Aww, yeah, he (or she) looks kind of under the weather, sort of resigning herself to whatever intervention it is that y'all are performing for her (or him).
(which reminds me: don't forget to ask about the cormorants!)
I am now slightly over 2/3 of the way done with Pen Pal, and it remains magical. A bit over halfway through I was afraid it might be faltering, but no. I keep thinking of how I will write a paean to it.
I didn't mean that the novel seems as if it might falter. But that I thought the magic might. Magic is so elusive. What I was thinking was something like, Oh, mechanics. Well, yes, and of course one needs them. But -- and this seems characteristic of your writing-- the magic just paused, for my reading, taking a breath while you got the mechanics done.
And the mechanics are important. And the grit is important, though there's nothing contrary to magic about grit. You may remember that I compare your short-story work, insofar as I'd read it, to Barbara Leonie Picard, but that I said I thought you were better. She succumbed to wanting just to float, I think. And you, on the other hand, are greatly daring, and embrace most excellent thorns.
it would have been quite all right for you have meant the other thing, though. I mean, even for the most perfect story in the world ever, if there are parts a person loves best of all, then there are other parts that a person loves less than best, you know? And if a person loves everything with the same shine of golden-ness, that's marvelous, but if a story has peaks of sharp goodness that stand out against other areas, that's good too--I mean, those are different ways of being good--or bad. The first thing, to a person who didn't like it, could seem dull, and the second thing, so someone who didn't like it, could seem like only moments of excellence against a not-so-excellent whole. Annnnnd, now I feel like I'm stating the obvious and saying things you (or any reader) already know(s).
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In the meanwhile, the wildlife center currently has their first snowy owl.
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Snowy owls are such gorgeous birds. What accident or illness brought it to the wildlife center?
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Here's a pic someone else took.
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(which reminds me: don't forget to ask about the cormorants!)
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I didn't mean that the novel seems as if it might falter. But that I thought the magic might. Magic is so elusive. What I was thinking was something like, Oh, mechanics. Well, yes, and of course one needs them. But -- and this seems characteristic of your writing-- the magic just paused, for my reading, taking a breath while you got the mechanics done.
And the mechanics are important. And the grit is important, though there's nothing contrary to magic about grit. You may remember that I compare your short-story work, insofar as I'd read it, to Barbara Leonie Picard, but that I said I thought you were better. She succumbed to wanting just to float, I think. And you, on the other hand, are greatly daring, and embrace most excellent thorns.
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it would have been quite all right for you have meant the other thing, though. I mean, even for the most perfect story in the world ever, if there are parts a person loves best of all, then there are other parts that a person loves less than best, you know? And if a person loves everything with the same shine of golden-ness, that's marvelous, but if a story has peaks of sharp goodness that stand out against other areas, that's good too--I mean, those are different ways of being good--or bad. The first thing, to a person who didn't like it, could seem dull, and the second thing, so someone who didn't like it, could seem like only moments of excellence against a not-so-excellent whole. Annnnnd, now I feel like I'm stating the obvious and saying things you (or any reader) already know(s).
What I mean to say is, thank you. ♥
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