April 30, 1973In which I write poorly

Oh how embarrassing it is to write a flop! This morning I wrote a stupid story about a beaver falling in love. I tried all weekend to write - five times I sat down and stared at a blank piece of paper. Five times I began writing a story. Five times I got a headache. Finally this morning a thought came to me - the best so far, but the dumbest I have ever written. I just wasn't inspired! {You are certainly making efforts - that's all you can do. It will take a while to develop style, so don't get discouraged.}

Note:
I still have the story about the beaver in love. It is kind of cute actually.

I mentioned in a different entry something about my first story. I wish I knew what it was. The only story I remember writing was based on a black and white photo of a young man sitting in what looks like a balcony. In the story he is hiding out waiting for the police to find and arrest him for the murder of his twin brother. He begins by denying that he did it, then the story explodes as he relates pulling the trigger and seeing his brother collapse. The one part of a line I remember from the story was, "...and the scream of pain as the bullet hit its mark." The teacher liked it and kept the final draft. Pity.