At the End of Winter
Tara, you can complain about rain all you want. Man, I wish Pittsburgh could have some rain right now. For the past two days, the sky has been a monotonous pale gray. At least rain would be visually and sonically interesting. Provided, of course, that I didn't have to walk through it! I would just sit back at home in my big green captain's chair, facing the large window in my bedroom, and just watch the rain fall. Watching things fall from the sky (provided they're not frogs) has got to be one of the most relaxing activities.
A few minutes ago, the alley beside my workstation was filled with the beep of a truck backing up, and snatches of loud birdsong, both of which have given way to the distant monotonous rumble of Fifth Avenue. Bleh. Warm weather, please?
This is good weather for October Project's Different Eyes album which is, alas, at home right now. "In the Mind's Eye" has been playing on repeat in my head all morning.
In more happy writing news, I've been taking stock and I have to say I'm really surprised at how far the "Mae Fortune" story has been coming in the past several weeks. I went from being stuck near the end of chapter 5 for months and months on end, to finishing chapter 7 and ready to keep rolling. Granted, I was able to finish Chapter 7 so quickly mainly because a good portion of it was a previously-written scene that only needed to be copied, pasted, edited for continuity and smoothness, and wrapped up cleanly. Still, I'm quite happy with how the story's going. Especially considering that I'd given up on it and had decided to temporarily put it aside and work on things that were clearer in my head. It's like having a bunch of race horses, and there's one that has continually just stood at the starting gate looking dumb. So you put it out to pasture, figuring that in a few years it'll know what it's doing. You go back to the racetrack, make your bets, take your seat, and halfway through the race, there comes that horse again! Somehow, it had escaped the pasture when you weren't looking, and even though it stumbles a little on the track, even though it occasionally pauses and looks around, trying to decide where the heck it's going, it's definitely attempting to move forward.
I feel like I have a better idea of what comes between now and the end, and a better sense of the characters and the kind of conflict/theme I'm going for. Still hazy on a few points, but I'll figure things out as I go.
A few minutes ago, the alley beside my workstation was filled with the beep of a truck backing up, and snatches of loud birdsong, both of which have given way to the distant monotonous rumble of Fifth Avenue. Bleh. Warm weather, please?
This is good weather for October Project's Different Eyes album which is, alas, at home right now. "In the Mind's Eye" has been playing on repeat in my head all morning.
In more happy writing news, I've been taking stock and I have to say I'm really surprised at how far the "Mae Fortune" story has been coming in the past several weeks. I went from being stuck near the end of chapter 5 for months and months on end, to finishing chapter 7 and ready to keep rolling. Granted, I was able to finish Chapter 7 so quickly mainly because a good portion of it was a previously-written scene that only needed to be copied, pasted, edited for continuity and smoothness, and wrapped up cleanly. Still, I'm quite happy with how the story's going. Especially considering that I'd given up on it and had decided to temporarily put it aside and work on things that were clearer in my head. It's like having a bunch of race horses, and there's one that has continually just stood at the starting gate looking dumb. So you put it out to pasture, figuring that in a few years it'll know what it's doing. You go back to the racetrack, make your bets, take your seat, and halfway through the race, there comes that horse again! Somehow, it had escaped the pasture when you weren't looking, and even though it stumbles a little on the track, even though it occasionally pauses and looks around, trying to decide where the heck it's going, it's definitely attempting to move forward.
I feel like I have a better idea of what comes between now and the end, and a better sense of the characters and the kind of conflict/theme I'm going for. Still hazy on a few points, but I'll figure things out as I go.