. . .And straight on till morning!

Those aren't new gray hairs but cobwebs from digging around in old New York Times (thank goodness for our wonderful public libraries!). Even though I'm trying to stay focused, I couldn't help being distracted by a November 27, 1927 NYT article written about J.M.Barrie. Did you know what he studied for the law at Edinburgh University, writing all the while? Contrary to my image of him, he seemed a rather outgoing and gregarious old chap. But here's what made me do a double take: that writing he did while studying for the law (and other shenanigans) included completing a 3-volume novel. And, then about 10 years after the first performance of the play, Peter Pan, he destroyed the entire manuscript! All three volumes. And this in the day before word processors!

Reading this tidbit encouraged me to no end.

How so? Well, instead of trying to inflate the rather flat current draft of WIP (the fourth), I clicked and dragged it right over to my trash can. I suppose Mr. Barrie burned his multi-volumed work of art so my method was less dramatic but, I must say, still amazingly satisfying.

Now if I can just find a bit of pixie dust for draft number five. . .