Hope not gone

Today was a productive day. I have found that I still need to challenge myself physically. I may no longer be able to bench press 500 pounds, but I need to push myself. So my workout today was a great way to vault myself into a productive evening.

Monday is an article night. I have had no real problem getting my articles written, but sometimes, especially recently, have found myself unable to move on to working on my book. Tonight, i set a goal, however. Two chapters of editing. Mission accomplished!

And, on top of that I got a bit more done. In response to the early reviews, the complexity of the characters and universes needed something to bind it all together. The original book has 54 chapters and each one might contain a parallel work shift, a narrative shift, or a focal shift, or all of those combined. If you read the book in less than a few days, it all flows. But it is long and sometimes deals with complex topics which can be difficult. So I came up with the idea of every sixth chapter inserting a 'binding agent' so to speak.

Tonight's was called "Hope is Not Gone"

The piece is an open letter from the protagonist to his wife. In this dystopian, post-apocalyptic world, he is the actual last man on earth. He is holding on to faint hopes that somehow he can find a way to discover his lost love. He writes his feelings down in a letter to her hoping that the emotions expressed as words on paper rather than just thoughts will somehow survive. It is a faint hope he holds on to desperately.

He concludes with this line which I enjoyed:

That is the vision I have now Livvy. You and me on the waterfront again. Holding hands. Smiling. Sun shining on our faces. When my time finally arrives, if it arrives with me having enough faculties to remember, I hope that is the memory which becomes emblazoned as the final thought to pass. You. Sunshine. Hope.