Nope, the title of this post is not a sign that I'm losing touch with reality or trying to write obtuse poetry. It relates to a memory game I recently came up with while trudging through the 1100+ revisions amassed during the final editing phase of my serialized companion novel due to be released on Kindle Vella in March.

As I set about combining the various comments/revisions in my Word doc—some of which have been there since November—I realized I might be missing a few words here or there. So in an effort to keep better track, I started linking the first two or three words of the top highlighted section with the last two or three of the second (or third or fourth) neighboring comment.

Hence, the title of this post. The first two words are from the wisecrack "And I'm your damn fairy godmother," spoken by the river merchant Sunny (the narrator of my previous novel Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown) to one of her regular customers. The last two words are from another of her wisecracks, this time in answer to a question asked by the protagonist of my new companion novel who she helps at a critical point during his treacherous solo journey to a safe haven downriver.

For some reason or other, that mundane memory game keeps giving me a welcome boost as I slog on through my revision process.

Who knows? Maybe I'll hold onto this diversion strategy for future copyediting stages, especially if it tamps down my grumbling a little by generating odd mixes like:

• the tall patch of moonlight
• Sunny whispered second thought
• flags fluttered both lanes
• why not means right
• he fumbled far below
• he stammered tsunami level
• and I'm something stupid.

I sense a random poem taking wing. (No worries, I'll be sure to keep it to myself.)

Till next time.

Drew
Drew Faraday
Pearl Fields and the Oregon Meltdown