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December 03, 2003

no rest

I wasn't as far into CHAPTER the FOURTH as I thought, but I worked on it last night. Being sick and cleaning up my home has caused some delay in writing. Plus, it's holiday season. And I worked on my aunt's coffee site.

Sometimes I skip my lunch break at work so I can take a "nap break" later. I bought a couch for my office ($70 at Good Will) just for these breaks.

I am admittedly greedy when it comes to sleep, and have been chastised by family members and boyfriends alike for my tendency to want to sleep at least eight hours a night -- sometimes more. What can I say? I like sleeping. I like the sensation of being on the edge of sleep, I like slowly waking, and I like feeling rested. Doubly so when I'm sick with a cold (like now).

Sleep is the great healer, in my book. When I'm sick, all I want to do is sleep it off. Give my body a chance to do the work of recovery without my getting in the way.

So as I lay recumbent on my couch today with the intent of nursing my cold, I closed my eyes, and instead of the sleep I was expecting, she came to me.

She is my head bad guy, and she has been notoriously hard to pin down. She has no name (yet) and she had no image until now.

There's a lot about souls, blood relations, and inheritance in the current novel. I like the phrase "the eyes are the window to the soul", and I'm working with that a lot.

So with that mental stew brewing in my head, she came to me, and if I can come up with a decent sketch of her, I'll put it up on the site. In the grand scheme of things, she's not a villain like Snidely Whiplash; she's more of a force of nature. An evil force of nature ("I am an evil herbivore....") So in theory one should never really see her. But I have to. I'm her mother, after all.

Thanksgiving was wonderful. I am finally making my Chicago trip this weekend, and two weekends after that I'll be in California. I have an idea for a novella that takes place in my world, and it's at the end of the three books I want to write, so I may write it to get rid of some of the jones I've got to get to the meatier stuff. Right now I'm dealing with the characters-as-apprentices, and those are their own special fun to write, but characters-as-masters are also a heady thrill. The middle book, as you might imagine, is supposed to be about characters-as-journeyman; forgive me for my obviously European influence.

Some of this is also somewhat analogous to my experience in aikido, and I'll ask you to forgive me for that, too. While there have been times in my life where I have transitioned from raw beginner to more experienced beginner, very few of those experiences have had as much structure as the martial arts. Progress and rank are measurable -- and yet, not. There are times when I wonder what sets me apart from the guy who's been studying for three months or the guy who's been working at it for three years. Some days I can't see the difference.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to write about where they end up; I'm sure it'll give me some idea of where they came from.

P.S. Italics are fun.

Posted by sdshaver at December 3, 2003 04:55 PM