000 words to go