StanleyWheeler

 

I'm a winner! It's official. On an unrelated note, I just learned I won a drawing for five signed books in one of Dave Butler's give-away deals with Mike Kupari, Patrick Chiles, and J.L. Curtis -- I believe that only makes 4, so perhaps I've missed someone. Anyway, I'm stoked to get my autographed copies. For those of you with bilingual abilities, let me say, Color moi completement steauked.

Yesterday's mission was to water the yard. Long story. I won't go into it.

I did get a couple more chapters written on my dystopian thriller which I've tentatively titled The Shrinking Zone, but it has nothing to do with laundry. In that story, I'm about to loose the next group of complications. The first set of troubles haven't been solved, but it is often the case in life that new troubles arise while old issues continue to fester--plus (#writing tip!) it makes for a better read when the problems come faster than the solutions. If you haven't got a little "out of the frying pan and into the fire" going on then you don't know your hobbits from you giblets, or, to put it another way, your adhesive tension is slipping. (I hereby claim credit for the term "adhesive tension" in the context of writing and demand a hat tip whenever it is used). What is adhesive tension? It is the continuing unresolved conflict, or series of conflicts, that make the reader stick with the story to discover what happens next.

The battle of Leipzig continues. I don't remember what turn I've completed, but the Allies on the field are crumbling. Technically, Schwartz's force has broken, but with the massive force of reinforcements approaching, I've elected to get creative and interpret "broken" in this instance as a restriction against attacking. Schwartz's onboard troops may only act defensively. This allowed them to make a slow withdrawal and batter the French with their artillery in the process. However, the Allies have paid a heavy price, including the loss of more of their artillery along with the village of Crostewitz. The deadly Old Guard batteries took some damage in the artillery duel, but they made wrecks of the opposition. The French are threatening Auenhayn and the eggshell remnant of the Allied left flank is not likely to hold it for much longer. The Allied right near Liebertwolkwitz still possesses several undamaged artillery batteries, and an infantry division which has recovered from most of its earlier damage.

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