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hard decisions

Day TwentySix: Hard Decisions

My Madrid break with MTM is almost over. We made some hard decisions together, despite making the whole trip look fun. Will I finish my residency? Read on.

Daily Word Count: 0
Cumulative Words Written: 49,619
Total Words Discarded: 6,100
Total Chapters Drafted: 20
Time Spent Writing Today: 0 hours

My Madrid break with MTM is almost over. We made some hard decisions together, despite portraying the whole trip as fun and light.

I’m finishing my residency.

hard decisions

I have two more weeks to whip this word-vomit into a legitimate first draft. While everyone may be in awe of my production, ninety-nine percent of what I’ve written is a fragmented sketch, pictures drawn with letters and words and phrases. When I return to Messejana, I’ll make hard decisions about what to keep, what to rework, what to fill in, what to jettison.

PREDICTION: I’LL JETTISON A LOT.

I also don’t know what will happen at home in the coming weeks. How many phone calls will I make? What can I handle from afar? Will I be able to do enough? Regret goes both ways. I make hard decisions about life now, because it’s finite. Quality is uncertain. Shifts are abrupt.

We savored our final day in Madrid.

The Prado was glorious and overwhelming. My favorite paintings were The Clothed Maja and The Naked Maja by Goya. A mistress. Same pose. Same bed. One sans clothes. Side by side, it was breathtaking.

Of course, we ate well. Late Spanish lunch at Bar Tomate. We tucked into our food too piggily for me to photograph everything. But what I got will make readers drool.

After a failed attempt to buy a final pair of cheap zapatas, we came back to our apartment. Sipped cava on the terrace. Enjoyed these delights.

Tomorrow, we leave this charmed existence for luck of a different kind. Two weeks until MTM is back in Europe. Two weeks for me to squeeze potential from what I’ve written. Fourteen days. I can do it. I can do it.

Yes, I can.

To follow my residency at Buinho Creative Hub from the beginning, CLICK HERE and read forward.

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8 Comments

  1. We’ve experienced a great deal of uncertainty and upheaval in the last 4 months and we refer to these times as our “whiplash” moments. Or because you know our dog Zena, we say we are like her, our nervous little being who doesn’t know who or what needs the most attention as the complexities change. You go along and hit steep curves and can’t see around the mountain but you keep going. Tough times require courage, and you’ve already demonstrated you have that! So yes! Much love and energy sent your way for the duration of your residency. ❤️ And love the food and new zapata acquisitions. ?

    1. Author

      I’m sorry you are too familiar with these dynamics. Zena is a dear, tho. As are you.

  2. Looks like a great Anniversary. Sounds like just the impetus to stir your amazing talent!

  3. YES, yes you can, more like YES YOU WILL!

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