So far this year I’ve been pleasantly surprised how easy it has been for me to come up with Not Eudora columns. Perhaps its simply an explosion of ideas pent up for the six or so years since I last wrote for the Reader Weekly. Heck, by the time I’d hung up my byline I’d mostly descended into writing myopically about the Red Plan. I don’t mind writing about politics but for special writing like the Reader I’d like to play around a little.
I never reveal yet to be published material until the actual publishing date. I do fudge a little by making the first few lines available. I composed this in my head on Monday while I was painting. I never found the time to start writing it until this morning and in the intervening days I’d gotten concerned that the thread of my thought that had seemed indistructable five days earlier had grown feeble. I did write a 30 word outline on Monday so I wouldn’t forget the gist of what was in my head but over the week I never could conjur up those original thoughts.
I woke up last night and spent an hour and a half composing yet a new column for two weeks from now that peeled like a tangerine skin onto the page. Then having built up some rhythm and steam I turned to the problematic “The Devil’s Friend.” Like magic it reassembled itself. I even went back to bed confident that it could be polished off early the next morning. My confidence was rewarded. I sent it in to the Reader by 10:00 AM four hours before deadline.
Sadly, I did have to sacrifice a visit with my Mother today but I think I can manage that tomorrow depending on when my grandson’s big birthday party commences. If you want to take that peek The Devil’s Friend begins here. The two most startling events are based on reports I believe to be true or largely so.
