Facebook is down nation-wide and maybe worldwide, which leaves me with free time. So here I am.
I’m a slow writer, and I take a lot of breaks from writing. However, in the last year, and especially in the past month of so, I have been getting fiction done. I have two stories out to editors: “Grandmother Troll,” which is based on Icelandic folklore, and “The Ghost of Hugo Chavez,” about a journalist who is assigned to get an interview with Chavez, the former president of Venezuela. This is not entirely easy, since Chavez died in 2013. Fortunately my protagonist has the address of a Marxist Medium and Tarot Reader, who can reach Chavez in the afterlife.
I have run “Ghost” through two writing groups, and they mostly like it, though it’s possible it won’t sell: a story about the George Floyd demonstrations in Minneapolis and Hugo Chavez in the afterlife might be too specialized. I am pretty sure “Grandmother Troll” will sell.
I just finished a science fiction story titled “Valet Parking” and a fantasy titled “Mr. Catt.” Both are kind of weird. I’ve decided at my age I can write what I damn well please and not worry about the rules of writing. I was never good at the rules of writing, in any case.
That’s it. Aside from writing, I have been hiding out from COVID and communicating with the world via Zoom and facebook. I am cautious enough so I’m not assuming the plague is over. Too many people are not vaccinated. The high points of my life right now are going to the Farmers’ Market — which is great at the moment, full of late summer and autumn produce — and the grocery store for things not available at the Farmers’ Market. I’ve managed to get to a couple of museums. Museums do not tend to be crowded, unless there is a special exhibit. You can wander through mostly empty galleries, feeling mostly secure. And the American Swedish Institute has really fine cardamon rolls for sale.
I hope the writing continues. Writing has always been my way of coping with life’s difficulties. My goals (I always have goals, even at my age) are writing, more exercise and healthy eating. Also, a booster shot.