I Must Change My Ending

Editing the novel yesterday and today.

Although Angus and I feel there's a lot of good writing and good storytelling in this novel, I haven't been happy with the structure. Over dinner we agreed the progression, the arc of the story is too flat.

Nothing like a nice dinner, a glass of mellow red wine and you and your honey perched over your laptops. That was us, after dinner, face to face at the table, discussing the problems and brainstorming.

I was the one to realize the end is wrong. Once I told Angus, he admitted it was so. He liked the current ending too, and had not advised me to change it, but after discussion, now it seems obvious to me how it must end.

The old ending will not be lost, for I feel it's a good piece of writing. Eventually I'll make it into a short story on its own.

Much work to be done now on revising the structure, but I feel far more optimistic that my novel will be good reading once I complete all the editing. I knew the story wasn't right, but couldn't put my finger on what it was about the structure that was wrong nor how I could fix it. Now I think I've got it.

Our Christmas tree is up and tomorrow I plan to decorate it. Also addressed my Christmas cards.

Watched Charlie Rose interview James D. Crick and - I forget the other scientist's name. Crick and Watson mapped out the DNA molecule in 1971. The other scientist is a Nobel prize winner and professor emeritus at Harvard.

In any event, they've both written books about Darwin. Apparently Darwin was a genius. He was correct about everything except his ideas about heredity. The show was remarkable. The problem we have with the controversy over evolution is one of education. The same people who take medicine for granted reject the foundations upon which it is built, for those foundations are built on evolution.

I'm confident enough in my experiences of God that I have no problem accepting evolution. But it's remarkable that Darwin, in 1848, postulated ideas that modern scientists, with their equipment - and especially the knowledge of the DNA molecule - have proved are true. Crick said Darwin is the most important person in history because he told us how we arose and what our place is in the world. There's no more guesswork.

The next big questions are: What is consciousness? Is the Universe itself conscious? Where is information stored? There's a fascinating book, The Holographic Universe, which explores these questions.

Another book, Quantum Questions - Mystical Writings of the World's Greatest Physicists lays waiting. I almost started reading tonight, but I've run out of the evening. It's late and past time for bed. I need to walk to the post office tomorrow, decorate a tree and I really want to treat myself to a coffee out along with doing more editing.

This is so dry. Let's see what Rumi might say about it all.

Look what I turned to!

Those who don't feel this love
pulling them like a river,
those who don't drink dawn
like a cup of springwater
or take in sunset
like supper,
those who don't
want to change,
let them sleep.

This love is beyond the study of theology,
that old trickery and hypocrisy.
If you want to improve your mind that way,
sleep on.

I've given up on my brain,
I've torn the cloth to shreds
and thrown it away.
If you're not completely naked,
wrap your beautiful robe of words around you,
and sleep.

From The Illuminated Rumi