About That Fossil

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G. Mason

New Member
Sep 11, 2019
2
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Okay, boss, I finished the exercise you gave on page 170 of On Writing, the one assigning me to unearth that buried fossil you're all the time talkin' about. I got 'er dug up, sure enough, just like you said I would. It's not in this post, on account of 1448 words, 7950 characters/spaces.

Yeah, I know. I'm almost twenty years late. But I've got an excuse. I only just now read your book. Your book's terrific. The first part made me feel like I've know you from when we were kids. The second part made me feel like you'd stopped by one day and we had a couple of beers, and got to chatting about writing, and you let slip all the good stuff you know, just to help me out. I feel like we're pals now, being about the same age, still having heads of hair, and wearing glasses since childhood, and all such.

You described getting hit by the van on a hill on State Route 5, during the time you were composing On Writing. Reading your account of it, and of your horrible injuries, made my knees weak and shaky. My knees have been weak and shaky before, but that was always from being in the presence of really bad war wounds, and worse. I'm sure glad you went on to finish the book.

Here's hoping you're still up to those four mile walks, at least on some days.

Reading as George Mason Pettie
Writing as G. Mason