31 August 2020 - Plague Journal Day 171

Micah 6:8
John 21:25
Yes, your life matters.

We all are still sheltering in place, but I'm here to keep you sane and entertained.
One could hardly ask for much more than that, now could one?

I'm an anachronism. 

I think I've known that for a long time, but as I read more books on writing, as I attend more classes and webinars on writing and editing, it's like my nose is being rubbed in that fact.

I'll admit it. I like to read stuff that was written in ways that I'm told isn't good - that readers won't like. I even like to read the classics - books full of words and people rather than just action. I enjoy the words, the language, the rhythm of the writing, not just the plot. Novels aren't movies. They don't have to flow quickly from opening titles to closing credits because people will get up and go to the bathroom or the kitchen if it slows down.
Novels are a place where the author - the writer - can show and tell us things that are impossible in nearly any other medium. (Maybe radio can challenge, but only in a slightly different way. Film and TV would have to be made in a way so different to their norms that they might be unpalatable to most viewers.)

Keep Calm and Stay Away.
I'll be back tomorrow.
The mental health issues related to our lockdown and the pandemic are especially hard for people with depression. NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, has a 24 hour helpline: 800-950-6264.