A change of scenery sometimes helps me break through tough plot or logic areas, mostly because there's bigger blocks of time available. Typical weekdays or even social weekends really only offer up a few hours, which means text produced and considered in small bits and bites. Two years ago at the CSSF workshop in Lawrence, I had huge blocks of time, and consequently wrote 30K words in a week, just poring over a laptop and a blank disk. I hope I have something like a similar run of it this time.
Plus, I'm inordinately happy that I got a flash of inspiration while walking up the stairs today; the sense of being in the book was so sharp that I don't really remember walking up the stairs themselves. Knowing how ephemeral these things can be, I immediately scribbled the chapter opener down on a notepad at my desk. It was one of those "oh, of course!" moments that will be enormously useful for expanding the "forest chapter" of the book. I hope to expand on it a little bit tonight, but just having the right tone and approach is often half the battle. I feel like I'm holding a golden key to the next few chapters.
In any case, that may only make sense to the writerly sorts, but I'm sure everyone can appreciate the value of finding a map through the wilderness.
- Current Mood:
productive
Comments
SES
Who's not only confused many around him but himself in the process...and who must get offline and get to work as he's a 45 minute commute ahead of him this grey morning.....
Unfortunately, my plan to camp out at Suzzallo Hall last night was thwarted by Spring Break. The hall closed at 5 PM. Bah.
When are you away at your retreat, precisely? Looking at the calendar, I'll be down for the Kotei, for about four days (April 7-10).
I'm curious about the Kotei turnout, given the state of the local scene. At this point I'm trying to figure out how best to sell my L5R collection (including an uncracked box of Web of Lies and a prerelease box of the new set).
FWIW, the last big L5R venue in the area has shut down (Table Top is history). An era is definitely over, but it's been in steep decline for a while.
Maybe you'd consider a day-trip north at the end of April when my last hurrah with L5R happens--I'm co-running the first-ever Vancouver Kotei.
I too am looking to sell my cards, and haven't really come to any conclusions. If you have any bright ideas, let me know. (Obviously my collection, while hardly small, doesn't compare to your massive stash!)
PS. Yes, you sold me on Jade Empire. I've convinced a friend with an X-Box to pre-order it.