And now that song is in your head. You’re welcome.

So last night I had the opportunity to take a break from writing, and consume delicious whiskey. I consider it a kind of reward for finishing the second last chapter, and getting to the biggest part of the re-write: – the climactic final chapter. More on that in a bit. The drinks and delicious boeuf bourguignon were supplied by some singularly awesome individuals, who are freshly returned from epic overseas adventures, and who SENT US A POSTCARD!

Am I the only one who gets stupendously excited when I receive real snail-mail, and especially a postcard or paper invitation? Yesterday I also received the most amazing card from my nephew who lives interstate (he’s only six). He invited me to come play lego at his house at christmas, because “he misses me”. Can-I-get-an awww! Needless to say I will be there with bells on (in the christmas spirit)

And speaking of spirits: predictably after drinking all that delicious scotch on Friday, today was a nine-to-five parenting course. My head was not impressed. The course involved holding a stuffed-baby-doll-manequin thing; its eyes were never predictably open or closed, so I had this feeling that at any moment I might hear a Chucky voice and feel plastic gums clamping down on my bicep…

No in seriousness, the course was a real eye-opener, and I’m feeling pretty confident now. Arming myself with knowledge seems to be the best policy for pre-fatherhood, just like anything else. Also feeling fairly certain that this little girl is going to be a book-nut like me, so there’s that to look forward to.

Back to writing me ol’ story: I’ve put most of the energy of the re-write so far into tweaking the climax. Previously it was a tale of derring-do, where our space-pirate hero saves the girl, then saves the day, and finally sails off into the sunset. It still has the space-piracy and derring-do, but hahaha hooo, oh boy, the golden-hero ending is NOT where we’re going with it anymore…

What do you prefer when ending your stories – the hero ending or the honest ending? I’m still talking happy ever after, just a bit more roughed up, a bit less cake-and-eat-it-too… I’d be interested to get your thoughts on the most satisfying “up” endings.

Oh, and I got some excellent replies to my last post, suggesting techniques for quick-editing. Thanks heaps you guys, really appreciated. I thought I’d best re-share this one particular editing resource, the Pro Writing Aid Editor, because like the Acronym Generator in my last post, it’s a tool to bookmark and go back to. Thanks Deanmcsmith from Pilcrows and Cedillas for this one (check out this guy’s blog for some neat short stories).

Thas’sit for today. Best regards,

D.R.Sylvester