June 9th, 2019

6.30 am

THUNK!

The clock fell to the ground face first. With a whizz, it started its march again.

Groaning, he turned to the other side of the bed, covering his face with the pillow. The alarm continued to ring from the ground with much perseverance as before.

“Someone make it stop,” he mumbled in a hoarse voice as his hand reached out for the clock. It fumbled, looking for the villain antagonizing his sleep.

Happy, his tabby cat, got up from her pillow. With a single jump, she was off the bed and making her way to the door. She knew how long it would take for him from her years of experience. She would rather not waste her sleep over his incompetence to turn off a single alarm.

She hissed when she saw the clock at the foot of the bed, rolling around; her tail giving it a flick. It hit the nearby drawer with another thunk, yet the ringing didn’t stop.

The clock was a gift from a fan that he had gotten years ago after he missed a book signing because he overslept. It was custom-made with a steel body and wheels. Once it started to ring, the wheels would push it forward. It would run all over the room, ringing until he placed it back on the snooze post, which he kept in the other room for no apparent reason.

He loved vexing himself.

He sat up, eyes still closed, as his hands went over his face with a groan.

He was exhausted. Because he was up till the crack of dawn, drafting the new book idea he got while playing games. Spending the entire night jotting down everything. Taking that one line and turning it into a 350-page worth of story to tell.

This was his favorite part of being a writer.

7.00 am

He was finally out of the house. The morning air was cold as he made his way to the main coast.

Most of the shops were still closed, but some were getting ready to open their doors. It was a small city, with small businesses and a small population. Life here was simple and peaceful. He preferred it. It gave him a chance to sit down and write.

To breathe.

But it was the view of the sun hitting the waves at sunrise and sunset that he loved. That shade of pale orange always reminded him of her. Her wild, sun-kissed hair in the wind.

8.40 am

The jog always turned into a walk on his way home.

A lazy long saunter through the coastline. From the distance, he could see the fish harbor. Trawlers coming back from the night at the sea. Like a flock of birds, they gathered at the pier waiting for the boats to come back. Westport was famous for its seafood for being both cheap and fresh.

He sat on one of the rocks, listening to the wind. The sky was in the perfect shade of blue and the cold coastal air tickled its way through him.

For the third time today, he wished she was here with him. She always wanted to live by the sea. And he knew that she would have loved this view.

He sighed as his finger threaded through his copper hair, pushing it off his eyes.

It needed a trim.

9.30 am

The shop's doorbell jingled as he opened the door. It was an old diner, run by a grandmother and her grandson. The decor was in the 70s retro theme, mixed with bright peachy colors and white ceramic tiles with pink grout. The south-facing windows gave an ample amount of light to make the place stay illuminated even without the funky lights on top.
Compared to the other shops around the neighborhood, it was older and less trendy. Though in comparison, it was more popular. The famous on-house maple pancakes would bring patrons around the country for a taste.

He ducked as he got inside. The door frame was lower, so his six-foot-two self would always have to bend to get inside. A bit of groveling before breakfast.

"Good morning Mr. Sage... wow, you look bad," the young boy said with a smile as he wiped the counter.

"Yeah, I feel that way too."

The boy laughed. "Should I get your usual, then?"

He nodded, pushing his hair off his eyes. "I will be in my booth." He walked to his seat in the corner. A window seat that looked over the street. He liked watching the people as he worked. Seeing them get on with their life as he wrote quietly.

A car drove by, speeding as it passed the diner. A man walking his dog. It seemed today was going to be just like any other.

With one last stretch of his arms, he got his reading glasses on. Bringing out his laptop along with last night's notes, he spread them on the table.

The bell on the diner's door jingled. A woman came inside with a crying toddler.

"Nith, I have your coffee." The older woman placed his cup on the table, along with a plate of pancakes. "New book?" she asked, seeing the pile of papers stacked on the side.

Nith smiled, excited to share. "Yeah."

"What is it about?" A hand on her hip as the older woman leaned on the head of the soft velvet sofa to listen to him talk. She knew how he felt about writing and how much he loved talking to others about it.

"Magic."

"Does it involve fighting?" Nith nodded, enraptured at the thought. The woman shook her head. "Why do you always write about fighting? Write something sweet like Maybe Someday!"

Nith smiled, just a tiny curve on the lips. "Maybe someday I will."

"Don't play with words, boy," she tsked walking back to the counter.

12.30 pm

The best part of writing, according to Nith, was getting new ideas and combining all those random thoughts to make one comprehensive story.

He thought of the whole thing as making a holiday dinner for the family. The end result would make you full and satisfied, but the process would be nothing less than a hurdle.

One just needed to follow the recipes well. And the recipe for writing a novel went something like this -

💠Ingredients :

▪️3 cups of things that you would need for the story (characters, scene, settings, etc)
▪️1 cup of a late night/ got during the shower ideas for the story
▪️1 teaspoon of theme
▪️1 teaspoon of a good beginning
▪️1 teaspoon of a good ending - preferably a happy one.
▪️1 main protagonist
▪️5 tablespoons of conflict and character motivation
▪️3-5 secondary characters that everyone will love
▪️A big bag of writer's patience and motivation - the bigger the better
▪️An antagonist for extra flavor.
▪️Time as much as needed.

💠Instructions :

▪️Sift the ideas.
▪️Take the one that you like and want. Put others to the side.
▪️In a large bowl mix everything together.
▪️Now stir.
▪️In another bowl add ending, conflict, and character motivation.
▪️Mix well. And let it sit for at least a week.
▪️Taste If something feels lacking add more conflict.
▪️Can add comedic characters with a sad backstory for more flavor.
▪️Taste again.
▪️Smash your head into the table and add that.
▪️Forget about it and let it marinate for another 400 days.
▪️Scream into the abyss.
▪️Stir again, taste.
▪️Think about how you would work on the middle part of the story and give up.
▪️Marinate for another 100 days.
▪️Write it all down.

With a click, he posted the recipe on the blog, smiling at himself. Fans loved whenever he posted blogs like this. He doubted that it helped anyone with their writing, but at least they were fun to read. 

2.40 pm

Nith walked back to his house, lunch in hand. Happy greeted him right at the door.

The cat wrapped itself around his leg, tail straight as an arrow. She sniffed the package in his hand. Nith placed the box on the kitchen island as he bent down to hold the feline. Instead of staying, she twisted herself away from him, walking back to the kitchen. She meowed at the box.

"So all that purring was just for the food, huh?" Nith asked.

She meowed twice more, her eyes shining. Yet Nith didn't budge. With a flick of her tail, Happy went back to the couch, nesting in. She might as well take a nap.

"Wow..."

Happy yawned in response. 

5.45 pm

"Dad, I don't know. I haven't been home in months, how will I know where you kept the spatula?" Nith pinched the bridge of his nose as he paced around the house. "Then have you asked Nick?"

"He hasn't been home since last month."

"I was home 3 months ago!" He walked past the sofa, stumbling when he almost crashed into Happy as she ran after her ball of yarn. “Then how am I supposed to know?"

"Why are you getting angry?"

Nith breathed, slowly letting it out. "Fine. Have you checked the kitchen?"

"You think I called without checking the kitchen?"

"Then did you check the dishwasher?"

"The dishwasher?" his father's voice wavered. "Of Course I did!" he yelled. But Nith could hear the dishwasher's door opening and closing through the phone. He shook his head. "Calling you was a waste of time. I will look for it myself."

"I thought you already looked in the kitchen?"

"I did. Forgot about that damn machine, though."

"Take care, Dad." He didn't have the energy anymore.

"You are the one who needs to take care. Come home this week. Lia is coming back for her break. I will call Nick too."

Nith nodded. He hadn't seen his siblings in months. "I will let you know if I can."

"You write from home," he said in a matter-to-fact tone.

"Goodbye, Dad."

"Fine, fine."

8. 21 pm

"Happy, get away from the alarm!"

Nith ran into the room, grabbing the clock out of Happy's claws. The cat flicked its tail, walking out of the room as if nothing had happened.

"Why do you hate it so much?" he asked. Nith didn’t understand Happy’s animosity with the clock. He wiped the glass case with his palm, checking it for scratches. But then he remembered how miserable he felt walking up to its hideous ringing. "Maybe I should let her break it," he muttered. 

10.59 pm

The TV played in the background as Nith sat on the floor, typing away on his laptop. Happy lay on the couch, stretching her paws now and then.
He was almost done with the first draft of the first chapter when the phone rang. Jay's name flashed on the screen.

"Hey, what's up?"

"We are gonna be in a movie!" The high-pitched squeal that came from the other side made him wince.

"What?"

"We are gonna be in a movie!" his friend yelled again.

"Jay, what are you talking about? What movie?"

"Dude! You wouldn't believe me if I tell you!"

Nith turned off the tv, leaning his head against the couch. "Then don't. I have work to do."

"Nith! Don't cut the line, man!"

"What is it?"

"Let me get you anxious up a bit." Nith could hear Julie - Jay's wife in the background, yelling at him to stop. He smiled. Jay deserved that scolding. "Fine, fine. Sheess… she always takes your side. Anyway," Jay took a deep breath before announcing whatever he had to announce, "I got a phone call today."

"And?"

"It was from Colored Entertainment." He paused. Nith was going to prompt him to continue when Jay spoke again, "They want to make a movie adaptation of Maybe Someday and release it on the 10th anniversary of the book. They sent a proposal for an option. They want to buy the rights! Lily will probably call you in the morning but…," the smile in his voice was evident as he continued, "But it seems they already prepared everything. I mean, they are working on a draft script, sent a list for set locations, and everything. They want to start as soon as possible! Can you believe it?" He ends with a laugh.

Nith sat straight, blinking. He didn't know what to say.

A minute passed. Jay looked at Julie - who sat next to him - waiting to hear what the author might say. But Nith kept quiet. "Nith, you there?"

"Ye-yeah… " Nith placed his glasses on the table. His thoughts raced as he leaned back on the couch. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wrap his mind around the news but nothing was loading. The lack of sleep was finally getting to him.

Happy sat next to him on the floor instead of leaving the room as she would normally do whenever he was on the phone; she nudged her head closer. Nith gently petted her. "It's just… I never expected this."

Jay laughed. "Dude, none of us did. But can you believe it? Colored Entertainment giving us an offer! It's going to be the movie of the year! We are gonna be in a movie!"

"Yeah,” Nith cleared his throat not really knowing what else to say. Jay laughed from the other side. His excitement seemed infectious. Nith held Happy closer, a shy smile on his face as he shared Jay’s enthusiasm. He will regret this later, Nith knew that but for now, he wanted to celebrate with his friend who was over the moon for him. "We are gonna be in a movie!"