What am I working on? This week, I’m plugging away on the second subplot story, which is kiiiiiiind of feeling like it wants to be a meandering novella instead. I’m a bit worried about that. But also a bit intrigued. There’s something special about those stories I just let go–not trying to reign them in to a specific length, but allow to twist and turn as they will. I was thinking the other day, it’s a different mode of plotting, more like soft and hard moments of meandering mixed with pointed decision/action. I don’t know how to explain it, except that it doesn’t seem to fit most “plotting” methods, which is frustrating and confusing, but also exciting and refreshing. How’s that for a brain-twist? So I’m going to try to touch the project daily and just see what happens. Maybe it’s not a short story, like I wanted it to be. Maybe it’s its own thing. Sometimes those longer, odder projects bloom into things that absolutely fill my heart with joy, so I don’t want to quash that by trying to constrain it, if it’d rather run free. Not sure, not sure.
What’s inspiring me this week? Sorting LEGO. I know! How weird, but I find it strangely satisfying. Partly, it’s the productivity angle of seeing your pile of specific LEGO pieces growing and growing. Partly, it’s the searching and picking–it feels very primal, like picking lice off a dear friend’s back. Partly, it’s seeing Thing 1’s creativity explode as he’s finally able to find the pieces he wants quickly and without endless searching. I mean, adorable, right?!:
I’m starting to drift from Stardew Valley this week. My darling farmer is married, home expanded, maybe on the verge of kids, but I’m just…not feeling the puttering. I have one more thing to get before I’m done with the Community Center challenges. I don’t have any specific goals I’m working towards. I’ve even cracked open The Long Dark again after an extended break, but even that I’m feeling flaky towards. I popped into Hello Neighbor yesterday, but UGH, I’m struggling with it. I love its creepy, nightmarish aesthetic; the child-like horror of intensive hide-and-go-seek; the weird dream sequences, but I’m struggling to make any progress, and the walking-simulator lover in me is deeply frustrated that although lots of drawers open, THERE’S NOTHING IN THEM. WHY?! I thought about maybe cracking open a new save file in Resident Evil 1, as I got stuck with too few saves at one point, but…meh? I dunno.
I’ve been reading a lot–I just finished The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, which is adorable and charming and fun. I don’t read a lot of romance/romcom, but it was very sweet and surprisingly gripping. Will have writing thoughts on that in a week or so…
I’ve also gotten the comic itch again, so Girls in the Attic may be coming back to this space in a few weeks. I’ve got a storyline for the poor Bureaucrat, who’s been getting neglected these last few months.
OH! And I started listening to Ethan of Athos by Lois McMaster Bujold yesterday, and so far it may be my FAVORITE of her Vorkosigan books so far (though I adore Miles and am looking forward to getting back to him!). The girl-power vibes of this one are INSANE, and I’m 100% here for it. It makes me laugh that a book that literally does not have a female character in it within the first two chapters can be so intensely pro-female. LOVE IT.
What challenges am I facing this week? I struggled on Monday to produce the kind of words I wanted for the WiP–I’m not sure why, but sometimes you just have a day where things don’t flow, and THINGS DID NOT FLOW on Monday. It’s frustrating, especially when you don’t have a huge amount of available work time, missing out on flow feels dire. But I also realize sometimes that’s how writing goes and I need to take a deep breath and move on. I’m kind of shifting gears on this story anyway, from pre-designed short to who-the-hell-knows, but I want to see where it goes, so I need to unclench my fists and just let it be. Touch it daily, even if nothing gets done, and just try to THINK on it for a few minutes. We’ll start there.