• Music: Listening (Philippe El Sisi Remix) : Aly & Fila : Listening (feat. Josie)

and yet I love writing at the novella length. allegedly.

GAH plot. GAH structure. GAH the need to build to minor climaxes while ratcheting up the tension overall. GAH my brain's insistence on doing this while working toward a moment of pure id-crack that was the simple prompt I was supposed to write four months ago. But it is time to drive this one to completion single-mindedly, while improving my chops at solving various plotting problems. What I need to do now is step back and re-outline. Perhaps I will start by writing a simple synopsis. That'll be less intimidating.

wickedfox's manip #1 (worksafe) is providing inspiration for a specific post-fight scene.

Hang power cleans are pretty cool. That woman is doing them with the bare bar, which is 20kg (44#). I did them yesterday at 95#, working on pure form. I also did some straight power cleans, starting from the deadlift position. Lots of jargon there, huh?

"Clean" is the ending position: bar at shoulder level.
"Hang" means starting with the bar held mid-thigh.
"Power" means you don't drop under the bar to receive it; your hip drive must be enough to send it up to your shoulders.
In the full clean, sometimes called a "squat clean", you drop down under the bar to catch it, then stand up. The last vid link shows a guy doing them instead of a woman, but he explains it really well.

And that's one of the things I do at the gym these days. My goal is to do Crossfit Linda some day. Yes, that woman is very fit, but she still struggles with the bench press. 120# was probably too ambitious for her. It's cool to watch her push through it and get them done anyway. Makes me believe I can get there too. Some day.

Random: Sharpie Liquid Pencil. Is erasable like pencil, then sets like ink after three days. Must try!