Episode 100 of The Mildred: Drinks with a Friend

This is the 100th post on the Mildred. If this were a TV show, it would mean syndication and lots of money for me--and for Agnes, too, I guess, even though she has abandoned the project. Maybe that's an idea: turn each post into the episode of a TV series called The Mildred...

No, Madeleine, focus on the stories!

We had someone over for drinks last night, and she was talking about a visual artist she knows who has not been as successful yet as she could have been, because she has not focused on one medium, her interests are too diverse, etc. etc. Draw whatever conclusion you can, Readers, from that little anecdote...

So where am I now in this project? What has happened since I last posted?

I am applying for another residency. I am writing the application at the office so as not to take time away from writing my stories. I did write some of Story #3 yesterday--I think it's Story #3, I am still confused about that--and I am going to write more of it today.

I am going to work only one day a week at my office in January--did I altready mention this, Readers? It is slow at work right now, and I want to get away from there a little and have more time to think only about my stories. (Last night, our drinks friend also made the point--but not in a mean or deliberate way, by which I mean that I drew this conclusion from what she was saying, so I made this point, she was not talking about me, etc. etc.--that working only three days per week leaves a lot of time to write. That is true, I said, from the outside, but when you're working there every week, even three days seems like a lot.)

I am not liking this post at all.

If this were episode 100 of a TV series, I feel like it would be a turning point, a psychological cliffhanger. The friend comes over for drinks and makes Madeleine feel bad or at least like she was not living up to her potential--Agnes would insist that that's NOT what the drinks friend was saying at all, that "Madeleine, everything isn't always about you!"--and so Madeleine decides, that's it! She is fed up and she is going to focus and she is going to change everything and she is going to shock everyone with her productivity next season!

Madeleine Makes an Early Resolution

I will write on the Mildred at least once a week from now on until my project is done. So forever, then. Ha ha.

Our Dear Reader complained recently that I am not writing on the Mildred enough amd she is right. But it--I mean, keeping up with the Mildred--takes time and energy and given the choice between writing on the Mildred and writing my stories, I will choose my stories every time. Actually lately I have chosen to do neither, which is making me feel bad--and making me re-commit to the Mildred once again.

I can't believe there is only one entry for November. I remember writing at least four.

But I have a schedule which I wanted to share: finish one story by the end of December (2010), rewrite another story and complete that by end of January, and have a third story finished by the end of March. I can do it. And if I miss the first two deadlines (i.e., Dec., Jan)--well, the point is that I want to have these three stories finished by end of March 2011.

That's my plan. And now it's on the Mildred so, I don't know, I'm feeling nervous all of a sudden.