Writing in Fits, and Starts that Don't Fit

It was back to the blank sheet yesterday for yet another false start -- a clichéd bad start, in fact, a story that began with the main character waking up. (Which I didn't even recognize as a classic example of how NOT to start a story until I'd wasted half an hour on it.)

Today, I resumed a previous story that I began some six months or so ago and abandoned for some forgotten reason. Laziness, most likely. This one, at least, starts not with a waking whimper but with a bang -- a deadly bus crash, in fact. And dialogue. And a theft.

Promises, promises.

During my Junior High School career, back at the dawn of the computer age, teachers were able to add comments alongside the student's printed-out grades, but they had to choose them from a pre-programmed list. The comment I hated the most (and, of course, therefore received most frequently) was the damning "DOES NOT WORK UP TO POTENTIAL."

Re-reading and now adding to this current piece, I'm impressed with the potential of the story. (Who wrote this? He must be a genius.). Now it's time that I do, or do not, hold up the WORK end of the stick.

Later, that is.