The girlfriend is off on vacation with the family which in theory means I have more time to write, but in practice means that I have no one to prod me onward when I’m not. A revelation was had regarding a particular story that I’ve been picking away at for… god, probably a year now, on and off. It’s not going to be an easy change for me to make to the structure of the whole thing, but not only is it a good idea I think it’s a necessary idea to pull the whole thing together.
I finished reading The Prestige a few days ago, which prompted a new idea that I’ve sort of been aching to explore, but there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do. But doubling (not cloning, but doubling) is so mentally problematic. I just really want to sink my teeth into that idea.
There are some days when I feel like what I really need to do is make a list of Practical Advice for Living. On this list would be such things as ‘buy toilet paper before you run out’, ‘wear a warmer jacket when it’s cold’ and ‘don’t watch Supernatural before bed’. I’ve managed to violate all three of these in the past week or so, most memorably (re-)watching two episodes of Supernatural last night before going to bed and having the unsettling dreams to show for it.
Yesterday was a complete wash on the writing front, but at least I entertained the clientele of Urbana with an animated phone call. (I exaggerate; I promise I didn’t make a spectacle of myself. But I did do what I normally don’t and took a – very urgent – call.) Today, however, was productive, despite the fact that Second Cup is no longer serving Belgian chocolate orange lattes. (I cannot express the sheer bliss of these lattes; maybe they’ll still make them special.) At least five hundred words on two stories, plus a bit of administrative work I needed to get done. And, more importantly, I managed to finally rewrite the beginning of a story I’ve long been picking at in a way that I think sets the right tone for what’s to come. Sometimes writing two paragraphs of really good stuff is more productive than two pages of work that you’re less than enthused about.