Friday, December 5, 2014

I need to do some writing . . .

My manuscript is pulled up . . . seven chapters now completed, probably twenty or so to go.  I've typed in Arial Bold the words "Chapter Eight", and a vast expanse of white stretches below those words.  My story is well underway; my main character is on a journey that will see him grow as a man, as a Senator of Rome, and as a confidante of Claudius Caesar.  Still ahead is his chance encounter with the strange sect known as the Nazarenes, and his first meeting with the Jewish evangelist Saul ben Issachar, better known as Paul of Tarsus. Still ahead, too, is the death of the Emperor he befriended and the accession of the twisted youth known as Nero to the throne.  His dramatic stand in the Senate, described in my prologue, lies some six years in the future, story-time.
  My wife is engrossed in a Harry Potter book on her Kindle; the TV from the next room is a faint buzz.  One daughter is on a date with her boyfriend; the other is preparing to go upstairs to crash for the evening after a long week.  I have sole and uncontested control of this computer.
I need to do some writing.
  But when I minimize this blog, I see the row of icons on the right hand side of the screen - those evil foes of productivity known as "video games."  Surely no one would begrudge a tired teacher an hour or so of "Frozen Throne" or "Oblivion" or "Skyrim" on a Friday night, would they?  Then there are the two movies I rented out in the car.  I need to watch at least one of them tonight so I can get my $3 back when I turn them in at Hastings tomorrow.  It would be nice to stretch out on the couch with a movie for awhile, but . . .
I need to do some writing.

  Marcus is about to receive a letter from the Emperor, directing him to the province of Syria to investigate irregularities there.  He must face down corrupt governors, take command of a legion whose legate has been murdered and put down an insurrection, and hear the grievances of several local officials along the way.  And he doesn't know yet about the strange twist his inspection tour is about to take as he leaves the northern provinces and makes his way eastward - but he's about to find out.

I need to do some writing!!!!

2 comments:

  1. hahaha a nice article sir. You need to do some writing indeed.... greetings from Kenya!

    http://www.owenhabel.blogspot.com

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  2. I did manage about six or seven pages last night after posting this.

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