07/19/00 -- The Aborted Covert Mission

So we had this plan, see?

Critiques this morning.  Things seem to be really mellowing out.  I turned in "Sisters and Sirens" this morning and that was the only story that got turned in.  It's weird to see our productivity from the first four weeks drop to nearly nothing these last two weeks.

Lunch happened in the cafeteria.  Grilled cheese and fruit.  Bleah. 

I wound up taking Linda and Jennifer to the MSU student union where they have a post office.  We were going to take two cars (they've got tons to mail back home), but I said, No.  It'll all fit in my CRV.  I swear.  And if it doesn't, well, we'll shove stuff in the back seat and drive up to Linda's car.  But it all fit.  The post office isn't terribly convenient if you've got fifteen boxes of stuff to carry in there to mail, but we got it all taken care of.

When we got back, Trey and Mark and Jennifer and I started attempt #2 at our covert mission.  We went to the library and made our way through to the elevator and down to Special Collections.  There, we asked for the 1975 Clarion box.  Greg Frost's stuff was in there.  Our mission: pick a story, get them to copy it for us, and take it back so we could put it in the critique box tomorrow morning.  Jennifer and I had an attack of conscience while we read two of the five stories to determine which would be the target for critique (the 6500 word story was right out -- too long).  We couldn't do it.  Mark and Trey egged us on, but we prevailed.  Mission aborted.  We returned to Owen empty handed and hoped, as we ran across Kelly and Derek walking back the way we'd come, that someone else hadn't decided on a similar mission.

Then Jennifer and I went off to Van Hoosen (or, rather the courtyard) to read and critique and, well, whatever.  Jennifer wound up going back to her room to take a nap while I sat there and tried to come up with a decent plot for a novel.  I made notes/asked questions about the main character.  I have a lot to get organized in my head before I do something with this.  It's frustrating.  Really frustrating.  Maybe I'll pull What If? down later and look at some of their plot exercises.  I dunno.

Wound up grabbing dinner with Greg and Maureen in the cafeteria.  We talked about a handful of things (including strange euphemisms such as "talking Godzilla for a walk" -- no, not the 'Flying Godzilla' from IHOP) and laughed and stuff.  Maureen and Greg disappeared for a one-on-one and Jennifer appeared.  We talked, wound up going back to the Van Hoosen courtyard and talking/reading/critiquing s'more.  I thought about Gabriel s'more and about my plot-that-isn't-yet.

When the one-on-one was over, Greg and Jennifer disappeared to talk about revision and Maureen and I wound up walking down Grand River.  We walked to Tower Records, poked through there, and walked back, talking about a whole bunch of stuff the whole way.  It was a really nice walk and I played with a snap dragon while we walked and talked.  Our conversation continued back at her apartment and I played her an MP3 of Nine Inch Nails vs the Spice Girls.  Suffice it to say that it is scary.  Very scary.  We laughed a lot. :)  And then I inflicted it on Greg (who came over to tell us we were having way too much fun).  More conversation ensued (including some delightfully funny and frightening Gardner stories).

Maureen kicked Greg and I out and we wound up talking outside, then Trey walked by and we all ducked into Greg's apartment for beer and more conversation.

Yep, it was a night of conversation.  It's strange that I don't feel too terribly sleepy (even after a beer).  I'm a little spun up even though Clarion is almost over.  It just feels weird.  Today's Wednesday.  We have tomorrow (and the reading at Archives), then Friday (with the bar-b-queue and t-shirts and cake and stuff) and then it's over.  All over.  I'm going to pack my room up on Saturday.  First thing Sunday, Paula and I will drive off.

I can't believe it is almost over.

Almost.

But not yet.

I'm going to try to hold onto it as long as I can.  Probably will even when I get home.

 

Okay, so other folks are talking about their productivity here.  I decided I may as well, too. This list (and my productivity) is subject to change without notice. :)
Title	Word Count	Finished	Critiqued?
"Where the Blood Roses Grow" Week one, first story.  Wahoo.  And I was worried that something wouldn't come.	5000	6/13	6/15
"Uprooting the Tree" Will probably change the title at some point.	3400	6/16	6/19
"Mockingbird Girl" I think I'm happiest with this story, so far.	2800	6/19	6/26
"Poor as Paupers, Rich as Royalty" My challenge story from Sean's week.  I hated writing it.  It gave me a toothache.	2000	6/22
That fucking first person narrative (not yet complete) - May never be completed.  Don't I feel like an idiot...	(400)
"Switched to Overload"  (That other fucking first person narrative) Actually, I like this one better than the one above it ...  Even if it did wind up being two first person narratives in one story.  o.O	4900	6/27	7/3
"Sweeter Than Honey, Stronger Than Wine"  (My Tananrive Due challenge story.  Write a story in the style of an author whose work you admire.  Aieee!  It was sort of supposed to be in the style of Tanith Lee.  I'm not sure I hit that.  But it's definitely got a Christina Rossetti influence.)	9200	7/2	7/10
"Hypothetical Beaches" I really hope it turns out to be not quite as stupid as I feel like it is.  Finished it just before Maureen and Greg's 24-hour moratorium on writing.  (In case you're wondering, it started from a free-write.)	2800	7/10	7/13
"From Time to Time" (unfinished) Fucked if I know what this is going to turn into if it will turn into anything over the next couple of days.  It's twisted.  Or at least a little gross.	(837)
"Sisters and Sirens" It's first person.  Ugh.  You'd think I'd've learned after "Switched to Overload".  Feh.  I think I like it, but I'm not sure.  Everything I thought was in there isn't, but I don't know how I can put it in there ... or if I really want to.  The stuff that isn't in there is in my head and makes me cry.	3800	7/18