The first part of this was meant to be in yesterday's post, but the computer froze and wouldn't let me edit it, so here it is a day later.

On Thursday, well-known local comics writer/editor/publisher, David Bird (of The Fox and Paper Tableaux) gave me a copy of his script for a story in The Ink #3. It's just perfect - clever, witty, poignant - a slice-of-life piece that is full of the "emotional resonance" I'm always bemoaning is missing from so much other comics work these days. Actually, it's just a plain wonderful piece of writing and would be happily at home in a good literary magazine, without the need for being a comic. Still, I look forward to seeing it adapted and am very pleased we'll be in the same anthology issue.

At work, I'm trying to encourage a colleague to write. He has often expressed a desire to do so, so last Friday I told him to write something over the weekend and show it to me this week, even just a snippet. He did, and it was interesting stuff - not at all in the style I would have anticipated, but two literary fragments with great potential. His choice of phrasing had a unique, immediate rhythm at points, with longer musing elsewhere. I think he has a good narrative voice and will be encouraging him to keep at it!

Someone once said that all writing falls into the pattern of either The Iliad or The Odyssey. I'm not sure that is absolutely true, but it's a good guiding principle. Most books are trying to balance character and plot, and tend to lean one way or another (maybe the same writer said that - I can't remember).

Now, back to today... It was an enjoyable day - I hung out with R. and we picked up H. from her coffee shop job later. I was sorry that J. and L. couldn't be along, but have to go with what's possible - no easy thing - and it was nice to spend some time alone with R. Both H. and R. are nearly grown up now, which is nothing short of amazing! I'm not that old, though some days I feel it :).