clear skies

overcast, mild, temps 14

Just came back from doing some shopping. I got up early, ordered a huge pot of coffee and started writing. Was finished the 2,000 words before noon. After a second huge pot (this time decaf).

The writing's going very well. As I mentioned yesterday, these are some difficult, pivotal scenes - for the book and this mystery, but also for the characters. They need to work on lots of levels without appearing to. My first pass at scenes like these is often very heavy-handed. Bring out the sledge hammers! And the trawl. I don't actually worry...I just like to get something down...and then edit. So first thing I did this morning was go back over the stuff I did yesterday and lighten, lighten, shape, trim, adjust. Spend about 90 minutes and didn't add a word to the word-count, but did a whole lot of new writing, and taking out.

Then went on to the new stuff. And tomorrow i'll edit and lighten it. Always easier to work from something than nothing.

I realized, as I left the hotel to shop, that my step was also light. When the writing's going well the sun shines - when it isn't going well it goes from cloudy, to a cat 5 hurricane. As Michael will tell you. Being married to a writer must be the worst. Well, I guess a spouse murderer would be worse. Just.

How lovely it is to not have to think of anything, except writing. Ahhh.