Good half day of writing. Finished another, longer story I’ve titled, “The Jesus Brand.” Have high hopes for it, but that always seem to spell the kiss of death, so I’m tempering my enthusiasm. Two other pieces I’ve been working on are pretty far along, but I can’t lie. I’m eager to get to work on my new novel.
Had a wonderful Thanksgiving out. Great food, great company. Missed the old folks down in New Mexico, but that’s the way it always goes, isn’t it? You can never have everyone together at the same time, so you do the best you can.
Have charged deep into the heart of Richard Brautigan’s last novel, So the Wind Won’t Blow it All Away. Deeply moved by it. He wrote such sweet, amusing stories—and came to such a terrible end. You can feel the melancholy in the words. I keep thinking of my buddy, Spider, who had the same desperately funny sense of humor.