Working Days by John Steinbeck

for my hangover—one day ahead [Ed.—Chapter 8]. Try to get another next Saturday. Watch the old people. Might get out of hand but I want them mean and funny. And Monday will be
     
     
    Entry #19
June 19 [1938]—(Sunday, no work)
    Mrs. Gragg and Julia and [indecipherable] came. And I had the insistent sad feeling that I should never see Mrs. Gragg again. She told the best story in the world—the tripes of Josh Billings.* I must write this some time.
     
     
    Entry #20
June 20 [1938]—11:15 [Monday]
    Now a new week. Must slow down and take it easier. Saturday had a feeling of exhaustion near to collapse. I guess I’d been working too hard. It’s not the amount of work but the almost physical drive that goes into it that seems to make the difference. I should take it a little easier or I won’t be finishing. I have just a page or so over 100 typescript pages done out of 600. I have five times as much work left to do as I have done already, so I must conserve strength because I do want to do this novel and finish it this time. Must get no fatal feelings about it. Change from Shawnee to Sallisaw [Ed.—Oklahoma]. Make earth red, not grey—and above all I must take my time. That is the most important of all. Take it easy. I don’t mean to write less or less forcefully but to keep the frantic quality out of my approach. Well it is time for work now. Now the day’s work is done. The prayer and Al comes home [Ed.—finish of Chapter 8]. Tomorrow the sorting of things to go and this should be a well done thing. I think I’ll play The Swan * before because there too is the loss of a loved thing of the past. I think I’ll do that. Beth is coming tomorrow and she has done just that. Just that. Sorted over the trappings of her dead life. And so the book moves on steadily, forcefully, slowly, and it must continue to move slowly. How I love it. Dinner with Louis and Mary tonight. Now on to thought. Tomorrow must be poetry.
     
     
    Entry #21
June 21 [1938]—9:30 [Tuesday]
    Out late last night and Carol mad at me for staying. The house above with its radio blasting has spoiled this place for us completely. Have to fight noise worse than in P.G. [Ed.—Pacific Grove]. That poor little letter in the Record* seems to be causing a fuss. Now I’ll be deluged with requests for letters by other magazines. And I can’t do anything about it. Well forget it. That’s best. And some time before too long, forget every thing for always. Feeling low today but not tired or workless. I’ll be early at work. Beth is coming tonight. I’ll get my work done slowly and if she comes before, she won’t mind if I go right on. I don’t know about starting now. I’d just stop for coffee. However, I should start now. Then I can get some time off. And if I had started at 5:30 when I first awakened, I should be through now. Why not maybe a page now. Good idea. 11:15 actual work starts. Wire from Pare. Must see it. Says job for Dick practically assured as far as Washington is concerned. Now back to work. (Actually only half a second page today but the chapter only went that far anyway and there’s nothing I can do about that.) [Ed.—Chapter 9.] I can’t go on. I hope this general is good. It has to be. Read it to Louis. He says it is good. Only half a page though. But that didn’t matter at all.
     
     
    Entry #22
June 22 [1938]—11:45 [Wednesday]
    Beth came last night. Looks much better than she did and her interests are awakening again. By the end of the summer I think she will be in good shape. She needs not to think too much about anything. But now to work. Little sleep last night. Couldn’t get to sleep. And other things. And today I’ll have to buck into it. Beginning of a particular chapter [Ed.—Chapter 10] and that isn’t so bad. I’ll try to go through with it but for some reason I’m slightly skittish. That does not always mean anything. I’ll just take a running dive at it and set down what happens. Start with Tom and his