And so the month is over. . .

[rolanni]

Tomorrow, there will be packing, and a farewell walk through town, and another down the beach.  Thursday, will be driving, my Triumphant Return™ to the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory -- and unpacking.

So, tonight's writing represents the last that will be done, on location, for Carousel Sun.

My goal for this small writing adventure was to return home with 60,000 words of Carousel Sun in hand, and I will be taking home 60,852; 40,576 written here, for a smoot over 1800 words a day for 28 writing days.

I was just chatting with Steve, and I said that I'd been writing this one based on the "what happens next" school of plotting.  Since the Carousel books are first-person, they lend themselves far more readily to that sort of approach than, say, a Liaden book.

On the other hand, I can head-hop to my heart's content in a Liaden book, and for the Carousels, I'm stuck inside Kate's head.

Each form has its good and its bad...

So, anyway, I'm sad to be going back up-country. . .for a number of reasons -- sidewalks, the ocean, a train station right downtown, less than two miles to the ultramodern grocery story, a half-mile walk to the in-town IGA.

On the other hand, I'll be glad to be back at the Cat Farm and Confusion Factory; I missed Steve and the cats, and the sound of semi-automatic rifles, firing in the gravel pit down the road.

OK, the last one, maybe not so much.

I sort of wonder what individual things I'll be glad to return to, that get lost in the gestalt of "home."  I wonder what unexpected things I'll miss from this apartment, which was arranged for the convenience of someone else.  I suspect I'll miss the ceiling fans.  A lot.  The upstairs neighbors or the washing machine from hell?  Maybe not.

But mostly, what I'm going to be when I get home?  Is busy.  Really busy.  So I'm glad I had some down-time, too, along with the general productivity.

For those keeping score:

Progress on Carousel Sun
60,852/100,000  OR 60.85% Complete

"Then I won't cross him," he said, and turned to go just as the first group of five -- four kids and one harassed-looking woman with several ticket books in her hand -- walked under the carousel's cheery roof.

Comments

things you'll miss

[barbinbandon.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping really positive thoughts that you two will find a house in a place where you *have* sidewalks and walking distance to good things and fun things to look at.

Going Home

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

Congrats on all the progress with Carousel Sun and also going home. Hope the cats will welcome you right away. Some cats get sulky because you were gone I understand. . Dogs don't do that for sure. the good news is that Steve will be very happy to welcome you home and not sulky at all either. Wishing much progress on the rest of C. S.

[kalilama.livejournal.com]

I'm picturing all of the cats sitting with their backs to you, elaborately washing their paws. That's what mine used to do when I returned from a business trip. And I second the hope that you will find the next right place for you all.