It has been so busy lately. My life seems to swing between either super busy or super dull within a few days of each other. I think I’d rather find a nice happy balance, but at least the busy has been a lot of fun. ^_^ Hung out with a friend yesterday and went down to the Portland Museum of Art, which was *awesome* and made me want to paint all the more. Did finish the latest painting today, but I think I’ll wait a little while to post it. I still have a long way to go, skill-wise. >.o
Finished the second Edith Wharton novel I was working through, The Custom of the Country, though I must say the ending struck me as a little slipshod, like she didn’t know how to end this one so she just sort of stopped. Needless to say, it didn’t have that feeling of finality that Ethan Frome and House of Mirth both have. Huge list of books to read piling up–not sure if I’m going to continue with another Edith Wharton (the book I have from the library also contains Age of Innocence which looks a lot shorter than The Custom of the Country, so maybe I’ll try to plow through that before it’s due next Saturday).
Looked and did taxes today. T_T Haaaaaaaate taxes. But I guess that’s the usual response at this time of year.
Oh! As a side note: Apex has finally got Nate Kenyon’s novella PRIME up for pre-order! I have been waiting for this one, because I have a soft spot for cyberpunk sci-fi, and this looks to be a really, *really* good one. Plus… IT’s A NOVELLA. Which you all know by now is something I’m absolutely obsessed with at the moment.
Speaking of…
Writing Stuff:
Friday, 1:00PM, Clackamas, OR: 15k into the current novella project and I suddenly realize that one of the characters has disappeared. He’s there at the beginning, stands around a little in the first 10-12 pages, but then after that, he’s just gone. Vanished. And the worst part is, I didn’t even miss him when he left.
1:12, Clackamas, McDonald’s Drive-Through: After a bit of pondering, recognizing that if the character is missing, it’s because he isn’t important enough, I come to the conclusion that I must make the choice between two options: 1) Remove the character, or 2) Make him more important to the story. I know I don’t want to remove him, because he’s so cool (in theory), and because he represents so much. SO, that means I have to make him more important.
1:30, Portland office, Break room: It occurs to me that making him more important won’t actually be that hard–theoretically. I’ve thought about it, and with the new stuff I’ve come up with, both he and the Main Character have a heck of a lot more personality. Always a plus. However, this comes with a trade: it means reworking the first 15k words to reflect the changes. Doesn’t have to be *completely* rewritten, but portions will, and all of it will need at least minor tweaking. Bummer. Positive: The story will definitely be stronger and the MC’s personality will have more definition and rationale behind it, plus it makes it a little more of a coming-of-age story, which with this current subject, I think works well.
But still-! So much more work. >.<
Maggie Slater 