I said watch it!

After spraining my ankle on Wednesday evening, I was back up and about on Saturday, carefully stepping around and going so far as to walk almost a mile on city streets. I felt that as long as I was really careful where and how I stepped, I'd be okay. So this afternoon (Sunday) I forgot about being careful for a minute and ka-ping! I turned it a little. So it was back on the couch with ice for another 90 minutes.

I sat on the couch, during a hot afternoon, watching the Albert Brooks - Sharon Stone movie The Muse. It's about a screenwriter, his wife, and his colleagues -- cameo appearances from everyone from Rob Reiner to Martin Scorcese -- who believe that a mysterious blond woman actually has supernatural powers to break their creative blocks. She is supposedly one of the genuine muses of classical mythology, updated to modern-day Hollywood. It was amusing enough, no pun intended, but as soon as the upshot started, I turned it off. Two psychologists show up to say the woman is actually an escaped lunatic. I had no desire to watch that sentimental, dumbass ending.

Speaking of writer's block, I haven't got it. In the last five weeks, I've written two whole chapters of my novel, finishing one yesterday. I'm still on pace to finish the first draft by the end of the year, which would be such a relief. I've been working on this thing since summer 1998, and I want to get it over with and get on to all the other ideas I have. Of course I realize I probably still have at least a solid year of rewriting to go on this thing before it's anywhere near publishable. For one thing, it's twice too long -- already over 115,000 words and at least six chapters to go, the first draft will come in at around 150,000 words. Seventy-five thousand would be much more like it.