[the Clarion journal continues...] So, I think I managed about four hours of sleep after all. Or, thereabouts. No thanks to my server going wonky and homework taking disproportionately longer as I get closer to the metaphorical finish line.

Woke up relatively on time, pulled everything together for class, and met up with a bunch of the crew at the lounge before heading out for class. Several of us went down to pick up Octavia and bring her along with us. We knocked on her door. No answer. Since the Clarion West Administrator (Leslie) had told us the previous day that Octavia was "God" for the next week, I called out to the closed door, "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret." Chuckles all around, but no Octavia.

We made it to our first session at the SCCC building and found a menagerie of novelty animals positioned in a parade in the middle of a circle of desks. We were introduced to the verisimilitoad (maybe I'll explain later; maybe not). Octavia showed up. We got rolling.

Octavia had a few things she wanted to cover in lecture, and then we went on to discuss the assignment she'd given us for today. I learned that I had not properly understood what Octavia had in mind for the one-sentence exercise. After going around the room and having us present ours, she pushed and pulled several of us (including yours truly) until she finally got us (me) to see what it was she was after. Now that I understand (I think), I'll be using this tool to begin work on my first story here, which I am to hand in on Thursday morning.

...which means that before I go to bed, I still have to write that new sentence!

Anyway, the class was fine and the critiques went quite well for a group that's never done this together before. When all was done in the class room, it was time to read the three stories (also submission pieces) for tomorrow and do whatever else we felt like doing.

I have discovered that I am a master at yielding to distractions. Food? Big distraction. Walking around the neighborhood? Natch. Chatting with Paulette? But of course. Then, there was fixing that problem with this here log, updating an e-mail alias situation that had arisen at about the same time, calls to family members, and the like.

Highlights from my conversation with Paulette earlier today, who attended last year's Clarion West:

* Three stories to critique for tomorrow? That's all?! Back in *our* day, we had four! Every day! When we were done, we had produced more stories and more total words than any Clarion, East or West, ever! (supposedly, this is actually true.)

* The longest story you have to critique is 7,000 words? Why, we used to DREAM of stories that were only 7,000 words long. Last year, our shortest piece was so long, we'd have to read Stephen King's The Stand as a warm-down afterwards just to cool off! And, we're talking the expanded version here, not the originally published version, you know...

* You guys aren't handing in new material until Tuesday morning? Geez! Last year, they made us hand in new material the day *before* lecture started. Why, even this year's Clarion *East* has been backed up on new material... since day one! They've had to add Saturday sessions! Even their stuffed animals are writing!

Blah, blah, blah. Just another Monday. If I'm very good, I may actually get to bed in time tonight to manage six hours of sleep. Woo-hoo!

Oh, and about that story I'm thinking of writing this week... it's going to be a very dark piece. A tale of revenge and a most unusual murder. Bwahahahahaha.