Tara

Sunny skies - a few clouds, breezy - temps minus 3

Nice day - I'm thinking of taking Trudy snow shoeing this afternoon. Too bad thinking about it isn't enough!

Picked up the copy of Billy Bishop Goes to War that Maurice at the local radio station had kindly transfered to CD. I'm so excited about it - but have decided to save listening to it until I exercise tomorrow. Always good to hold out a treat for myself - normally it's an eclair.

Got an email from Jen Forbus this morning. She has a terrific, and very creative, blog called Jens Book Thoughts. She wrote to say the voting has started in the first round of the Detective matches. As you might know, Armand Gamache is going head-to-head with Jesse Stone, by Robert Parker. Gamache might be at a slight disadvantage because he doesn't carry a gun. Perhaps I'll give him one, just for this tournament. But I don't think so. He must use his wiles to win.

Here's Jen's message -

Week 1 of the World's Favorite Detective Tournament is open for voting. Come fill out your ballot; it's quick and easy!

http://bit.ly/ck5Sj5

And then pass the word along to all your friends! Support your favorite detectives in our own Mystery March Madness.

If you'd like to enter the contest, there's still time to do that. Entries for predictions of who will make the Elite Eight, the Final Four, the Championship and who will take it all, will be accepted through midnight tonight only:

http://bit.ly/dbh5M1

Good luck to all the detectives!

I hope the links Jen sent work.

The writing went much easier today. it often does after struggling for a day. There's a sort of breakthrough. did 2,000 words today and am now sitting about about 12,000 works in the first draft. I generally race through the first draft, pushing myself, mostly because I really don't like first drafts and want it over with. Having said that, when the writing is going well there are few feelings like it on earth - at least in my experience. That sort of bliss that comes from doing well what I know I'm meant to do.

Still, it's hard work and it is clear to me now that while I'm willing to work hard, and I know that is the only way I'll achieve what I want...I don't actually like working hard.

Do you know what it is? Fear.

The fact is, if I didn't have a contract to write...if my publishers dropped me - I would still be doing exactly what I'm doing today. Writing an Armand Gamache mystery. I just need to remember I'm doing it because I love it.

I also need to remember that most people have really, really hard jobs. They don't get to sit in front of a fireplace. They don't get to wander into their own kitchens and make cafe au laits. Or break up work by snow shoeing with their dogs. Most people don't get to write blogs for kind readers, or respond to people who have taken the time to write nice emails.

Most people work hard, for little money, for almost no recognition, often for demanding and demeaning bosses.

I get to open my laptop and enter Three Pines, and have meals with Clara and Myrna, Gamache and Beauvoir.

And sometimes it's hard. But a bad day today is still better than my best days before I was writing. When fear had won.

The only shadow over our lives today is worry about the Mount's dog, Tara. She's old and frail and almost certainly dying. Linda sits up with her all night, both dozing when they can. Linda and Bal worrying whether Tara is in pain. Whether her time has come. but as they put it, what they want to do is get rid of the suffering, not the sufferer.

And so they continue to comfort Tara. And wait. And pray to know when her time has come.

Today, when we got up at 7:30 their van wasn't at the guest cottage. And it still hasn't returned. We wonder if Tara's time came in the middle of the night and they took her into Montreal. to their vet there. I guess we'll find out.

Very sad, as most of you know - having faced exactly this same decision. And perhaps some of you are facing it right now too. if so, my sympathies.

Be well. Speak tomorrow.

Gamache 'one-on-one'

overcast, mild, temps zero

Lovely day...feels and smells like spring. I noticed the spring bulbs are coming up in the cutting garden, right next to the house. I'm sure the shoots will be snowed under, but they always seem to survive.

Lise dropped by...we got some work done. There are so many details that go with being a writer. I think that's one of the big surprised...all the 'other' things. Mailing, emailing, events - questions, interviews, discussions with publishers and editors. With my agent.

The writing often seems the easiest.

I suddenly wrote 2,000 words today. My plan is to finish the second chapter quickly - just dump the words on the page - then go back and smooth...shape. Quite fun this way. Then I exercised and listened to the music...hearing conversations - again. I do think there is almost no noticable difference between being a writer and being insane.

A few of you wrote to ask about the process. I always know who did it, who gets killed. Why. and some of the main themes. But I don't know how Gamache will solve it. And while each scene has a purpose, I don't necessarily know how the points, clues, development will happen. Always a surprise.

Gamache has just arrived on the scene.

But, I also know, there's a pretty good chance this opening will not be the same as the one you read. The beginning often needs changing since by the end of the book I'm clearer about the themes and the beginning needs to be sharpened. We'll see. The big thing is to just get something down and worry about the editing later.

On another topic, I had a very fun email from Jennifer Forbus. She writes the great blog, www.jensbookthoughts.com

Here's an excerpt from her message -

This email is to inform you that you have at least one detective who received enough nominations to make the "World's Favorite Detective" tournament that I will be hosting for the "Detectives Around the World" theme week. I'm going to run the tournament like the NCAA basketball tournaments that will be occurring simultaneously, so there are 64 detectives that will go head-to-head culminating in the final two having their showdown during the theme week April 11th to the 17th.

I am announcing the 64 detectives that made the tournament tomorrow on my blog. Beginning Friday I'm going to take entries for a contest connected to the tournament. And the first week of voting will kick off on Monday, March 8th.

Seems Armand is going one-on-one with Jesse Stone by Robert Parker. Hmmm.


doesn't that sound like fun?

Anyway, back to messages etc.

Speak tomorrow.