The well ain’t dry.
Yesterday I finished screwing down the plywood in the downstairs floor, a task I hadn’t been much looking forward to because of its mundane, knee-aching nature. That was pretty much the last of the daytime work I had scheduled myself to ensure the Architect could be free to do more complex work on the weekends. Our living area (currently the second floor of the house) is comfy, if not terribly attractive, and the debris and most of the lumber has been moved to the garage. Our living space is livable again. With a clear mind and clearer schedule, I got up this morning–and wrote two first chapters, one for each of my new works in progress. Just like that, I’m back in the game.
Contrary to my uber-organized nature, one of them doesn’t even have a fleshed-out storyline. No charts, graphs, index cards or anything. Just me flying by the seat of my pants. Of course, the other novel is halfway written already in outline form (you can teach an old dog new tricks, they just really prefer the old ones). I have to admit, it was exciting switching from one story to the other. I can see now why some authors chose that path; there’s little room for boredom. The question now remains; can I keep up doing two at once? At the very worst, I’ll have one strong story I’m very much drawn to finish, and a solid second-place winner to brush up once I’m done with the first.
On a completely unrelated, slightly ADD-ish side note, I’m totally digging the weather today. From my office/storage closet window, I can see the squirrels in my neighbor’s backyard chasing each other across the sunshine-dappled trunk of a monstrous pine. The air is cool, almost chilly, and an inviting breeze continually drifts through the room, making it feel less claustrophobic. It seems fall finally has arrived–and here I’ve had my Halloween stuff out for two weeks. Exposed insulation, plywood floors, sparse furnishings, and spooky-themed tchotchkes covering every square inch of horizontal surface. What’s a Halloween-loving girl to do? Stop messing around and get back to work, I guess.
Hell and Wheels 
October 10th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Sidney — See, I need to take a page from you. I tend to work on one thing, hit a wall, and walk away for a while. I need to channel my energy into another story, not vacuuming the hell out of the floor.Yeah, the floor projects are fun–except the attic/loft we’re replacing right now. Ninety years of black powdery funk in between the old floorboards has rained down on our new plywood floors (which are supposed to serve as regular floors until we get some money saved for the real kind) and turned them all black. Ick.
October 9th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
I work on one thing until I hit a wall and then work on something else. Sometimes I find if I can get going on something it will unblock me on all things. Sounds like the floor project was fun.
October 7th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Steve — We’ve entered bizarre-o world, it seems. You know,I go to Target and buy socks, shirts and accessories at this time of year just so I can stock up for the next eleven months. Laughingwolf — It’s amazing what silly things throw me off. I’m such a creature of habit that I sometimes think if I were walking a normal route and someone put an obstacle in front of me, I wouldn’t have sense enough to go around it.Kate — Yay! I’m so excited every time you stop by! How’ve you been?There’s just something about the whole package: the leaves falling, the chilly air coming in, the colors… It all adds to the excitement for me. Although, considering Steve’s comment, there must also be something else that makes it great, something less tangible.
October 7th, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Congrats on getting back into the game!And well, Halloween IS the best holiday of the year, so there’s nothing unusual about the living arrangements. đŸ™‚
October 5th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
grats on all accomplishments, esp in the writing arena… living space be darned :O lol
October 4th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Huh? Where was I? Ah yes. The Feast of All Hallows. Samhain. I gotta admit, it’s a little weird celebrating my favorite Harvest Holiday in spring-ish summer, but it *is* growing on me. After all, it beats Minnesota, where li’l ghosts and goblins trick or treat in the snow and all those Naughty Nurses are bundled under heavy coats!Besides, it’s fun at Easter to watch the little kids in their pastel outfits brave the icy winds…
October 4th, 2008 at 8:09 pm
Yaaaaaayyyyyy refilled well!You’re attacking a new work by the seat of your pants. I’m having a blast with my outline and complicated graphs! What strange alchemy is this?!And as a fellow ‘Every day is Halloween’ type, I’m feeling the magic too. When I first moved here, NZ had no Halloween, and I was sad. Baffled Kiwis gave me blank stares. Now, after ten years of my not-so-gentle influence, they’re catching on to Mexican food and Halloween. Mm, tacos…
October 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Christina — They’re for candles. I’ve been getting them from Illuminations for years. It’s some strange obsession I have with those things; makes me compulsively buy them.I have the same problem with getting bored in mid-story. That’s part of the reason why I’m trying the two-fer technique. We’ll see if it works.Charles — It’s actually cold in my house, now! But, I refuse to turn on the heat. Not when it’s seventy-two out! We’re looking at pellet stoves now, because the gas to heat this house will bankrupt us this winter.Lana — Trick or Treaters? Bah, humbug! I don’t bother giving out candy anymore because after six it’s all junior thugs who don’t even bother to dress up or even say anything. They just knock and stand there, staring. I don’t know whether to get the candy or the baseball bat. I decorate just because I love Halloween. It’s my Christmas.
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Congrats on the work & progress. I'm debating whether or not it's worth taking out the few Halloween decorations we have, considering we really don't get any trick or treaters. The bag of Reese's minis I bought last weekend will probably suffice right through the holiday, unfortunately.
October 2nd, 2008 at 6:13 pm
The weather is very nice here as well. I love it when it starts to get cool.
October 2nd, 2008 at 5:55 pm
I love that picture of all those Halloween creature faces. Are they for candles or candy? I need to do some of my Halloween shopping before I miss out on my Halloween candy dish and drinking glass toys. I love working on a handful of stories, but then somewhere in the middle I start to feel like I’ve been working on them for too long and I need to really focus on just one to get it finished. I still have way too many stories on my plate that need to be done. Great that you got writing done though! It sounds like you missed it.