Kinsmanship

It's week four for SAGAFTRA. Over 100 days for WGA. August 16, 2023. A time that will live in infamy. Okay, maybe I shouldn't co-opt the most iconic line from the most treacherous period in human history for a work stoppage. It's all the news that's fit to print. (How's that?)

I hear the WGA and AMPTP are back at the bargaining table. I also hear some people worry that, if they settle, it will be bad for actors. BS. The WGA is working for a better writing life, SAGAFTRA a better acting life. Yes, we overlap some, and what's good for WGA is good for SAGAFTRA. And, vice versa. So, God love them. I hope it's going well.

In the absence of anything filmatic, I'll discuss my most recent novel. Number ten. It's a dizzy little ditty about a woman allergic to the cold that constantly surrounds her. I finished two days ago and am in the process of scrubbing.

I met a writer the other day and mentioned this to her. She asked me if I was still in love with the book, hated the book or had gotten to the point of ambivalence. Which, she said, was where she did her best editing. You know, I never thought of it that way.

Writing a book is a series of fits and starts for me. Sometimes a few pages, sometimes a couple paragraphs. As long as something hits the page, I tell myself. But love? Hate? Ambivalence? Hmm.

A long lost friend of mine reached out yesterday. I mentioned to him, in far too self aggrandizing terms, I'd just finished. To which he said, "Where can I read them?" Gulp. Full on imposter syndrome for one please. Uh, nowhere. Because they aren't published yet. Sheesh. Put me right in my place. Not that he meant to, he just wanted to read one. All that to say, I never stopped loving the story I sent him. It's been finished a few years and I never got to the point of ambivalence. I leave that to the editors.

So, when the writer asked me that question I was stumped. Immediately I wondered if I was different somehow. Then I remembered, I am. And I like it.

Wading through should take a month or so. This after four months of writing. All in all, not bad for a novel. When I find out what my friend thinks, I'll let you know that too. Or not. Who knows?

I hope you'll read my stories someday and love them because that's what all writers hope. If you do, maybe I can finally join the WGA and strike twice.

Blessings all.