It’s interesting how the shape of time changes throughout one’s life. When I was eighteen and first went to college, I drew a doodle of a girl running and captioned it “Four Years!” A lot happened in those four years. I hung the doodle on a cork bulletin board in my bedroom at home and every time I looked at it I was overcome with the feeing that the time would NEVER pass.
Of course it finally did. Over the years, I moved out and my teenage bedroom was converted to a garage, but my mother let that cork board hang on the garage wall for many years. Eventually my brother and his wife inherited the house, and I expect they finally got rid of it. The doodle probably crumbled to dust long ago, anyway.
Odd phenomenon – the older I get the faster time moves. I’ve reached a point where I can see the end of the line rushing at me like a runaway freight train. Through my vast experience at being alive, I have learned a trick, though. Don’t anticipate. It’s the old “Be Here Now” trope. But I’m telling you, it’s the only way to live when you’re days are numbered!
Back in the spring, I made a bet with English mystery writer Hannah Dennison that we’d both finish our new novels in August. So here it is August, and am I finished? What do you think? However, much like my sojourn on this earth, the end of my novel is nigh. In fact, I’m working on the end right now. It’s exciting, if I do say so myself. The possibility actually exists that I’m going to at least finish with the first draft before September rolls around. I hope so. I’ve agreed to act as Writer in Residence for the Glendale AZ Library system from September through November, and once that begins, it’s going to take most of my time. Because A) I haven’t done a Writer in Residence program since the pandemic, and I’m going to have to review and update my programs, and B) I live an hour away from Glendale AZ, so I’m going to be spending a lot of time traveling. However, if you live in the northern Phoenix metropolitan area and want to do a deep dive into writing techniques and tips, do come see me in Glendale this fall.
Don’t miss my TELL ME YOUR STORY guest Christina Estes at this site beginning August 20. Christina is the recipient of the Tony Hillerman Prize for Best First Mystery Set in the Southwest. Her novel Off the Air features a TV reporter investigating the suspicious death of a controversial radio talk show host and was inspired by Christina’s career. Currently a journalist for the NPR member station in Phoenix, Christina’s reporting has appeared nationally on NPR and CBS, and in the Arizona Republic, Arizona Business Gazette and Phoenix Business Journal. (https://www.christinaestes.com/)
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