Seth is leaving the farm, 20, 657 words

I broke 20,000 words today! It's amazing how much you can add to your word count even though nothing much happens. I had some interesting moments - well, interesting to myself.

I noticed that I was really trying to make sense out of what was going on in Seth's head, because Seth is really confused about a lot of things right now. And I was trying to follow the mantra 'Show, don't tell.' And it was taking me a long time because I was trying to figure out how to show all these things. And then I just gave up and just wrote a couple of paragraphs to elaborate on Seth's state of mind and how confused she is and what are the two poles she feels torn between etc. I realized that I was getting too bogged down in making it 'good' when it would be better to just get it down on paper, and move on. After all, I doubt I'll try to pursue anything with this novel, so I might as well just write it to please myself. And my 6 fans. (Hence, the Emilio Estevez references.)

It was hard to pull out a quote because nothing much happened in my novel today. It was a continuation from yesterday's bout of storytelling, except this time, Seth and Reggie got up and danced a bit, and they talked more about Jackie's Place. I think it's becoming clear to Seth that she's just in hiding on the farm, and she really belongs in the city. She loved how she felt when she was out and about at Jackie's Place because of how glamorous and exciting it was, but also how accepting everyone was, and how much Seth felt like some piece of her just fit there.

Here's the excerpt:
Mary Kate pulled the glass out of Reggie’s hand, and pushed her towards Seth, who was staring at her glass of wine as if it had a story to tell her. Music was soon playing. The first record was last year’s dance favorite – Summertime, by the New Lads on the Block. Reggie had Seth on her feet in just a few beats of the song, and soon Reggie was thumping, and Seth was tripping lightly over the floor.

“I think about you,” began Reggie, and they continued the line together, “In the summertime!”, and giggled, without missing a beat. “The thought of you still makes me crazy,” they harmonized. After Summertime, they danced to Glamorous, Let It Rock, and Don’t Put a Tax on the Beautiful Girls. Then Mary Kate needed a turn, and she and Seth danced the foxtrot to a slow, sad song: If I Were A Boy.

“What would you do if you were a boy?” Reggie asked, as if they hadn’t had this conversation innumerable times.

“Did I tell you about King Lightning?” Seth asked suddenly, enthusiastic about Scrap’s magical ability to transform herself from one gendered extreme to another, and sometimes to exist entirely outside of what had used to seem, to Seth anyway, like a binary system. The three sat down again, and Seth told them about the night at Jackie’s Place, this time dwelling not on Fernando, her supposed brother. Instead, she talked about the people there, how free they had seemed, and how despite her discomfort and hesitancy about revealing her country ways, she had felt like a part of her fit there. Anyone could walk into that place, and be accepted, and any lovers were smiled on.

“Sounds like it really affected you,” said Reggie, examining Seth’s face closely. Seth had never had a happy life, and her face, before she left to find her fortune, was often creased with anxiety. Reggie couldn’t make out if she really had changed, but something seemed different. The anxiety had been replaced by a deeper sadness, but there was something new as well. She looked more peaceful than she had before. “Sounds like you should go back there,” Reggie continued. Mary Kate, who had been staring dreamily at their reflections in the window, and what she could see of the night outside, glanced back when she heard Seth’s sharp intake of breath.

Edit: I forgot to mention today's Craft: terrycloth inflatable pillows.
By morning, nothing had been simplified except that Seth’s confusing mixture of feelings had boiled down to a pounding headache, a dry mouth, and a nauseous stomach. Too much dandelion wine will do that, same as too much champagne, Seth reflected, as she packed her small carpetbag to go. Mary Kate provided her with two strange pillows covered in a cut up Turkish towel. When she passed the over, along with a packed lunch of bread, cheese, and apples, Mary Kate had said wisely, “Inflatable pillows make lounging at the beach even more relaxing, and they're easy to tuck into a tote. They’ll make your train ride much more comfortable, I’m sure.”