You're Welcome

sunny, mild, temps zero

Another gorgeous day. Long day writing. Needed to edit what I'd already done. re-read and touched up chapter one... I liked it...much to my relief and surprise. Then read chapter 2 and didn't like it! Well, I saw a lot of very rough, sort of clunky, passages...so spent a few hours smoothing and editing and re-shaping. Now I quite like it. But took a long time. Then I had a dilema. Stop for the day, or keep going.

I kept going...writing 1,000 words in chapter 3.

The hard part of starting a book - besides not running shrieking down the middle of the road hoping to be hit by a truck - is knowing how much to say, when. When to bring in characters...how much to say about them. And when to bring in other elements, clues, red herrings etc. A book, at least mine, are sort of diamond shaped. Starting fairly simply - then bringing in more and more things. Don't want to hit people with too much too soon.

Happily - I keep reminding myself - there is the editing...especially the second draft. things are so much clearer then.

On another subject altogether...Margaret posted a comment on yesterday's blog in which she copied what NBC anchor Brian Williams had to say when the olympics were over...after he'd spent two weeks in Vancouver... it was so great I've copied it here. Thought you'd like it...

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor
After tonight's broadcast and after looting our hotel mini-bars, we're going to try to brave the blizzard and fly east to home and hearth, and to do laundry well into next week. Before we leave this thoroughly polite country, the polite thing to do is leave behind a thank-you note.

Thank you, Canada:

For being such good hosts.

For your unfailing courtesy.

For your (mostly) beautiful weather.

For scheduling no more than 60 percent of your float plane departures at the exact moment when I was trying to say something on television.

For not seeming to mind the occasional (or constant) good-natured mimicry of your accents.

For your unique TV commercials -- for companies like Tim Hortons -- which made us laugh and cry.

For securing this massive event without choking security, and without publicly displaying a single automatic weapon.

For having the best garment design and logo-wear of the games -- you've made wearing your name a cool thing to do.

For the sportsmanship we saw most of your athletes display.

For not honking your horns. I didn't hear one car horn in 15 days -- which also means none of my fellow New Yorkers rented cars while visiting.

For making us aware of how many of you have been watching NBC all these years.

For having the good taste to have an anchorman named Brian Williams on your CTV network, who turns out to be such a nice guy.

For the body scans at the airport which make pat-downs and cavity searches unnecessary.

For designing those really cool LED Olympic rings in the harbor, which turned to gold when your athletes won one.

For always saying nice things about the United States...when you know we're listening.

For sharing Joannie Rochette with us.

For reminding some of us we used to be a more civil society.

Mostly, for welcoming the world with such ease and making lasting friends with all of us.


And thank you, Mr. Williams. It was a pleasure. Come back soon.