Writing is going fine, in fits and starts. It really helps to have a structure guide. In the first several drafts last year, I made the mistake of wandering around with backstory and let whatever interested me determine what I wrote. I ended up with an interesting mess. With a structural outline, I can stay on track, develop the characters and plot, and end up with something publishable. Fingers crossed.

I did take some time this morning to read the news. Probably a mistake. This video from CNN, where the reporter interviews people at a recent Trump rally about the events of a year ago at the capital, is soooo depressing. I’ve never in my life seen such delusional denial. One woman’s response: “…I didn’t see any Trump supporters there. I saw people pretending to be Trump supporters.” Holy crap. What in the world makes these people hold on to their bizarre beliefs?

And then there’s this article from The Guardian, a British publication, that lays our situation out in stark detail:

“The United States today is, once again, headed for civil war, and, once again, it cannot bear to face it. The political problems are both structural and immediate, the crisis both longstanding and accelerating. The American political system has become so overwhelmed by anger that even the most basic tasks of government are increasingly impossible.

The legal system grows less legitimate by the day. Trust in government at all levels is in freefall, or, like Congress, with approval ratings hovering around 20%, cannot fall any lower. Right now, elected sheriffs openly promote resistance to federal authority. Right now, militias train and arm themselves in preparation for the fall of the Republic. Right now, doctrines of a radical, unachievable, messianic freedom spread across the internet, on talk radio, on cable television, in the malls.”

I don’t know about you, but the prospect of an actual civil war isn’t appealing. I’m too old for this shit.