Since Friday, I’ve written over 2600 words on the book. The little word meter says 89%, which is roughly 9K to go. However, I think it’s going to be more than that.

The best part was yesterday. I was stuck because I was so damned clever too many times, I’d painted myself in a corner. I needed X to happen, but I’d made it impossible. Then I remembered there was a third entity in this story — someone far more terrifying than my protagonist and antagonist combined who is just as motivated to reach certain goals as other people. He was more than capable of making X happen. The moral of the story is, um, I’m not sure. I lucked out? The story and characters are robust enough to handle setbacks? I subconsciously planted an out without realizing it?

I really enjoyed my pal Christa’s interview on Tribe. I know for her that, when she writes a story, she’s just spinning a yarn. Everything else that happens is coincidental, which drives academics crazy when they try to analyze it (and we writers find that very amusing). But for me — and I’ve been like this since I was a toddler, so go figure — I’ve always got Something To Say (patent pending). I’m usually very conscious of what goes into a story and what it’s about. I’m usually very consciously Saying Something, although I don’t know if everyone always gets the same message, and that’s okay. The books are not. I don’t know why.

I have a novelette I wrote nine years ago when Neil was still reading my story drafts that I never showed him. (And he has no time these days for my nonsense, which makes me feel sad these days.) It’s about a fairysleep, a violin and the end of the world. Back then, I thought it would make a great graphic novel and for some reason I was thinking about it this morning. It definitely Says Something (patent pending). I don’t have my copy of Understanding Comics with me, but if I knew the right comics artist was into it, I’d adapt it faster than snappy as best I could.

Anyway, here’s me. Ass in chair. Trying to finish the latest. Ready…set…go!