Imaginary Friends

It's ten thirty, and I'm still awake. Time was I could stay up past midnight, and often did. I used to work swing shift, for cryin' out loud. Worked until midnight, then came home and talked with my wife until two or three in the morning. That was before our first baby came along. I got used to writing in the early morning. I'd get up at five and write until seven or a little after. Made me late for work a few times when I got on a roll. But as the days gave way to long winter darkness, it wasn't working for me anymore. So I switched to nights this week. So far, it's working pretty well. Besides, my narrator is writing his letters late at night. This gets me in the same frame of mind. Everything feels different at night. Bleak and impatient. Sunsets always look different than sunrises, even though they're both the same basic phenomenon. Last time I tried writing at night, it didn't last long. We'll see if I can convert back into a night per

I think I've got things figured out, again. Writing has gotten easier. Life is still busy. I don't have much else to say. I just thought I'd post something here to let my loyal fans know what I'm up to. Twenty-eight thousand words. That's what I'm up to on The Freezer . Some of them are really good. Most of them make sense. If you were to ask me what this story is about, I'd ask how many words you want the answer in. One word: Hope One sentence: It's about a father and daughter facing the end of the world by building a spaceship out of a freezer. More: It's the story of a man torn between his wife, who's on her way to another planet, and his six-year-old daughter, who wasn't allowed to make the trip. It's about parenting, futility, and the collapse of society. It's about religion, hypocrisy, and whether lying to your child is really ever a good thing. It's about hope in a hopeless situation and what it really takes to turn