Day 5- short story runs on the spot

Spun my writing wheels last night, which was frustrating. I managed 840 words, but found myself mired in a single scene inside the church as Peter and Hannah encounter Father Hanlon for the first time (memo to self, change Hanlon’s name as it is too close to Hannah). What I hoped was a chance to describe a spooky encounter quickly devolved into an extended discussion about a number of things: the falling population of the village, a bit of church histroy (entirely made up by me, of course) and why the church and the grounds around it were sold. Spread through the story it might work, but included in a single section the story grinds to a halt.

When I get to the edit stage, I’ll be cutting the entire evening’s work severely, and I’ve just realised I’ve missed an opportunity for Hanlon to rabbit on about the many tunnels which give access to the nearby beach.

On the plus side, I inserted a paragraph describing the organ and Hannah’s reaction to it:

Hannah nodded and ran her hands over it. The wood was grimy with dust, but she felt the smoothness of the finish, and the whorls in the wood under the faded polish. She glanced up at the pipes and heard a sudden, hollow thrumming at the edge of her hearing. It deepened, settled in her bones and made her teeth hurt. Outside, the wind kicked up and the sound grew louder until it set her teeth on edge. Her enthusiasm faded, and she stepped away.

Anyway, I finally managed to end the scene with Hanlon leaving. Peter and Hannah share a moment of happiness, which I hope will be the last good moment these two experience for the rest of the story. What a right bastard I am, eh?

Tonight I hope to do some writing – probably later than normal as my wife and I want to watch a movie.

See you tomorrow.